Hey everyone! We will be going to the Hereford Jr. National show in Grand Island, Nebraska at the end of June. It’s about 1,050 miles and 15.5 hours one way without counting stops. Has anyone ever drove this far straight through without a layover? There’s places we can layover if we need to but we would rather leave late one evening and drive straight through the night and go on and get there mid-morning the next day. I’m thinking if we stop every 3-4 hours to check on the calves and offer water plus fuel and bathroom breaks it will take us about 18 hours. We will have 4 calves on a 24 ft. trailer with 2 calves in each section and plan to leave them untied. Anyone have any advice?
Hauling show cattle long distance
- Thread starter amanicwil
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ROMAX
Well-known member
Look up Jon Gevelinger on YouTube,he has how to videos about show cattle.He has one about setting your trailer up for long hauls.
simba
Well-known member
When I was taking cattle to our junior nationals the longest haul we did was 44 hours of driving with two 8-12 hour stops and then four full days to rest. We always hauled them tied loosely so they could lay down and eat hay but not move around too much. We put down a lot of bedding in the trailer so it had a good amount of cushion and added more at each stop to keep them as clean as possible. I also started them on electrolytes two days before we left and carried on until we got home.
My biggest advice is that after your trip you should allow at least one-two full days for your cattle to rest and fill up. They’ll be feeling just as tired and jet-lagged as you do so I’d recommend that you don’t even work on them on your “rest” days. We always tried to find a farm close to junior nationals where we could keep our cattle until the show started.
In your case it would be ideal to stop at least once to water them, feed them a little and let them stretch their legs but I certainly wouldn’t be stopping every few hours, it’ll add too much time to your trip.
You’re on the right track by giving them lots of room and driving through the night when it’s cooler.
Good luck and good choice of breeds!
My biggest advice is that after your trip you should allow at least one-two full days for your cattle to rest and fill up. They’ll be feeling just as tired and jet-lagged as you do so I’d recommend that you don’t even work on them on your “rest” days. We always tried to find a farm close to junior nationals where we could keep our cattle until the show started.
In your case it would be ideal to stop at least once to water them, feed them a little and let them stretch their legs but I certainly wouldn’t be stopping every few hours, it’ll add too much time to your trip.
You’re on the right track by giving them lots of room and driving through the night when it’s cooler.
Good luck and good choice of breeds!
