Lawyers?!

[Chamomile]

I just recently had a horse shipped and wasn't happy with the serivce. This isn't to start a flaming thread or anything... I just need a little advice. My yearling filly was hauled with three yearling colts, and all four horses were put in the tack comparment. The seller told me that there were two colts in her stall when she was loaded, but she was so stunned that she didn't think to say anything. She called me right away, so I called the shipper very concerned about my filly. They informed me that the colts were getting off the trailer in an hour or two. Yea right! They picked up another colt and drove across North Dakota into Montana with all four of those guys smashed into the tack compartment. Another member here is one of the colt's new owners and she saw this first hand. She was appauled as was I when I heard. Of course by the time my filly got here she was alone in the tack compartment. I know that two of the colts belonged to the shipper himself and I feel that he used me and this other member to pay for his colts ride home. I paid $450 and I felt this was for a whole stall. I paid $575 to ship a horse from Texas with these same shippers. What can I do!? They had someone else do the delivering and when I asked him about this he didn't know anything, of course.... Is there any action I can take? Thanks for any imput!

 

[SILVER]

I would think if the seller knew that the filly was being loaded into the tack room with the others that would be taken as it is okay I would think. If they were moved to the tack room after the fact then she would maybe have something to complain about. It appears to me that the seller knew even if she was stunned about it. Were there any injuries because of the way the shipper/transporter delivered her, or did she arrive safely. Quite often nothing you can do except put your complaint in writing and warn others of the practice of a particular shipper.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

well first off let me say it isnt uncommon for a mini or pony to be transported in a tack room however.. most I have seen have been converted to allow for this including ramps and vents as well as a safe "stall" for the mini or pony.

If that were the case I wouldnt mind much to be honest however.. the fact they were crammed in with fillies and colts togther from different farms would be very bothersome I know of a very popular company here that does that regularly although in the trailer not the tack room.

I would think though that if the horse arrived safe and in good condition there might not be anything you can do?

 

[Buckskin gal]

It is my opinion that soon to be 2 year old stallions should not be put side by side [no panel separation] for transporting, let alone add a soon to be 2 year old mare to them. It could have been a disaster....who is to know that the mare could have even been bred by one of the stallions. Very good chance they were tied up very close to the wall so they couldn't do much damage other than paw and kick at each other but that would have kept them from eating any hay they should have had while they were traveling. When a person pays for a "safe" place for their horse to travel I would think they should have had their own area to be in and to eat and drink from. Mary

 

[Chamomile]

I don't blame the seller at all. I set up the transportation and we thought they would treat my horse with lots of care. She saw only two colts and at that time they were in the trailer part with a bigger stall. I don't when they were moved to the tack room. I don't mind the tack room, but I have to say that it was REALLY high and very small. My filly is a big girl and when she got here it looked like the area was only big enough for her. I can't think what it looked like with 4 horses crammed in. I agree though, at this point I'm not sure what all can be done, but I WON'T be using them again! And I know of at least 3 others involved in this that won't think of using them again. It's so hard to ship a horse and then to have to worry about this, it's so frustrating! Especially when things were so misreprented.

Thank to all that posted and pm'd me!

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

sometimes.. a young horse does better traveling with another horse and it is much less stressful for them I have had a hauler call me and say I am putting your horse in with another one and will tie them both so yours will settle down or ask if they can so the other will settle down. that doesnt bother me but is not at all the same situation .. 4 horses crammed in a small dark tackroom surely wouldnt be acceptable to me at all!

 

[Dorrie & Frank]

Do you think the mare was bred? Was she injured? Was the "tack" room ventilated, have enough light, have enough support so that your horse was not tossed about or injured? Kicked or bit? PM me with details. "That lawyer" Vic

 

[lvponies]

I have been in customer service for almost 19 years. I am the first one to complain when service is not up to par. I feel that I'm paying for a service and deserve to be given the best service possible. There may not be anything you can do legally in this situation, but I would at least send an email or a note with your concerns. In my opinion, something can't be fixed if no one tells them it's broken.

 

[HGFarm]

My concern is not exactly where they were hauled if there was ample room for them, but the fact that they put yearling STALLIONS in with a yearling FILLY???!! Ok, I have had yearling fillies cycle and have seen yearling stallions ready and able to breed something.

