Wednesday, December 26, 2018

How to Prepare for a Cross Country DIY Haul


There have been so many questions through Facebook and a couple groups I felt like this subject deserved its own post.  A couple things have been explained in the previous post but I think they deserved a spot here too.

Did you/would you go alone?

No, I didn't.  I had a very close friend go with me and I am very happy/thankful she was able to go because we made it as fun as it could be.  I did consider just leaving alone because I wanted to get them out of NJ so bad due to being far beyond the end of my rope with the wet weather here this year.  Super B is the one that held that process up while I waited for her abscess to heal, and as luck would have it, that time frame made it to where my friend could go with me.

How many miles a day did you drive?

The first day was 690 miles, the second day was 795 miles, the third day was 846 miles, and the fourth day was 727 miles.  Total mileage was 3,058.  I thought it was 3,003, but that is before I changed one small part of the second day after leaving Aiken.  We were going to go through Birmingham, Alabama that day and seeing reports of potential rain I decided we'd just get even more south and go through Montgomery, Alabama instead.  So that added a little more but, in the grand scheme of 3,000 plus miles did it even matter at that point?  No.  Overall, that trip was a little longer than driving coast to coast.

In the middle of Texas on I-20.  A lot of cotton fields, windmills, and...open road.

You said you had a friend with you, and that you drove the entire way, why?

While my friend has hauled horses for a long time, is more than capable, and also has the same length of trailer as I do, my truck is a six speed manual.  My friend also knows how to drive a manual, so no offense to her at all but those before her have ruined it for everyone.  If you haven't hauled anything with a manual, it's not any different than driving a manual without a trailer, and there was a point where if I got too tired or there was some emergency I would have switched with her.  But...every single time someone has told me they can drive a manual and I have let them drive my truck (and 99% of these times it was only the truck, nothing hooked to it) they get in and IMMEDIATELY grind the gears.  This is a complete mystery to me because my truck almost drives itself it's so easy to drive.

There is nothing special, or different, or some secret trick to it.  In fact, shortly after I put a new clutch in my truck I let someone get in it and the same thing happened, it's NOT my truck. I don't understand why people do this.  I have even had a guy get in it that drives tractor trailers and the first thing he did was not check to see if the e-brake was on (and of course it was) and then proceed to grind the gears.  And the one time I didn't hear the gears grind, that person smoked the ever living hell out of my clutch after driving it HALF A MILE DOWN THE ROAD.  It was so bad that there was smoke coming from the transmission.  Not even when I was like 15 learning to drive a manual have I EVER done that to any vehicle.  So, I have had enough.  No one drives my truck but me.

Were the girls in box stalls?

No.  I left my trailer configured in the full 2+1 set up which is two straight load stalls with a box stall in front of them.  I had to carry hay/spares and other supplies so that was the best way to keep it set up.  If I thought the girls would have had an issue with the straight loads I would have changed that plan and made room in the tack room for my spares/hay/etc... and let some of their other tack/etc... go with the moving company that is packing/moving our house.

What did you bring in the trailer?

I brought all of their tack/blankets/wraps/hay/grain/first aid supplies/tire changing tools/water.  I carried two spares for my trailer and one for the truck.  I also have Trailer Aid Plus, which I have had to use before and it makes life a lot easier when changing a tire on the side of a very busy part of I-95 with no shoulder.  Also, the extra full size spare is VERY important as far as the truck.  My truck doesn't have stock wheels and tires.  This means the stock spare wouldn't be the same size as the rest of my wheels/tires if I needed to use it.  That may be ok if you have to limp it a little distance to a shop but NOT when you are pulling a trailer for any distance.  So, I bought another full size wheel/tire and had it in the box stall in the trailer.

The Other Half also made me a special block for the jack so that if I needed to change anything on the truck the jack would get it off the ground.  The bigger wheels and tires make it ride slightly higher than stock.  He also packed me a fully charged impact gun with a fully charged spare battery because we all know how much it would suck to have to change a tire on the truck or the trailer with a tire iron.  A battery powered impact gun is something you all should seriously look into if you don't have one for longer trips, or really any haul where you would be on a busy highway.

