Have you ever bought a horse from out of state?

In all your 12 yrs of riding, the best option you have to answer these questions is YA!?? Wow. First off, it's very strange that you feel it necessary to bring a horse in from 10hrs away. You've just guaranteed his price is going up by at least $1,000 in shipping alone. only transport company I would recommend would have AC units and air ride trailers. Judge Manning, WJ Barry, NYCONN are 3 off the top off my head. Brookeledge is another I've used in the past with EXCELLENT results. DO NOT GO THRU U SHIP.

I can't believe you don't have a mentor you can approach about the questions to ask your shipping company. Just off the top of my head:

Driving straight thru? If not, where is layover?

Driver's cell #?

Bring along your own hay?

Others on trailer?

Insured?

Will they bring any 'extras'? (hay, feed, supplies, etc.)

How often are horses watered?

Straight stall or box?

Air ride vans?

Air conditioned?

Drive's experience specifically with horses?

Average hours of pick up/ delivery?

Drop off directly to farm or do you need to meet them somewhere with your 'own' trailer?

Go on chronofhorse.com forum and search the Horse Care section, or Miscellanouse using "Shipper" as your search word. Also, Equine Express. Grab some popcorn and read the horror stories from bad shipping experiences. One woman shipped a horse from 3 hours away and it took three DAYS to arrive. And when it did arrive, it was the wrong horse.

Nevermind the fact that some horses just.don't.ship.well and they're bound to lose weight dramatically and become gravely ill. Can you quarantine this animal once it arrives?

Again.. shipping a first horse from so far away seems like asking for trouble. I'd stick to shopping close to home.

Brook ledge, Bob Hubbard, Nation Wide Horse transportation, Equine Express and Creech are all top name horse transporters. I don't know if they go in your area, but Ridgewood is also good. What I suggest is you try to look up reviews for these companies. Do a search because reviews help! If you use a private local company, ask for references. You go look at the van/trailer they'll be using. If it is Brook Ledge, Ridge Wood or the other bigger companies, they'll use a semi trailer. If you use local or private, make sure that their trailer and truck are in good shape. You don't want someone in an old truck that might break down or a trailer with a unsafe floor. You wont find that with the bigger companies mentioned. Heat shouldn't be a problem if the van has plenty of windows. The drivers usually carry help (that ride in the back with the horses) so they'll get water. They also have cameras so the driver can see what is happening in the back while driving. The bigger companies might be cheaper than local companies because they're always going around the country. Call ALL of them! Brook Ledge might give you a price of $1000. because they're not going in the same area you need to go, Bob Hubbard might be in that area looking to take back some horses because he doesn't want to come home empty. He might do it for gas say $200. I'm not saying that you'll get it this cheap, but call around and be flexible with your delivery dates to get the best price. Once you find a company in your price range and they're available you can ask the questions you want. You must also leave the vet papers for the horse transporter! They will have to show them passing through state to state.

How often will you stop to water?

How many stops will you be making along the way to deliver other horses?

Will they have hay bags?

How many hours a day does the driver drive?

If you get one of the big van companies, this shouldn't be a problem. The horses have very wide stalls and shavings. They're are very comfortable. I've seen bad horses that hate to travel load right up on their vans and stand relaxed the whole trip.

You've gotten excellent advice on shipping companies and the questions to ask. I just recently purchased a horse from out of state and my advice is don't skimp on the vet check--if you really like the horse and you have negotiated everything else, get all necessary radiographs and insurance before you ship. Good luck and have fun!