Yoohoo! Lani

No rain. There wasn't enough rain or hay last year and this year is just as bad or worse. Last year I overheard guys talking about the hay shortage and thought I better cover my butt. So I horded away enough to get me by before the price spiked. I was able to get added on to R's hay contract for this season. I am buying double what I bought last year. I will be very nervous until I get those bales safely tucked away. I have had to buy a few bales until it comes in. It is hay season here now and it should be $3 to $4 a bale. I have paid $7.50 to $10 per bale in the last 2 weeks. I am already worried about next year. [&o] The horse for sale ads are already increasing in the local paper.

Lani, I was wondering how Stryder is going to handle the actual transport more than anything else. Didn't you say he doesn't do well being stalled? He will have to be shipped in a container?? Moving across country with 2 dogs and a cat was a feat in itself.

Yikes!  ... that's a huge increase in hay prices!  But if it makes you feel any better hay costs $24.00 a bale here.  ... you have a ways to reach that.  I'll have to check up on your local paper if there are a large amount of horses for sale.  It's a sad situation, but at least I'll do my best to give a horse a good home.
 
As far as Stryder transportation it's going to be interesting.  I'll have him on CALMing supplements and maybe a slight tranquilizer for his flight.  I'll actually have him flown over.  My options to get him from Honolulu to CA is Container ship or Cargo plane.  While a flight is, basically 2 or 3 times more spendy it's MUCH faster.  Shipping him would take 4-5 days.  Plane is 12 hrs from when I drop him off to when I pick him up (and a 5-6 hrs flight, then loading and unloading time.)  They have a vet and grooms that fly with the horses.  They do the flights once a month and usually have several horses to fly at that point.  They ONLY fly into LAX, though.  So, I'll have to pick him up there and then trailer him up to Reno/Tahoe area (Nevada).  I'm gonna start working with him and practice loading and unloading him in a friends trailer and also just do what I can to prepare him for this.  We have 9months, wish us luck!  We'll need it!
 
Thanks for asking!