A tip for if you are doing a long trip and you don't have the money to buy two more wheels (one for the truck and one for the trailer) for extra spares, at least buy the tires.  Say I did get a flat on the truck, well since it's not stock wheels and tires the nearest shop in the middle of nowhere Texas may not carry them in the store.  If you carry the tires two things can happen:

Scenario 1:  Come out in the morning or at a rest stop to find the truck has a flat.  Drop the trailer and have roadside service come pick up the wheel with the flat and the new tire and have it changed, bring it back and put it back on the truck.

Scenario 2:  The truck gets a flat on the highway somewhere.  Call U.S. Rider and have them tow the trailer to get the horses off the highway, have the truck towed to the nearest tire shop and have that shop change the tire and put it back on.  Go hook back up and get back on the road.

If you have a new tire for the truck with you, all you need is a shop to change it.  You don't run the risk of "Sorry we don't carry those, we can get on here by tomorrow/or xyz amount of days."  Same with the trailer tire.  Say you have a blow out on the trailer, well, put your spare on and then pull into the next tire shop you can find and have them take the flat tire off the wheel and put the new one on.  Bam, you have a spare ready to go again and aren't running down the highway with no spare.

Where did you stop to overnight?

We stopped in Aiken, SC, Shreveport, LA, and Anthony, NM.

How did you determine how long you would drive each day?

It was a bit of a mixture between hours driving and where the ideal places to over night were.  I wanted to drive no longer than 12 hours in Google Maps time because 12 hours really meant probably 14 or 15 with a trailer due to stopping to rest horses, traffic, and other unpredictable things like construction or traffic.

The first day we left at 6am, but the remainder of the trip we left between 3:30am and 4:30am which I highly suggest, unless you are someone that prefers to drive at night or have to travel through very hot temperatures in the summer.  If it was in the middle of the summer I would have probably made myself stay up all night for a few days before leaving and then drove as much as possible at night for the entire trip.  In that case, I would have made sure someone that could switch driving with would have went.

I personally would rather get up very early and leave because the day seems to go by faster and I do better getting up earlier rather than driving late into the night.

How often did you stop during the day?

We stopped every four hours to let the girls rest for 30 mins.  Sometimes that would turn into 40-45 mins depending on if we got food for ourselves, needed to muck the back of the trailer, or get water.  I have always done 30 min rest stops every four hours for longer trips and they have always served me well.

How did you find your overnight places?

It took a bit of trial and error.  One of the places was a friend's private farm so that took care of one night.  The other two nights I picked after looking at the facilities on their websites and speaking with them.  I found one in the middle of Texas that looked like it was an EHV breeding ground, that meant there was no way in hell I was taking any risk in stopping there.  There were two other places I spoke to after checking out their websites and they said they would get back to me.  I never heard from them again.  If that's the way they run their business, then they are not getting my business.  The last thing I needed on a cross country road trip was to show up to some place that said we were good to go and have them be like "Oh I forgot you guys were coming."  Um no.  You have to be responsive.  I also gave my two overnight barns ETAs through out the day so they knew when to expect us.  They appreciated that.

There are two big websites and a Facebook group you can look for overnight barns on.  They are www.horstrip.com, www.horsemotel.com, and Horse Layovers and Hotels (USA).  Some of the barns listed on the sites do not have websites.  Some of you may be ok with that, I am not.  To me, that seems like some Craigslist serial killer kind of stuff.  No offense to anyone that runs a place like that with no website, but there was just no way I was doing that.  You have to appear established or come with personal recommendations of actual people that have been there.

And yes I realize you can appear to be the most established, well-organized place on Earth and still be running a serial killer operation out of it.  But, the chances are much lower.

How did you pick your route?

Here's where living all over the country proves extremely useful.  I-40 was a pretty direct route.  I-80, I-70, and I-15 all would provide pretty direct routes at some point on the trip.  I have lived in the areas that those all go through.  Those are nothing you want to take a chance with this time of year when it comes to weather.  I wouldn't want to do it with a trailer, and I definitely wouldn't want to do it with a trailer containing live animals.  You run a huge risk of getting stuck sitting on the highway because it gets shut down periodically.  You also run a huge risk of getting slowed down significantly because of weather and having to haul a trailer on snowy, icy roads.  Some of you I realize live in areas where that isn't a big deal.  It's not my idea of a fun time.  And I-70? Anyone ever went from Denver to Grand Junction?  Part of it is a mountain pass, add the snow/ice/wind to that.  No thank you.


