People without transport

[Laura83]

How would you get to the vet?

Basically, I have a post-1997 driving licence so cannot drive a 7.5 tonne horsebox or tow a trailer even if I had something capable of towing (I drive a 10 year old Corsa!). Meaning I can't borrow any of my friends boxes or trailers.

My boy has now been to the veterinary hospital twice and will need to go again in 4 weeks time, quite probably will need to go repeatedly for the next 6 months. The vet can't do the treatment on the yard, as it involves injections into the joint, sterile environment, sedation, nurses, x-rays etc. etc.

The first time I took him I rented a Renault Master horsebox, but those cost £99 for a day. I have a full time job, and I can't afford to take a days leave plus fork out £100 a pop. Today I was lucky as another horse on the yard had to go, so I was able to share a trailer, but I still had to take a day off work to be there. Hopefully next time YO will be able to drop off in the morning and collect late afternoon, it'll probably cost me £40-£50 quid but at least that's better than £100 AND using up holiday!

How many of us would be in the same boat? I sometimes get the impression everyone who has horses has transport for them, I can't be the only one stressing about how I'm going to get my horse to the vets on top of stressing about why he has to go to the vets in the first place? :confused:

[Soot]

I beg my YO for a lift ...
Luckily she is susceptible to a bit of begging!

However I'm also saving up for transport of my own - a little 3.5 wagon for me 'n' Lance.

Which reminds me I need to answer your pm (hug!)

[*Sez*]

Fortunately, when my lad was ill, I did own half a trailer and could get my stepmum to tow it. My license is post-97 as well, and TBH for the cost of buying a car that will tow, a trailer and taking my trailer test, I might as well just get a 3.5 tonne box for my OH to drive.

We no longer have the trailer so if it was imperative that he went to the clinic, and no one I knew could take him up for me, I'd have to ring round the tack shops. Both local shops are run by people I know and both do horse transporting as part of their business. It would set me back about £50.

[Morganna]

My YO is only too happy to take any of the horses on our yard to the vet should they need it and the owner has no transport of their own. She will even provide a small pony companion for those horses that dont travel well on their own :D

[Tazanne]

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[Soot]

can i ask, as i havent looked into it a great deal, can you get a box that when laiden with me & OH, tack & 1 X roughly 800kg horse (thats what we estimate he'll be when all grown up), weighs less than the limit (3.5tonne)? i have no idea, but thats the only way we'll be able to do it. as above, car, trailer & test is too many penny's, to take a test to drive a heavier box costs over £1000!!! i need to know my options, pleeease.

You could probably find a box to suit your requirements ... although 800 kg HORSE :eek: !!!! You'd have look for a VERY lightweight conversion. That's a LOT of horse. We have a superheavyweight draft type on the yard, and he's just over 700 kg.

[Tazanne]

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[Soot]

really? he will be 16.2. he is a friesian, but will be the chunkier type, not the light modern type. how much do you reckon he'll weigh & do you think we could get a box to fit that with our rubbish licenses?!

Maybe I'm just sued to smaller horses!
Our heavy is only 15.2 ...
You'll have to ask a Friesan person :). But if I remember rightly, Jessia23 travelled her Una in a Master conversion without any trouble at all :)

[mikh]

We have a jeep but would hire a trailer for approx £30 per day I don't have my own trailer yet :(

[Tazanne]

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[Zingy]

When I was doing all my vets trips (before I got transport), I had to hire someone to take him for me. Cost for that was about £80 for a return trip or about £60 one way if he was staying in for any reason. That was with the vets being about 40 mins away in the box (probably about 20-25 mins in the car). I had to be there or have someone there to travel with him, so did have to take holidays from work or plead to go in late and make the time up.

Transport was covered on my insurance policy, so the trips for treatment that I was claiming for I could get the money back for. Anything else I paid for myself.

[laupip]

We are having to make regular trips to horsepital for remedial farriery at the moment and we don't have a box or anything to tow it with so I know how you feel. Luckily I have two friends with suitable vehicles who jhave helped out and we have been hiring a trailer for £45 per day. As above we can claim this on our NFU insurance policy so if you are doing it by insurance it is worth finding out if they will pay for travel expenses up to £500. Obviously we have to pay our friends petrol, be eternally grateful and owe them a supersize favour!

