Transport Questions

[MaybeMinis]

Hi everyone!

I will (hopefully) be bringing home a mini within the next few months.

I was planning on simply folding the back seats in my Honda Odyssey mini van down and bringing him home that way.
Then I realized I have no clue how big of a mini I can actually fit back there! I’m looking at all the way up to 36” which I’m guessing would be too big, no?

Anyone here hauled a horse in a mini van? If so, how tall was it?

I can’t imagine anything more embarrassing then showing up to get him and...well...having him not fit

 

[Standards Equine]

I've brought my baby mini donkeys home in the back seat of my pickup truck. My F150 seats fold up and it was comfortable and secure space for tiny donkey. I actually transported the first one that way until he was 3 and I sold him. He got quite comfortable jumping up in the truck and travelling that way and only 1 accident ever!
I tried to get my mini horse to travel that way but she was very uncomfortable. I think the windows were actually the problem as she felt very insecure. We only went on a short drive down the road before I turned around home. It was going to end up a wreck, I felt, if I hadn't.

 

[DB Minis]

There is something about mini donkeys in trucks that just work! I too transported a yearling mini donkey in the cab of a truck for a friend, front passenger seat pushed all the way up and he stood on the floor between the back and front seats. We didn't fold up the back seats because that's where the goats stood, of course. It was quite a circus but the job got done!

Definitely don't forget about how you will be getting the horse into your van, some or lots of man handling will likely be needed especially if they haven't jumped into a van before. I was very grateful the rescue could deliver my boys to me, they got to manhandle them and worry about transport while I just held out welcoming arms. I'm sure many here have success stories about transporting all sizes of minis in different vehicles, after all that is one of the fun benefits to owning minis!

 

[LostandFound]

You might want to measure the minivan and see what you are working with. I've seen plenty of people haul bigger minis in their minivan, but each one is different. Measure the smallest part. I'd guess that's the door, but maybe not.

 

[MaybeMinis]

Thank you all so much!

I really hadn’t thought about what would happen if the mini didn’t want to get into the van. So I really appreciate that being brought to my attention!
After reading that ramps weren’t a good idea, I figured they’d just jump. Lol.

I got around to measuring my van today, and the lowest point is the hatch opening and continuing about 8-ish inches in, is 39” inches. The rest is a clear 44”.

Hopefully that will help you help me!

 

[LostandFound]

Some of them will just jump. The minivan is pretty low to the ground so it's more of a step. But if your mini is 36" at the last mane hair, since that's how they measure, you might have 38" at the wither. That's going to be tight. If you find a smaller one you should be fine.

 

[MaybeMinis]

Some of them will just jump. The minivan is pretty low to the ground so it's more of a step. But if your mini is 36" at the last mane hair, since that's how they measure, you might have 38" at the wither. That's going to be tight. If you find a smaller one you should be fine.

Thank you! I will stay under 36” then.