Re: [RC] How To - Share a Trailer Ride?? - Cynthia Eyler
I was able to get transportation to rides, and to
conditioning trails I couldn't hack to, before I got a rig of my own.
In my case, it was with friends (or folks who quickly became friends). And
I was lucky that they would take my word for the fact that my horse travels well
and wasn't going to damage their trailers. People considering
transporting other folks' horses are worried about that and about two other
things -- where the hitchhiker will sleep and how much 'stuff' that person
is going to try to bring along. So,
assuming that your horse is well-mannered, you have two other questions to ask
yourself: how well do you know the
person taking your horse to rides, and how big is that person's
rig?
If the only place for you to sleep would be
in the gooseneck or capped truck bed or Suburban, plan to sleep
in the horse area of the trailer or in your own vehicle. If
there is space in a dressing room for another cot or air mattress, then you
might be able to sleep there, but I'd at least offer to take my own vehicle
or sleep in the back.
Be realistic about how much 'stuff' you take with
you. If you're like me, you might really need to take your own vehicle to
cart it all, especially if the other person doesn't have an extra stall
dedicated to storage. It's not just hay; it's all the other
things. If the other person has a full complement of first
aid supplies, for instance, you don't need to take duplicates. You
do, of course, need your own buckets and feed pans and feed/hay, plus all your
tack. Depending on the weather, you'll also need various sheets
and/or blankets. A lot of stuff.
Your best bet is probably just to talk with the
other person. Ask how s/he would like you to do things.
As for expenses, when I was traveling with others,
I tried to make sure that I paid for more than half of everything -- fuel, food,
drinks, etc.