NO, I would not be happy and were I the seller, would have said NO WAY!

 

[hhpminis]

Just for thought on the other side of the coin.

I have transported horses to and from Nationals for others and it is a job that carries a lot of stress, and liability. Some horses do not travel well and you have to sometimes do things you would have never thought of doing in the past to keep them from hurting themselves or other horses.

I have had to build stalls for horses that cannot be tied. I have taken horses out and let them ride backwards in the aisle so they are face to face with a buddy. I have turned horse around backwards in the partition. I have hauled loose and tied. It is a job that requires flexibility on a moments notice to ensure safety and comfort for all aboard.

I have always been very careful to not forfeit the safety of another horse while trying to keep another one safe though.

I know that the temps have been terrible here and perhaps they needed to stay warm? I dont know the circumstances but I do know that I would ask the transporter why they felt it necesssary to put them all in the tack room. Perhaps he had a valid reason for doing so.

I am not taking one side or the other here just throwing some things out that unless you have transported strange horses that you have never seen before they step on your trailer, you might think that a practice is unusual or not necessary. Owners of animals have a knack for not filling you in on wierd little quirks and vices that their beloved animals have and you often find them out at a very inconvenient time.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

annette.. ok ok i am guilty as charged

I know you did a great job bringing my 2 back from Nationals... and I know that magic is such a diva she gets WAY BENT if someone else gets fed first and then proceeds to throw herself against things in a tantrum...

and you put up with it all

 

[shminifancier]

Very good.. And as long as the horse arrived in fine condition, there should be no need to take any action, because the horse arrived in good shape and health, without a scratch. Not much to hold water in a case against the hauler.

Just for thought on the other side of the coin.I have transported horses to and from Nationals for others and it is a job that carries a lot of stress, and liability.  Some horses do not travel well and you have to sometimes do things you would have never thought of doing in the past to keep them from hurting themselves or other horses.

I have had to build stalls for horses that cannot be tied.  I have taken horses out and let them ride backwards in the aisle so they are face to face with a buddy.  I have turned horse around backwards in the partition.  I have hauled loose and tied.  It is a job that requires flexibility on a moments notice to ensure safety and comfort for all aboard.

I have always been very careful to not forfeit the safety of another horse while trying to keep another one safe though.

I know that the temps have been terrible here and perhaps they needed to stay warm?  I dont know the circumstances but I do know that I would ask the transporter why they felt it necesssary to put them all in the tack room.  Perhaps he had a valid reason for doing so.

I am not taking one side or the other here just throwing some things out that unless you have transported strange horses that you have never seen before they step on your trailer, you might think that a practice is unusual or not necessary.  Owners of animals have a knack for not filling you in on wierd little quirks and vices that their beloved animals have and you often find them out at a very inconvenient time.

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[hhpminis]

Lisa, that post was not aimed at you at all! You told me about your little princess Diva and she was not a problem as long as she was fed first and no one looked at her or breathed her air.

LOL, just kidding, she was not that bad.

I just wanted to get across that it is a huge responsibility hauling for others and some times it requires practices that are unusual to the inexperienced hauler.

If you are shocked or surprised by how she was hauled, ask the transporter straight forward. I admit, yearling colts and fillies hauled together would not be my first choice but was it the lesser of 2 evils? Just ask.

 

[runamuk]

Might be something to worry about 11 months from now though

  Very good.. And as long as the horse arrived in fine condition, there should be no need to take any action, because the horse arrived in good shape and health, without a scratch. Not much to hold water in a case against the hauler.

Just for thought on the other side of the coin.I have transported horses to and from Nationals for others and it is a job that carries a lot of stress, and liability.  Some horses do not travel well and you have to sometimes do things you would have never thought of doing in the past to keep them from hurting themselves or other horses.

I have had to build stalls for horses that cannot be tied.  I have taken horses out and let them ride backwards in the aisle so they are face to face with a buddy.  I have turned horse around backwards in the partition.  I have hauled loose and tied.  It is a job that requires flexibility on a moments notice to ensure safety and comfort for all aboard.

I have always been very careful to not forfeit the safety of another horse while trying to keep another one safe though.

