Transporting Minis to Events

Horse Transportation

There’s been a lot of debate on how to transport minis during visits. For convenience sake, it’s very easy to park a van or 150 series vehicle in a parking space. But, have you consider the safety of these smaller “parking space” size vehicles?

Please, please, please:

… make sure you have some type of partition in your vehicle to keep your horse{s} secure in the back. If you happened to get in an accident, or you need to brake quickly, you wouldn't want your precious cargo coming thru the front window. Yes, the videos are so cute and go “viral” on Social-Media when a horse in the backseat. But take a step back to think about the ramifications; is it really that meaningful to get social “likes” instead of keeping animals’ safety a priority? Confession, we have put a horse or two in the back of our Subaru. But: what if we were rear-ended, or worse - had to stop suddenly; would anything be holding these precious horse(s) in my backseat. ….

Option:

We purchased a Ford Transit & a custom made box stall. The stall was secured in the back of the van by connection to the metal frame; keeping both horses & humans safe. The smaller (mind you, smaller than a truck and trailer) vehicle was easy to park - especially during downtown visits where parking was an issue. And, it was a nice backup incase something happened to the truck or trailer.

The purchase of our Ford Transit was at the height of visit demand. We were getting more requests than one team could handle, so we hired another handler and purchased this van. We could now have two different teams making therapy horse visits in one day! What great fun! With a growing team of trained therapy horses, we were able to make a difference in the lives of twice as many people as before!

Also something to consider: insurance

Some insurance companies would throw out your insurance if they find out you are transporting live animals in your back seat ...  There are only a handful of insurance companies that allow transport of horses. Now horses in particular, in the back seat of your vehicle. Geico is one of them. But, make sure you call and talk to your insurance provider to make sure they are very clear that you are hauling a miniature horse in your vehicle, and that you have taken all the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of both the horses and humans.

It comes down to personal preference.

We still find ourselves resorting back to the “traditional” mode of transporting horses - a truck and trailer. Yes, it can prove difficult sometimes and people don’t always respect your space. But - there is nothing more funny than watching peoples’ reactions when we pull up with this giant rig and out trot two barely 30” tall horses decked out in bows and vests. COME ON! Gets us every time.