Everyone who has had horses for a long time has probably had occasion to use a commercial shipper at least once. Friday night my daughter Gwynn's horse nicknamed Chunky left Virginia in route to his new home outside of Boston, Mass. Gwynn and Andy got married in December and will be in Boston for at least the next four years. Chunky, a three year old thoroughbred will have quite an adjustment getting used to living in an urban area with much less turnout. Although his Massachusettes barn has more turnout that most it will definately be very different than the Virginia acreage that he is used to.
The van was scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. Friday morning. Chunky had been fed a bran mash in preparation for the long trip and was in his stall dressed and waiting for the van. As is often the case when dealing with commercial shippers there can be delays and Chunky's trip was no exception. If you are lucky the firm you decide to hire will have a good dispatcher who will keep you updated regarding the progress of the truck as it picks up and drops off horses on its way to you. We were notified of a delay and the pick up time was readjusted to 4:30. Lucky Chunky got a second bran mash when the rest of the horses were fed dinner. The van finally arrived at 8:00 p.m. and thank goodness Chunky did not mind loading in the dark, walking right on to the four horse head to head trailer with only a little hesitation.
Unfortunately Chunky was the last horse to be dropped off necessitating a route way to the west of Boston. Finally after nineteen hours of traveling Chunky arrived at his new home at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. A clean roomy stall with several buckets of fresh water was waiting for him. The knowledgeable barn staff immediately dressed him in an additional layer of blankets to keep him warm in the subzero weather. Welcome to the north.
Chunky will be handwalked and free lounged in the indoor for the next few days until the farrier can arrive to put borium on his shoes. Until then he will have to stay inside since it is way to icy to venture outside without borium on his shoes to help prevent a fall on the ice.
We wish Chunky and Gwynn many happy rides at their new barn, but I am sure that they will miss the beauty of the Virginia countryside. There is nothing to compare with a Central Virginia or Charlottesville horse farm. Of course, I am slightly prejudiced. 🙂
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Pam Dent
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