[Jessica23]

Maybe I'm just sued to smaller horses!
Our heavy is only 15.2 ...
You'll have to ask a Friesan person :). But if I remember rightly, Jessia23 travelled her Una in a Master conversion without any trouble at all :)


You are almost right :D It was a Vauxhall Movano conversion, but basically the same. And Una travelled brilliantly in it. Bearing in mind she hadn't travelled in over a year since she came down to me, then im guessing she had a comfortable journey. she had plenty of room (you'd easily get a chunky full grown friesian in one!!) and just munched on her hay the whole way there :p

I have no transport at the moment, i only take them to the local shows (ie hacking distance!) so it hasn't been an issue. I hired the lorry for the inspections, and i would do that for any future shows. I paid £90 for the 24hour hire and it was perfect.

The only time it might be an issue is if one of them was injured and had an emergency! Though im in the lucky situation of knowing my vet really well since i was very young, i used to compete on PC teams with his daughter!! So if we did have an emergency like that he has said he would come and pick them up in his lorry straight away :)

My mum is selling her house and downsizing and is going to have some spare cash and she was planning to get one of those big campers to go to the dog shows overseas and stuff, but after driving the lorry up to the Inspections (i wasn't old enough :rolleyes:) she has since decided that she's going to have a custom made Renault/Vauxhall conversion that would be suitable for the dogs as the main use, but also i'd be able to take the ponies out in it :D That would be perfect for me! So im just agreeing with everything lol But it wont be for a while until she has sold her house and found a new one!! But it will be great to have some transport again...

[Disty]

Hopefully next time YO will be able to drop off in the morning and collect late afternoon, it'll probably cost me £40-£50 quid but at least that's better than £100 AND using up holiday!

Hi
Sorry but you seem to resent your horse being poorly, blaming him for using up your holiday! It may not be convenient, but the horses welfare must come first.

[xJenniferx]

I relied on friends, mainly MrKia+Me for transport.

My dad recently got a car that could pull if required, but not on a reglar basis.

If I needed anything at short notice I would need to hire transport.

Jen x

[Soot]

Hi
Sorry but you seem to resent your horse being poorly, blaming him for using up your holiday! It may not be convenient, but the horses welfare must come first.

Which it clearly is or she wouldn't bother taking him to the vet.
Laura83 was simply asking how other people managed without their own transport.

I would be bitter if I were in Laura83's position. More bitter, I think, than she is!

[Lacetti]

I used to have a Discovery, but sold it when the diesel/petrol prices went sky high...

Am lucky though, my best friend has a horsebox, and works hours to suit her - so have always got transport, within reason.

Hopefully OH is buying a cheap 4x4 in April with his bonus (if he gets one!!!) for us to use just for towing and taking the dogs out......

[graciemoo]

For going to the Vets, I will ask people at the yard, and pay them both for the use, their time and petrol. A lot of people who don't use their boxes often will say, well yes because I need to take it out anyway!

However, go to Yell.com and type horse transporter and your local town. That's how I got Buddy up to me. He came on the racehorse box. Some will do you cash in hand cheapies too if you are hard up.

In an emergency, it is worth knowing your local horse ambulance as well, and having the number to hand, should you ever need it.

[blues mum]

I keep an old , tatty but safe trailer for such emergiencies, but am old;) so can tow,
been picking my brains trying to think of an answer, how about a can any one help type advert in the friday ad or similar horse mag ?
there might just be some one out there who is trying to maintain a lorry or trailer with the time on their hands who could help you out?
as long as they were insured, and you stayed safe of the hire for reward insurance bit , eg pay them fuel costs not hire costs,you may get some help ?
wish I could think of something that helps, blue has only had to go in once, that was two days off work and so much disruption.

[rtk]

Lots of people on both our last yard and current one dont have transport.

They beg lifts from others or use horse transporters which are pretty expensive around us. I cringe everytime I hear them discussing lifts from other people on the yard, as money changes hands.

If you take any money at all (even diesel money) from someone you need an operators licence and your insurance is invalid, but it happens a lot.

