Since 1964, the National Horse Carriers Association (NHCA) has stood for the highest standards in equine transportation and now, it has voted Elite Horse Transport of Kentucky in as a member.

“This validates Elite Horse Transport as a professional company,” said founder and president, James Welsh. “Now we are officially associated with the best of the best.” 

An association, Welsh said, that he felt certain would only further benefit horse owners. “Elite Horse Transport is licensed and insured, with years of experience collaborating with other top companies and now, with this membership, we are part of an even larger network of licensed carriers.

Mentorship

Welsh started earning his expertise in equine shipping more than two decades ago, first as a rider and groom with a healthy dose of respect for the job of commercial horse transporters (“I would ride up front with them and think that was pretty cool”). Later, he began driving a gooseneck under the mentorship of commercial ‘king of the road,’ Tim Dutta, learning to navigate the ins and out of domestic shipping and international transport. Six months later, Welsh bought a tractor-trailer and then another, and the Elite fleet began to hit its stride.

“I loaded lots of horses commercially and met drivers from many of the top companies” Welsh said.  This taught him one of his first lessons about shipping horses; “Drivers need to be horsemen, too,” said Welsh, citing his own background as a dressage rider as instrumental to launching Elite Horse Transport in 2004. “You need drivers brave enough and trained enough to respond to any emergency and equipped to handle whatever situation arises. 

A Certain Touch

“There’s a certain ‘touch’ that we like our drivers to have at Elite. We love hearing how quiet and patient our drivers are with our clients’ horses,” he said. “At the end of the day, people take for granted how many horses walk on and walk off trucks unscathed.”

Now, with this fresh honor of membership into the NHCA, Welsh and Elite Horse Transport can feel confident that the most respected name in horse transportation doesn’t take their professionalism for granted.

About Elite Horse Transport
Based in Kentucky, with additional points of operation out of New York and Virginia, Elite Horse Transport serves the United States and Canada. The company’s dedication to safety is paramount, using only top of the line equipment and drivers who treat each horse as if it were their own. Elite believes that reliable equipment is key to a successful horse transportation company and invests in preventative maintenance to minimize the risk of equipment or road-related problems. The Elite fleet includes 51’ to 53’ trailers, spacious wide doors, low ramps, roof wells for storage, excellent ventilation for optimum air flow, and in every truck, GPS systems, two-way radios and closed-circuit cameras.

Elite is trained and experience to handle all your shipping needs – nationally or internationally– including transfers, air connections and on-schedule horse show delivery. Learn more toll-free (888) 477-0100 or visit www.elitehorsetransport.com.