Opinions on hauling weanling filly?

[LB27]

In a few months I will be getting my first miniature! They said she will be ready when she is 3 months old. Does that seem a little young? Should I ask to get her a little later? Also, if they say no then what extra measures should I take to make sure she remains healthy (like any special supplements)?

She is about 5 hours away from us so I'm nervous about the ride home with her. I'm not sure if they will have gotten her used to some separation from her mother or if this will be the first. I'm just really worried about how stressed she may act. We have 3 options for hauling her: 1) A HUGE Featherlite stock trailer 2) A two horse bumber trailer 3) back of the truck (put side boards up and something to cover the top

My family prefers #3 but I would prefer #2 but I think they are worried about taking it that far (we don't use it much but the floor is new

Any suggestions on how to make this a good experience? I plan to have a mat on the floor and lots of bedding.

Thanks!

 

[Katiean]

Yes, I think 3 months is a bit young. The very youngest I wean is 4 months. I prefer 6 months. Is your 2 horse bumper pull fully enclosed? Mine is fully enclosed and I am so paranoid that I have a lock on the back doors. I think any trailer is fine as long as it is enclosed to the point that nothing can go over a door or out a side window. Good luck with your new baby.

 

[Riverrose28]

Yes I agree three months is too early, also I would recommend waiting till at least four months or preferable would be six months, and then make sure that she is really weaned, not just taken away at sale time to travel as it will cause alot of stress. The trailer ride should be fine if you make at least one stop and she is totally weaned. I hate it when breeders sell their foals, then take them away from Mom at travel time, it's so stressfull, and you could encounter many problems.

 

[targetsmom]

Do you have another horse you could take to pick her up so she wouldn't be traveling alone? We sometimes took our big horse and put the young mini in a rectangular "box" stall (down to the floor) next to him in the 2 horse trailer. I would also like to see the foal weaned a bit later and then not shipped until it is over the main stress of weaning. Then I would treat with Gastrogard or Stomach Soother to help prevent ulcers. This will be a very stressful time for her.

We also hauled a weanling in the back of our truck which has a cap and a window that opens into the cab. We lined it with hay bales (and she still tried to jump out the window) but settled down in about 15 minutes. I could feed her and talk to her through the window. By the end of the 15 hour drive she recognized us walking across the rest area parking lot! We had darkened windows or I am sure we would have gotten a LOT more looks on the highway.

 

[Hayley~Diaz]

I would say that 3 months is wayy to young, especially for a 5hr trip! 6mnths is a betr age but stil young for such a long trip.

Any trailer wud b fine. U could put a good layer of wood chips or sum kind of bedding down for extra grip. Use horse boots to put on her lil legs and try to stop for breaks for a few times. Also it wud b a gud idea to bring an oldr experienced horse for comfort

 

[disneyhorse]

Three months is way early, 4-6 is much better.

My pony was weaned at three months and he's fine but it's not necessary to do it early.

Id just haul in the bumper pull trailer.

 

[Miniv]

Agree with Disney........all around. 3 months is too young.

Bumper pull is probably best with lots of bedding, good hay to munch on, and stop regularly for water. No grain until she gets home.

(My husband and I used to operate a mini horse transport business for about 20 years.)

 

[mini horse mania]

Please make sure the back doors on the bumper pull are very tall if she is left loose...our colt almost cleared them at 3 mos.we had to tie him to keep him from getting hurt...then he tried to hang himself. I finally rode home in the trailer with him

 

[chandab]

I hauled one of my mares home when she was a weanling, she was about 4 months old when I hauled her. [i just looked at her papers and brand inspection for travel, and I didn't think she was quite that young when I brought her home, but she's always been pretty independent. Brand inspection says 250# for weight, I don't think so, but around here the inspectors are used to full-size horse, so he probably halved it for a mini.

] She was born the end of May, and her papers are dated the end of Sept, I think I picked her up about a week after her papers were written up. Long way around to; she was hauled in a 2-horse bumper pull, we put a piece of plywood in it to take the divider all the way to the floor, so she wouldn't walk under it; the trailer is fully enclosed with a full height rear door. The trip was about 6 hours, she handled it just fine.

 

[HGFarm]

Three months is WAY too young to be weaned, let alone the stress of shipping. Four and a half months is the earliest I have ever weaned- usually around 5 months seems to work well. I would ask that she remain with her dam til at least 4 1/2 months. I have seen horses weaned too early that just didnt seem to adjust well for the rest of their life. They had social/herd issues and I dont think it's good nutritionally either to wean so early. They are horses, not puppies.