I-80 coming down into Salt Lake, same.  No thanks.

This is I-80 coming across Wyoming.  So the entire way across Wyoming can potentially really suck, and then it can suck even worse coming down into Salt Lake City on it. 


 I-40 going through Flagstaff.

So, by going the way I did I added on 500 miles to the route.  I was completely fine with adding some time on to the trip to stay out of anything like that.  I wouldn't have done it any different.

What kind of truck do you have?

2002 Dodge Ram 2500.  It is a 5.9 Cummins turbo diesel, aka one of the toughest diesels ever made.  The whole reason I bought that kind of truck is because once a friend and I had to drive from Salt Lake City, Utah to Eureka, California to pick up one of my cars that had blown a turbo right before I moved from California.  My friend had this generation of Dodge 2500 and that thing was ridiculously powerful.  We went UP mountain passes hauling a car, passing cars like they were standing still.  I was sold.

Did you do anything beyond routine maintenance to get the truck ready for a long trip?

No.  My truck is in excellent condition for being an 02.  It now has 156,000 miles on it which is pretty much only half life for a diesel.  When I was truck shopping I was constantly finding these trucks with 230-280k miles on them in great shape.  It is because it's not my daily driver.  I have a Caddi I drive every day and that keeps the wear and tear on the truck down.  I really only drive my truck when I am hauling horses or picking up things you need a truck for (barn supplies).  The tires on it are only about 15,000 miles old too.  I would recommend if you have any consumable part on the older side prior to a long trip, get it replaced.  Older tires that are pretty worn, brakes you know are probably due to be replaced, or any other issue going on if there are any.  Don't take any risks before a long trip.  Even if this means you can't afford to have the issues taken care of all at once, well start planning a few months out to have them taken care of one at a time if that's what you need to do.

The only things I had done on my truck before we left are an oil change and radiator flush.  I figured it wasn't a bad idea to have the system flushed and fresh fluid in since the truck would be hauling for hours and hours for a few days straight.

What kind of trailer do you have?

2017 Sundowner Charter TR SE 2+1

Did you do anything beyond routine maintenance to get the trailer ready for a long trip?

No. It's a 2017 so it's in excellent shape.  It just had it's annual inspection/maintenance at the dealership a few months ago too so it was more than ready for a long haul.

Did you wrap/boot the girls?

No.  This is another one of those things that if I had a reason to, I would have.  Neither of them have any old injuries, conditions that need managing, issues with stocking up/stiffness, etc...  If they would have, it would have been different.

Did you tie the girls in the trailer?

No.  I never tie any of my horses when hauling.

Did you take information in case you needed emergency/roadside services?

Yes, I did.  I also have the good fortune to have horse friend(s) in every single state we passed through and they all knew we were coming through and said if we needed anything just call.  I also had contact information for vets along the way.  I renewed my U.S. Rider subscription as well.  I have had them before, thankfully never needed them and went by the rule where if you get it, you most likely won't need it.  I know some people haven't had great experiences with them, but I also know people that HAVE had great experiences, so I decided to renew.

We had several people tracking us on GPS and knew right where we were at all times and our stops each evening.  The Other Half would even know when we were stopped for a rest break/diesel fill up and would text or call saying "getting diesel?" just to make sure all was well.  We also had some friends that got Marco Polo'd to death along the way with sights from the trip so they knew where we were most of the time too.  Sorry not sorry!  We had way too much fun updating friends/family on Marco Polo along the way.  If you don't have Marco Polo, it's an awesome video texting app, and you should get it!

Did you do anything special with the management of the girls during the trip?

No.  Unless you count giving Super B a half a tube of UG each day.  I really didn't expect any issues with her since she's traveled the east coast extensively while racing.  She also hasn't given me any reason to suspect she would be stressed out.  Everywhere I have taken her she just goes with the flow of whatever we are doing, where ever we are.  But, I hear allllll these horror stories about needing to give OTTBs UG on long trips, or just any hauls, so I decided I would just go ahead and do it.  She didn't need it.  She wasn't stressed in the least.  Neither of them were.  I have a witness!  I'm not just trying to uphold their BAMF reputations.  It's true, they couldn't have been any better.  If you looked up perfect travelers in the dictionary, their pictures would be there.