I never lend out my car and trailer or offer transport to events, I've had too many problems in the past, damage to trailers, being stuck at shows at Midnight because someone just has to do the last class :rolleyes:

However transport to vets is a different matter, I will always take a horse to the vets, even if I dont know the owners very well. I dont take any money for it though.

To be honest I would expect them to come with me though, I wouldn't want to have a strange horse at the vets without its owner.

[graciemoo]

I have heard this cash for reward thing branded around.

Like I say I pay people that are kind enough to take me (unless they are going to, and then only pay for diseal). I only ever give them cash.

How the hell do you ever get found out? You can't surely unless you put up advert or someone films you handing over cash and reports you.




I found out the other day too, that if you buy your horse for say £1k and sell for £3k, technically you have to declare that £3k as income, despite the fact you already shelled out £1k to get it and the money you have put into the horse to probably make it better!! I know this is obvious for trader, such as dealers, or pro riders. But for the individual that sells a horse every, what, 10 years (?) please!! I don't see Government easing up on the tax and vat we have to pay for lesson...or a rebate if we never sell the horse!!

[blues mum]

I think it is just another clause insurers put in as a way out of paying out in the case of a claim.
but it does mean that you could not advertise for hire with out proper insurance, however just helping someone out, all you have to do is just take fuel costs, but you can charge what you want for the fuel.
it is really just to stop someone running a buisiness on private insurance rates

[rtk]

only pay for diseal). I only ever give them cash.

How the hell do you ever get found out? You can't surely unless you put up advert or someone films you handing over cash and reports you.


!

You probably wouldn't, unless there is some kind of accident. If people die or are crippled and insurance companies are faced with huge claims, you have no idea what they might find out. And if they do find out, the person with the vehicle would find themselves without any insurance to pay the claims.

[Soot]

You probably wouldn't, unless there is some kind of accident. If people die or are crippled and insurance companies are faced with huge claims, you have no idea what they might find out. And if they do find out, the person with the vehicle would find themselves without any insurance to pay the claims.

Basically you'd get found out if something happened and the other party turned against you.

E.g. you pay a friend for transport to shows. All goes well usually. One day you feel they are driving too fast. They disagree. Then something happens and your horse in injured. You feel angry that your horse is injured because you feel your friend is at fault ... You may not longer feel like keeping your little arrangement quiet.

Sadly there are all sorts in this world!

[joey_olop]

I dont have transport & relied on my friend at my other yard for lifts! Now Im on my own yard I have no transport & no access to transport either so hopefully will never have to take them to the vets.
I cant afford to pay £100 a day for those self drive vehicles, but will hopefully be able to save up soon to get my own little 3.5t box :)

[Laura83]

Hi
Sorry but you seem to resent your horse being poorly, blaming him for using up your holiday! It may not be convenient, but the horses welfare must come first.

*sigh*

There's always one isn't there.

YES I am upset with the fact that my horse is poorly. YES I resent having to use up leave on what is a very stressful experience!

Can you please point out to me what part of my original post suggested I was blaming my horse for this.




I know, I know, I probably shouldn't have taken the bait but I'm about ready to have a nervous breakdown with the whole thing, so there you have it really! :rolleyes:

[BIrish]

Laura83;2018722

Can you please point out to me what part of my original post suggested I was blaming my horse for this.

I know, I know, I probably shouldn't have taken the bait but I'm about ready to have a nervous breakdown with the whole thing, so there you have it really! :rolleyes:

And b-r-e-a-t-h-e ... :D there is always one.. :rolleyes: we'd be bored without them.. ;)

I have a Jeep & trailer.. but a few years back before own trailer I just had a Discovery and hired a trailer at £25 for 24hrs.

It is a bugger about the holiday useage tho' .. have no suggestions about what to do about that.. When I needed to take G to be at vets or anything on a work day (and this only worked as Vets/Work/Yard were reasonable close together) I would drop him off at the vets with the trailer at about 8.30am then go to work - if I was late arriving I just worked some of my lunch hour. Collected him after work.

Like Lacetti's idea for transport - our Jeep isn't at all fancy - is a commercial Cherokee used only for horse & dog things.

[Laura83]

And b-r-e-a-t-h-e ... :D there is always one.. :rolleyes: we'd be bored without them.. ;)

lol thanks for that BIrish