I know that the temps have been terrible here and perhaps they needed to stay warm?  I dont know the circumstances but I do know that I would ask the transporter why they felt it necesssary to put them all in the tack room.  Perhaps he had a valid reason for doing so.

I am not taking one side or the other here just throwing some things out that unless you have transported strange horses that you have never seen before they step on your trailer, you might think that a practice is unusual or not necessary.  Owners of animals have a knack for not filling you in on wierd little quirks and vices that their beloved animals have and you often find them out at a very inconvenient time.

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[Chamomile]

Thanks to Annette for showing us the other side of the coin! I know it must be stressful to haul horses for others. I have to say that hauling the horses in the tackroom wasn't as much a concern, or really a concern at all (except when the horses had to jump out and it was a good 3- 3 1/2 feet down!) but hauling a long yearling filly with three other yearling colts was what upset me. And the fact that as smooshed in as they were there couldn't have been any feeding going on. This hauler hauls big horses mostly and I guess I am sick and tired of the big horse mentality that the minis are pets and should be treated like sheep. The horse shows here in Montana are a perfect example. They are held at fairgrounds and the horses are put in goat stalls where the walls are between 36-40" tall! At one show they had set up little wire panel pens that my mom's bouvier de flanders dog couldn't have fit in sitting! And the pens had lids!!

It was crazy! I just want big horse people to start paying attention to the size of these horses, and the fact that they are still horses and should be treated as such. I would be horrified if my filly comes up prego this next year from her trip over here, all because the shipper didn't take hauling her seriously!!

 

[hhpminis]

BTW Mindy, what do you think of your new little filly now that you have seen her in person?

 

[shminifancier]

Have a blood test taken Or ultra sound and see if you have a case. Then if so, go after the hauler. i would not be waiting 11 months to see.

 

[Chamomile]

Annette! I LOVE this filly! She is even better than the pictures! She has a tiny head, wide between the eyes, tiny little muzzle! And what a hip! I am very happy with her and can't wait for you to see her. I cross my fingers that I can do her justice in the show ring this year...

 

[Buckskin gal]

From information I have received, the 3 yearling colts and the yearling filly were all put in the tack room for hauling simply because transporter took on more than they should have. Two of the colts were bought by the driver/owner of truck as pets for his grandkids [after he had already accepted Mindy and my horses] and because they didn't have the right kind of panels to divide minis from the big horses in the trailer, they crammed them into the tack compartment. This was the explanation that was given me. "The only way you can haul minis in a big trialer with other big horses is in a box stall which is double the six of a regular stall because they will go right under the gates" I think both Mindy and I were upset because we thought we had reserved a safe spot for our horses but when the driver/owner decided to buy the two for his grandkids he just put them in the space that was already paid for by us. I had no problem with my horse being hauled in the tack compartment if it were properly ventilated and safe..... and I would have had no problem with another miniature being in there also if there had been panels or such to divide them. Have you ever watched a couple of yearling colts together? They paw and bite and carry on like crazy. Some of it is just play but it can turn nasty to and then that filly in there was sure not a calming effect on those colts who have hormones unchecked.

This is not all of the story. A box stall was never offered and I did not find out that my horse would be traveling in the tack compartment with 3 other minis until it was too late. I found out because at the very end of our wait to have our horse picked up I contacted the owner of the transport and asked if they could pick up a mare along their route and haul her with the colt. He said sure, no problem. It wasn't until the next day t I found out he had just bought the two colts. When I found out they would all be together I told him no I did not want the mare picked up because I felt it would be unsafe for her in with those yearlings. I did not know at that time that Mindys horse was also going to be in there.....so he thought five would be safe in that small area??I really doubt that he had the best interest of these minis in mind and I would never use this transporter again...btw, they were so inept that I was given papers for some other horses and they still can't find mine. Not happy

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I agree that paints a much different picture. I never have my horses hauled commercially in a trailer that doesnt have full length dividers- I have had many hauled without being in the double or mare and foal stall.

I have seen trailers like this before even those who use green panels to make a corral for them.

One question i would wonder though.. one horse even 2 minis/ponies in a tack room I can see but with 4+ where on earth did they store all the hay they were feeding along with extra buckets and such?