Upon arrival to the new barn in Vegas, the girls went DIVING into their water like good girls!

I hope this post answered most of the questions and gave you all some things to think about to help prepare if you find yourself doing a long trip like this.  If you have any other questions please feel free to ask away in the comments.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

It's That Time Again...to Move Across the Country, Part 3 - Epic Road Trip With Horses

Our route. 

I have been asked about one hundred times before I left with Klein and Super B if I was hauling them myself.  Yes, I was, and I did, and it went super smooth.  It was a 3,003 mile road trip.  Some reasons I did it myself are that 1. I had to get my truck and trailer out there anyway, 2. I have the truck and trailer for a haul like that, 3. I have the horses that can handle a haul like that no problem.  So why not, right?

I have a full size Sundowner 2+1 trailer and a Dodge 2500 with the infamous 5.9.  The truck pulls that trailer like it's not there, and the girls are SUPER comfortable in that trailer.  Now, if I had a 7' tall stock trailer would I have done that?  No.  Or was hauling with a 1/2 ton, no.

Also, I'm comfortable hauling.  Some people look at big hauls like this massive, complicated thing.  They're not.  In my mind they are the same as any local haul, you just have to sit in the truck for a lot longer and be a little more prepared with the supplies you bring for the horses/truck/trailer.

It was at this point that reality started to set in along with some serious excitement!  The government does pay me to move whatever I have in the trailer, EXCLUDING live animals.  

Helpful hint for my fellow military members, I have seen people try to scam the government doing these moves through my job and the result is a federal conviction if you are caught, and you always get caught.  So, if you are a military member reading this, I cannot emphasize enough to maintain your integrity here and remember just because you are not on base, these scales DO have cameras, and TMO DOES check for inconsistencies.  Also, if you are weighing in a town with a base, retirees are ALL over working in the community and if one is working the counter at the scale and sees something they know isn't right, they're going to turn you in.


I decided to take the safest route possible as far as weather this time of year also.  I actually added on 500 miles to the trip because I went south and stayed south.  To me, it wasn't worth running into some nasty ice storm or blizzard, or hitting Flagstaff, Arizona in bad conditions on those hills.  I could have come down and taken I-40 all the way out to Kingman, Arizona.  That would have sent us across the country just north enough to potentially encounter some bad ice storms and snow.  I-70 was also an option, but I used to live in Colorado for quite a while and I am EXTREMELY familiar with the weather on I-70 this time of year.  A friend of mine that still lives there even told me that I-70 has already been shut down 6 or 7 times this year and there have been chain restrictions on it regularly.  I-80, that's also not an option because I have driven that way across the country before too and Wyoming is not nice this time of year along I-80 and down into Salt Lake City.  Not only snow, but the wind gets so out of control that there are big gates along I-80 that they will use to close it for wind and other inclimate conditions.



I wanted to leave earlier in the month, I was ready to leave the day after I got back from my trip to go see our new house that we bought, and the new barn, but Super B was still fighting her abscess and it hadn't blown yet.  After it did blow she was three legged lame for almost two weeks.  There is no way I could ask her to stand on a trailer for any extended amount of time.  After the abscess was done draining I picked a date to leave that I thought would give her plenty of time to be healed up and ready.  My plan worked because she was sound as could be by our departure date.

We left on the 8th as the latest winter storm was making it's way through the central part of the country from the west to the east coast.  I knew it was out there but he had to go and if we left on the 8th we would get below it before it hit the east coast and would be south enough to only experience rain.  I still would prefer not to be in massive rain storms that are so bad they cause flooding. 

Getting ready to load Klein and Super B the first morning.

The first day we stopped at a farm in Aiken, South Carolina.  We got to North Carolina and started to see brine on the roads.  I started wondering why we were seeing brine so far south???  That was not a good sign.  We were making good time and still hadn't hit any rain as of Fayetteville, NC.  Though we did start getting texts and FB messages saying we were about to drive into the storm.  Yes, I knew that, but the rainy part of the storm.

The overnight farm in Aiken.  I thought I was far enough from New Jersey by that point to be done with this flooding thing.

