| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Gerri |
Posted - 22 May 2010 : 08:37:34 AM
It is with blood boiling and a rage inside that I write this topic, my Stallion was moved from here, France to UK by a huge transporting company, who specialize in transporting horses, he left here Tuesday Morning and did not arrive to his destination till 9.00 Friday night and was delivered by another transport compnay, one I have never heard of, he came off the lorry extremely stiff, so much so he could hardly walk and was all tucked up, he had been on the lorry all day with mares and foals.
When he was picked up, I told them that he was very special, not only because he is the very last of his line, but that he was an old man and extremely well behaved and deserved the best of treatment, he looked wonderful when he left, neck arched prancing as he walked and calling to his ladies. It breaks my heart that he was treated so shabbily by these transporters. No wonder they ask for the money up front, they have your money and then they don't have to worry, at least if you pay half up front and half on delivery, its in their best interest to look after horses in their care.
I am writing this to warn everyone about this sad experience and if you wish to know who the transporters are pm me, I will happily tell you who it is as I would not wish this on anyone and their beloved horses......... the last time they transported a horse for me this same company delivered her with stitches in her eye, I thought well accidents do happen I know, but two unsatisfactory services is just too much, I will not use them again EVER and I pray that no one on here does either.
I found out who delivered him, not the transporter I had hired and paid to do the Job and when I said who I was he immediately went on the defensive and told me he did not want to get involved and that I should take it up with the transporter concerned and he just did as he was told and then slammed the phone down on me?????? so what the HELL DID HAPPEN AND WHY WOULD HE RE ACT TO ME LIKE THAT?????? |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| kastell |
Posted - 25 May 2010 : 1:21:01 PM
Sorry to hear about your bad experience's Gerri & Zapphire, a horse owners worse nightmare!!
It's awful that this transporter is still operating!! However there are some good UK based transporters that do regular trips to & from the UK, the company I use is a small firm, I use them as I know they treat the horses well & I've never had a problem with them. If they weren't in my area when I wanted them I'd wait for them, I wouldn't want to risk my horses well-being with a company I didn't know! Plus I always pay on the safe delivery of my horses!!
Sorry to hear that your move to France didn't work out either Zapphire, IMO I think the French system for breeding horses is very good, I know of several ex UK Studs which are now set up in France, who continue to breed. |
| zapphire1 |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 9:24:17 PM
thank you everyone for your very kind post,yes its very hard tostill talk about(without breaking into tears) and the sadest thing he was such a kind and gentle stallion.
cmj yes your allow to travel your own horses by yourself driving just
phone defra and tell them what your plans are i think they will also
give you the number for your local import/export dept who deal with most of it,you can even hire a lorry but long drive back again,i do know if you have anything under 14.2hh it has to have a vets cert which is done
by the exports this is cos ponies are meat or pets ie min value!!!
i took 4 ponies to france its just a quick eye limbs etc
i`D advise anyone take them yourself or travel with them no company can stop you doing this as long as they know when you book them that your travel iswell ie in there lorry if you cant get a friend too if poss
zebo
and as for word of mouth this is only good if its the same driver as these big companies tend to have quite a few drivers so you may get two or three poeple saying this company is good and yet you can find poeple out there who would say dont use use them its not only companies itsthe bL---LY DRIVERS then you got other people saying really good transporters then futher down the line you find out that the owners traveled with there horses what driver would not look after a horse !!
i can see why gerri gets cross with some comments made as dont you think we ask every question possible! as we are handing over our babies for them to care for and trusting them to care for we are not asking them to turn a 13.2hh pony into a 15.2 horse,
WAKE UP ALL TRANSPORTERS YOU GOT OUR BABIES ON BOARD
theres lots of horror stories on forums in france from uk owners who too have had things happen to there horses |
| cmj |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 8:07:00 PM
Zapphire that is utterly horrible. I feel so sorry for you.
