Good Samaritans

[TheMan419]

Thank you for the story. I am glad there are still people out there like that.

My wife has horses and she often hauls them from here to there when I am not with her. We have a service from US Rider. It is like AAA but they will come get the horse trailer and horses as well as your truck if there is a problem. The will even help you find temporary lodging for the horses if needed. Its like $150/yr. AAA is $80 or so. She was going to have that anyway, so for an exta few bucks she gets help with the horses as well. Thankfully we have never had to use it.

 

[ponytug]

Thank you for the story. I am glad there are still people out there like that.

My wife has horses and she often hauls them from here to there when I am not with her. We have a service from US Rider. It is like AAA but they will come get the horse trailer and horses as well as your truck if there is a problem. The will even help you find temporary lodging for the horses if needed. Its like $150/yr. AAA is $80 or so. She was going to have that anyway, so for an exta few bucks she gets help with the horses as well. Thankfully we have never had to use it.

+1 for US rider as well, but read the fine print to make sure that it covers you. We found a few carve outs that affected us, but went with it to cover the majority of our needs.

+1 on Good Sam, which really helped us out when the ECM on our Freightliner up and failed with no warning. (And kudos to the Good Samaritan who gave my wife a ride home to civilization from five hours away!) I spent a couple of days living at the repair shop while they sorted it out.

All the best,

Peter

 

[drssg]

That is my nightmare scenario: to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere with horses in the trailer. Having no cell service just really tops it off. It's nice to hear about your good samaritan.

I do have a story that is nowhere near as dramatic. I was cruising on my motorcycle and towing a small cargo trailer on the wide open freeway at 75 mph. A man in the lane to my left rolled down his window, honked his horn, and motioned to pull off the road.

I was leery, but his expression didn't look angry or crazy, and I pulled off into the breakdown lane. He walked back and informed me that the hitch on my trailer was about to break loose.

He was actually wrong. The trailer hitch is on a swivel to improve handling on low speed turns and the connector often rides at a bit of an angle, but it is firmly connected.

He apologized for needlessly stopping me on the interstate, but I thought it was very nice that he would go to that effort, and I told him so.

There really are quite a few nice people in the world, and they usually don't make the news.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Thank you for the story. I am glad there are still people out there like that.

My wife has horses and she often hauls them from here to there when I am not with her. We have a service from US Rider. It is like AAA but they will come get the horse trailer and horses as well as your truck if there is a problem. The will even help you find temporary lodging for the horses if needed. Its like $150/yr. AAA is $80 or so. She was going to have that anyway, so for an exta few bucks she gets help with the horses as well. Thankfully we have never had to use it.

Thanks for the info. I have AAA but they were of no help because of the horses. The first good Samaritan called them when he got to a place with cell service. they did nothing. I am considering dropping them. but will likely keep them because this is sparsely populated country once you get away from the river valley.

My brother had bought property in Tonasket and this was a one time move and the horses are just his pasture pets now that he is totally blind and no longer rides. I am his caretaker/transportation coordinator/handyman/.... but have little experience with horses.

 

[riptides]

I have US Rider, and a big name insurance. US Rider is OK. But my big name insurance covered my recovery efforts from half-way across the country much better. Our gooseneck was an issue finding someone to not only recover from the accident scene but also get back home. Luck would have it, the manufacturer has a recovery/tow service available and they dispatched a good Samaritan to assist. From half-way across the country.

Our big deal going cross country with horses provided some expensive but valuable service and information:

1. Communications are a big deal, OnStar, Cell, Wifi coverage is a must.
2. Planning for rest and recovery stops, there are plenty of people who can provide stop over and hook up services.
Seek those people/establishments out on your route.
3. Read the fine print on your insurance coverages.
Dispatch times.
Haul distances.
Equipment coverage.
Rental truck/car agreement.
4. Make sure your insurance can work with you from out of state locations.
Vehicle paperwork from state to state, power of attorney, release forms all are things they need to handle.

 

[ponytug]

@riptides Care to share who the big name insurer was?

I agree with 100% about the complexities of planning when moving animals. Unloading on a freeway is not something that I ever want to do. (But sometimes the totally unforeseen happens, like with @3 Horse Ranch.)

All the best,

Peter

 

[riptides]

@riptides Care to share who the big name insurer was?

I agree with 100% about the complexities of planning when moving animals. Unloading on a freeway is not something that I ever want to do. (But sometimes the totally unforeseen happens, like with @3 Horse Ranch.)

All the best,

Peter

Sent you a PM.

 

[Buppies]

Thanks for sharing your story 3 horse and glad everyone was ok. There are good people in the world and your story proves that

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Thanks for sharing your story 3 horse and glad everyone was ok. There are good people in the world and your story proves that

It always amazes me how many REALLY GOOD people there are in the world out there; especially when it's so easy to be one.

 

[NorTracNY]

Thank you for the story. I am glad there are still people out there like that.

My wife has horses and she often hauls them from here to there when I am not with her. We have a service from US Rider. It is like AAA but they will come get the horse trailer and horses as well as your truck if there is a problem. The will even help you find temporary lodging for the horses if needed. Its like $150/yr. AAA is $80 or so. She was going to have that anyway, so for an exta few bucks she gets help with the horses as well. Thankfully we have never had to use it.

I hope you never need to use US Rider. I read a story about a poor guy that needed to use it. It was useless. They did nothing to help other than call around to try and find someone in the area who might come help on a Sunday. The person that responded charged them hundreds of dollars and it took many hours. With a smart phone, they could have done the same. It wasn't like US Rider had a network of places that could help. They just collect premiums and call around trying to help if a customer gets in trouble. The person that responded wasn't going to hope some little company was going to reimburse him.