The weather started looking worse and worse for the next day with Atlanta being our main problem.  There were reports of freezing rain and that the road crews would be out around midnight starting to treat bridges and overpasses.  We decided the smartest thing to do would be to wait in Aiken for a day to let that whole system pass.  The chance of freezing rain isn't worth ANY amount of risk.  So, that's what we did.

Raining with a real feel of 26.  Whyyy???


Aiken was hit so hard by the rain that the farm we were at was flooding and the girls couldn't use the day turnouts I had reserved.  Thankfully that farm had nice, big stalls for them and we took them for a walk as well.  It was quite miserable with blowing downpours and a real feel of 27 degrees.  South Carolina was supposed to be nicer than that.

Day paddocks, completely flooded and not an option at any point.



Loaded up and leaving Aiken.

Monday morning we were on the road by 4:30am.  That day we were headed to Shreveport, Louisiana to stay at a friend's private farm for the night.  We got in some traffic that morning in Atlanta but the rest of the day wasn't too bad.  Our favorite part was about an hour from the Mississippi River and then over into Louisiana until the sun set.  We got in a bit later than we wanted to, partly due to the early morning rain all the way to Atlanta.  Thankfully the girls were able to be turned out all night and get some rest.  We only got four hours of sleep because we wanted to be back on the road by 4am.  I drove the entire trip and am not sure how I functioned on four hours of sleep for two nights after hauling 700-850 miles a day.  It is largely thanks to caffeine.  I don't recommend you seriously get back on the road after four hours of sleep but we did what we had to do.  Our second day felt like we made some big progress, and we did.  We left South Carolina and passed through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and all the way across Louisiana.

Crossing the Mississippi River!


A warning sign to watch for bears along the highway in Louisiana.

One of my favorite sights, truck and trailer hauling to another adventure.

Cajun sunset.

A little buddy I hadn't seen since we left Georgia!  We baby sat her when she was just a kitten!  I love this sweet girl!  She was hanging on to me for cuddles and slept with me all night in Louisiana.
















That day we drove across the ENTIRE state of Texas.  We went from Shreveport, Louisiana to Anthony, New Mexico.  The farm we stayed at in Anthony had a cabin onsite so we again were able to stay with the girls. They also had nice, big turnouts to stretch their legs in and get some real rest.

Another early start for the girls out of Shreveport at 3:30am.

I have been to several areas of Texas that I did enjoy very much, but, I-20 across Texas is just mind numbing until you get just past Odessa.  It was there that I started to see mountains in the distance, then after our last diesel stop for the day in Pecos we saw the change in landscape to desert and what a beautiful sight that was.  Most of the day was spent looking at windmills, refinery flares, oil fields, and other random things you only see on road trips across the country.



Rest break at a truck stop in Big Spring, Texas.

In the middle of nowhere Texas.

This would be one of those random things you see on road trips across the country.

Finally seeing mountains in the distance.

Finding our second wind after seeing the change in landscape from nothingness to the desert!

We were actually happy to see El Paso because it meant we were almost done for the day...then we hit I-10 traffic and a rollover accident.  So close, yet so far.  That night was another four hours of sleep night but the next day was the last so we were ready to just get back on the road and be on our way.

Anthony, New Mexico at Open Heart G Farms.  Great owner and great on site accommodations for people and horses in case you ever are looking in that area!

We didn't even eat that morning until we got snacks at the first stop for diesel after we had been on the highway for a couple hours.  We were just ready to get back on our way.  We didn't eat dinner that night either, just snacks.  We survived on snacks the whole trip.  In the beginning of the day we had dreams of going somewhere for an actual dinner but we always got slowed down by something and by the time we would get to our end point we were exhausted and diner was not high on the priority list.  Showers and sleep were the priority.  We made up for that in Vegas though.

The next day was the last and the best part of the drive for two reasons, because it was the last day and because it was the most beautiful scenery of the entire trip.  I LOVE Arizona.  It's drop dead gorgeous and I was excited to get to it so I could see the beauty of the desert.







Our first rest stop was in Tucson that morning to let the girls rest, eat their breakfast grain, and get some food and caffeine for ourselves.

Tucson Wal-Mart.

Breakfast time.

Sitting with the mares while they ate their breakfast in Tucson.  The weather was perfect with the most beautiful breeze in the air.

Next stop was Wickenburg, Arizona to top off the diesel before we went through the no-man's land between there and Kingman.