When the time comes to take my 3 to France I am seriously thinking of getting my own lorry and taking them ourselves with a planned route with stopovers. I suppose there are flipping rules about this though. Does anyone know? C |
| Offira |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 3:40:33 PM
Poor horses, how absolutely dreadful. It makes me think though, if this can happen to privately owned horses, with a someone waiting for them at their destination. What happens to those horses that are not in individual ownership - i.e. a job lot coming in from a dealer who are just an item to be exchanged for money - makes you wonder what sort of journey these have.
I am glad you posted Gerri and Zapphire, although sad to hear your respective experiences, it has certainly been an eye opener, you choose a reputable company, pay good money and then this.  |
| zebo |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 2:17:05 PM
Just because a transporter is big and flashy it doesn't mean you'll get a good job done, as I've said before my Dad has done international transport for as long as I can remember and I wouldn't ever want anyone else to drive my horses any where. His is a very small concern but with many many happy customers who have used him again and again.
Unfortunately you do tend to get what you pay for however word of mouth has to be the best recommendation when it comes to these very precious animals we own. Good Luck to everyone who ever has to choose which transporter to use to move their horses anywhere. x |
| MinHe |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 1:48:40 PM
I am just speechless having read zapphire's story - how could ANYONE do such a thing??????
Gerri, I am so pleased to hear your chap is picking up - I wish I was in a position to help you bring the girls back home safely...
Keren |
| marionpack |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 11:17:57 AM
Gerri so sorry that your boy had such a rough time, it is such a delima when you need to trust people you don't know but thankfully he sounds like he is getting back to normal
Zapphire so very sorry to hear of your sad loss and I do hope that some satisfaction comes out of the investigation even though it takes such a long time,
It is good that you can tell people of your horrendous dealings with people like this so at least if others need transporters they are fore warned |
| littlearabians |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 11:08:32 AM
so sorry for the experiences you both have had.
I have NEVER been asked to pay up front... whit all the companies I have used payment is normally due when they unload the horse... you can pay up front if you prefer, but you don't have too. |
| Nichole Waller |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 10:18:28 AM
Gerri - so sorry to hear your lovely boy had such a terrible journey. I'm glad he has started to recover.
Zapphire your story is horrendous and i am so sorry for your loss. . Thank you for sharing as it will surely help others who need to transport horses long distance.
Hugs to you both  |
| Goldenmane |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 09:57:32 AM
Zapphire, my heart goes out to you and obviously the pain is still raw.
Gerri, we all know how much you love Milly, any chance you could travel with her? |
| precious |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 09:24:24 AM
Gerri what a sad story at least your special lad is feeling abit better now. Keep writing and reporting the company do what zapphire said hassle them
Zapphire sssoooo sorry to hear what happened to your horses. (tears)
I just cant beleive how people can treat them like this!!
Gerri please keep us posted and is there is n e thing we can do to help x |
| Callisto |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 08:35:07 AM
What a truly terrible experience. |
| Gerri |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 08:32:15 AM
OMG!!!! zapphire, I am so terribly sorry, words can nor express how I feel for you as I write this the tears are falling I can only imagine the grief you must have and still do feel,as I know how upset I was at knowing that my gentle old boy had suffered days of discomfort and stress at the hands of a company I trusted and YES YOU HAVE GUESSED RIGHT ABOUT WHICH TRANSPORTER WAS USED. I have heard exactly those same stories now. I am terrified about travelling my girls home now, although I am going to use the transporter I used before when they came to France as I trust them and I know the girl will take good care of my beloved Milly, I could not imagine the pain and anguish should anything happen to her, she is my whole life and I would gladly give my soul for this little mare who has been my whole reason for living for many years now. so I have learnt a valuable lesson and I did not get a "CHEAP DEAL" either and I told them everything about my little stallion so now I am going to write to the transporters that I trust with my little girl and that I CAN recommend to anyone and will recommend to anyone that needs their horses moved in safety. |
| Montikka |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 08:21:30 AM
How utterly heartbreaking zapphire1, your post made me cry. |
| zapphire1 |
Posted - 24 May 2010 : 01:25:41 AM
Gerri
iam so sad to hear your horse had suffered such a trip,and i know how you
