AMA: Should I Tip My Horse Hauler?
Is it common practice to tip a professional hauler? For context, my horse is being picked up for a five-day trip to join me in a new state. The hauler has been helpful very communicative about the process so far and generally just wonderful to work with. Should I tip them for the service? If so, how much?
What a good and interesting question, and probably something most of us with horses don’t think about often enough. Generally speaking, professional haulers operate or work for commercial enterprises and are paid hourly or by the trip, etc. From a horse owner standpoint, you pay a fee for the hauling service which is agreed upon before the trip takes place. Sometimes you pay in full before your horse arrives, sometimes you pay a deposit ahead of time.
Most haulers are not expecting a tip.
That said, a tip goes a long way if something goes awry that requires extra care or time for the hauler along the trip. That could be having to manage a horse who is difficult to load, delaying the stops along the route. Or if there’s an emergency, say a horse requires care from something that happened in the trailer. We are handling animals after all, and things do happen.
A friend of Heels Down who is married to a professional horse hauler said that road trip snacks go a long way when wanting to do something nice or appreciative for a shipper. Anything that makes those long trips on the road go by a little easier.
Do you tip your farrier? Your vet? Check out this story about barn etiquette and what most think is common courtesy and practice.
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