Joshua Trees between Wickenburg and Kingman.



If anyone has driven from Phoenix to Las Vegas via Kingman you know there are some serious, long hills.  My truck did excellent.  We were doing 65 up the hills and the truck never got warm enough to be concerning.  I know of some people that have had to turn off their A/C (if they were hauling when it was warm enough for it) and everything else to go through that area to help keep the truck engine cool.  My Beast owned it, all of it.  On the steep down hills I put it in 5th and let it coast down the hills.

Under one hundred miles to go and about 50 miles or less from the Hoover Dam!


The crowing moment of the trip, coming around/down the hills from the Hoover Dam and seeing the strip in the distance.


It did feel good to drop the trailer for a couple weeks after driving 3,003 miles with it.  I will say this though, if anyone is considering this trailer, I already loved it before for multiple reasons, add hauling like a dream for 3,003 miles to that list.  It has always pulled so smooth.

The mares traveled like absolute professionals.  Klein, I knew would be like that, and Super B I expected would be like that, though I am happy she has now proven herself.  She is a War Horse that has raced in various states on the east coast so there should be absolutely no reason she wasn't a model traveler, but you never know until you go ahead and get that experience out of the way with them.



They drank like fish, they constantly ate, they peed when we stopped and didn't have any issues opening the back ramp to clean in loud truck stops.  I was going to unload them and take them for short walks on breaks but then we decided it was best not to get their hopes up that they were done for the day only to let them down by having them get back on the trailer.

Settling in at their new barn in Vegas.

Now, if either one of them had any condition that would have warranted them to take some walk breaks (older/arthritic), then I would have done it.  Or, if either of them were coming off the trailer with any stiffness or stocked up legs, I would have done it.  We just had no reason.  They were bright eyed and riding along like they were up for the adventure, so why mess with it?  We would stop every four hours to let them take a rest and offer water/refill hay/clean the trailer.  I did have them in their Back on Track Sheets the first two days until we got into weather where they really didn't need anything on due to the temp increase and the fact neither of them are clipped right now.

Sunset view from Klein's turnout with connected stall.

The girls both looked amazing.  Neither of them looked like they lost any weight or were dehydrated in the least.  You would have no idea they just went on that long of a haul.  After the first day I think they realized we had reached our end point and their new home, so they celebrated.





Two pretty mamas after getting the spa treatment.


I love this place and I am so grateful to have found it and that there were two open spots.

View from our new ring.  Unreal.  I missed the mountains.  I didn't think I did, but, I was wrong.

Another view from the ring.


I rode Klein before I left and she felt GREAT! She was full of energy and ready to GO!  I was going to ride Super B too but decided to just wait the two weeks until I get back to give her abscess foot that much more time to make sure it's 101%.  She actually got reset a couple days after we got there.  We decided that once the shoe went back on in NJ when the abscess foot was ready to not mess with anything prior to this long trip.  So a couple days after we got to Las Vegas my new farrier who is absolutely amazing and I am super excited to work with came out to reset her.  You could still smell some nastiness in the right foot from where it drained from the sole (she has pads on her fronts).  But, it is all healed and dry.  I just felt there was no need to push anything and she will without a doubt be ready to go back to work when we get there in two weeks.

Of course Klein felt amazing.  



I didn't do much with her, don't let the canter pic fool you.  That is why I just hopped on bareback, because I was just going to meander around but also put her through all three gaits to see how she felt.

Another buddy I am happy to be reunited with.  Anyone remember Nala?!  She looked like a little Ewok when she was a puppy.  She is still the sweetest pup ever.  I missed her too!

All in all, the trip went pretty much perfect except for hitting traffic here and there and some rain.  You can't ask for much more on a road trip with horses.  If those are your only worries, you did good.  I will write a post after this about preparation for this trip as far as the logistics and answer any questions.

I am back in New Jersey for the next two weeks.  The house gets packed up next week and shortly after we hit the road in our cars.  So yes, I get to do the drive all over again.  I wish my Caddi would drive itself out there, but it won't.  

Landed back in Philly to cold, rainy weather.  Wow, what a surprise.  Shocking really.  I can't wait for my 310 days of sun a year!

In the meantime, I am counting down every minute until I get back in the car and get on the highway to head back out to our new home.