feel,but first report them to Defra AND DO NOT DELAY all transporters have to be liscenced and if any horses are traveling longer then i think its 8 hours the company have to submit a route plan showing the stop overs and times when the horses was unload for rest and time of reload etc,as for cost of any transporting company make it does not matter if you pay huge sums or cheapley,i used a cheap company to takemy horses from uk to south west france all arrived happy and well i paid £4,500
for this and i had two large lorries, after six months in france and all the red tape that goes with breeding horses and dust hay because the ground is so dry etc etc, i moved back to the uk i used a company that had transported the olympic team as the company i used to get them there was fully book for 3 months,
when my horses arrived the first horse unloaded was my beloved home bred stallion who was out of my home bred dam,if ive got any spelling mistake here please bear with meas its hard to see through tears!! put it this way i didnt reconize him,i screamed at the owners of the yard i was renting to phone a vet the vet arrived before they started started to unload the next lorry,the vet gave him a quick look over and said iam sorry he needs to be destoryed,his whole body was giving up the vet done the kindest thing for him then because i was distraught to say the lests the vet run up to the lorries and took there number plates and photosof the lorries, by that time i was kicking and punching the driver my beautiful horses were a mess the vet check all of them and that they all had Dehydration they was given electrolytes to help out of my then 27 horses one died (put to sleep)7 was bad ie looked like hack racks very quite and quite lifeless after helping the other horses the vet phoned defra to report them he explained that he witness half being unloaded and as a result had to put one to rest also it turned out that infact my horses was broughtback into the uk without the ness papers making them ilegal derfa left me for few weeks to help get over my shock as the vet had told them that i was on another world with my destress is not even strong enough to say the least
when defra phone me they told me that because the company i used was french it will take longer to resovel as defra had to contact the french side then they had to do there investagestion then back to defra and so on,that was in 2008 i still hant heard and after lots of emails was told there still sorting it!!! as you can imagine it breaksmy heart all over again everytime i have to talk about it and i relive that horrible day on most days,this company charged me EUROS 9,000 which was about nearly £8,000 so no price is misconspection!!!!!
when i was fightingthe driver he said that i was mad that he travel horses through south africa without water or hay for 15 plus hours
i scream how do you know some horses can take a few months to show any
effects,as he run to his lorry!! B------steds
and gerri ibet iknow what international company you use as if you go on forums in france there are loads of post about them missing tails lameness cuts stiffness etc,
the good company i use told me if a horse walks off the ramp straight his had a good driver if they walk off stiff or wobble there hada bad driver
anyway your be glad to hear i phone the company that kill my beloved boy day and night until they change there number and stop advertising
i now got to the stage i go where my horses go which i find all
drivers are good when the owners traveling with them.
just in case gerri get some b12 injections,mine took ages to get over there horror but since i gave them b12 when it all happen they started to pickup all but one mare that aways has weight problems anyway shetook me a year to get over her horror
shipping fever should be a thing of the past when horses are with companies who know when to act and how to treat!!
by the way the first company who took my horses to france even took thetime to tell me that this same mare wouldnt drink andthey were getting worried two mins later they phone to say dont worry shes had a good drink now we stop at a shop brought her apples and apple jucie,when she scoff the apples up and had the taste they add applejucie to her water and she lap it up ,
anyway gerri the company you paid ask them for a copy of the route plan with the stop overs ie livery yards,because 4 days on a lorry tellthem that if they dont send you a copy your going to report them!! you can still report them anyway,defra should have a copy anyway on all horses leaving or returning to the uk then onceyou have it phone some of the stopover liverys and ask them did they stop there and was all horses unload and rested,because quite often they dont stop they just have to drivers although you may only met one,
i heard so many horror storys (like mine)like the bloodly women who had a lorry load of someones horses who too paid up front never seen again the uk/spanish/ire police are after her!!
note to all the nice company only ask for half up front the balance was
to be paid before they would allow a horse to be unloaded which is fair the horror company like gerri i had to pay upfront never again
ask yourselfs if they want proof you have the rest of the money to show them that they will get when horses arrive safe and well,
never pay up front only pay half
godbless you my red man!!
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| jaybird |
Posted - 23 May 2010 : 7:40:11 PM
Hi
Gerri, I am so pleased that your horse is now over his transporting problems and with people whom you trust to look after him, nobody is criticizing you just asking a simple question...why use people that you clearly were not happy with...yes accidents do happen but you must have been happy with their explanation or you would surly not have considered using them again, in my humble opinion you get what you pay for, I paid a four figure sum to get Jay to France he came 1st class...the next one came...standing room only.. it was a fraction of the cost!! but she arrived in perfect health.
Beryl
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| Gerri |
Posted - 23 May 2010 : 11:30:27 AM
He is picking up now I had an email from my friend who has him and he is a little better, but at first, he would not let her near him in the field and rang away, which is totally out of character for him, he was stressed out, but from the email I have recieved now he is full of beans and getting back to his old self, Thank God, This little man is an amazing little horse and has a heart as large as a Trojan Warrier and he is with a very special girl who loves him every bit as much as I do, which I would have thought not possible, but I KNOW this girl loves him more than anything else in the world, so I can Thank God for her too. |
| Callisto |
Posted - 23 May 2010 : 11:23:47 AM
Hope your boy has recovered from his ordeal Gerri. |
| Gerri |
Posted - 23 May 2010 : 11:20:33 AM
To Avanti, Minhe, littlearabians and bridie, thank you for your kind posts and no it wasn't who was recommended to me, I know of a transporter who I will use and would have used had they been here at the time of the move it was just unfortunate that I could not get it synchronised with them as have used this other transporter before and they were brilliant and I would recomment them to anyone, as can vouch for their care and attention and will recomment them to whoever needs to transport, sadly this experience with the one I used this time has taught me to use those who have proved themselves to me as the best!! |
| Gerri |
Posted - 23 May 2010 : 11:11:09 AM
Okay can I just say this, I have had horses all my life, a small stud, trained professionally, have sons that are respected Farriers and therefore not completely naive as far as horses are concerned, so if I am concerned about something it is not through ignorance, it is through concern, if you feel the need to question my judgement then thats up to you, but I posted this to safegaurd others that love their horses not for people who see then as a commodity, I feel it is my duty to tell things as they are then at least I know in my heart I have saved some other person the upset and trauma of what I have been through the last few days, thats all, so suelin and jaybird, please feel free to use whoever you want, for others, knowing the facts as they are it helps please God for you to deiced whether to chance it or not, I wish I had known some of the stories about these people before I used them, thats all I am saying and for me if I can save one horse/pony of going through a journey like that, then posting and getting questioned or pointed jibes are worth it to me. |
| Gerri |
Posted - 23 May 2010 : 11:03:17 AM
Jaybird, to answer your question, you have to give the benefit of...... things happen that are out of someones control and accidents happen, especially with livestock, but leaving a stallion on a lorry all day, with mare and foals is completely different, lack of care and attention is completely different surely you can understand that????? I am not being funny, but silly question really  |
| bridie |
Posted - 22 May 2010 : 7:08:15 PM
bet it wasnt who I recommended.....please pm me who it was.
So sorry this has happened to you on top of everything else. xxx |
| MinHe |
Posted - 22 May 2010 : 6:57:10 PM
Oh Gerri, how awful for you! I do hope your fella is all right, no horse deserves to be treated like this and it proves what a gentleman he is that he didn't flatten someone!
If possible, could you please PM me with details of his new home in the UK - I would love to have a chance to see him!
Keren |
| littlearabians |
Posted - 22 May 2010 : 5:00:22 PM
my groom had the same sort of experience with a very well known danish transport company that specializes in England trips.... her mare hurt both its off hind, and pulled her pelvic so it isn't straight... luckily she is sound when riding, but the trip has cost fortunes in vet and chiropractor.
please do PM me the name of the company. |
| Suelin |
Posted - 22 May 2010 : 2:57:22 PM
Ditto to Jaybird. |
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