The Schuman Ranch in Pauuilo, Hawaii currently supports a herd of 1100 cows, kept in balance by breeding new calfs and selling mature cattle to market.
In addition to their stable of 40 working horses, half a dozen colts are bred and sold each year.
One of the ranches regular and significant cost factors is interisland shipping. The ranch sends cattle to market on Oahu every month and regularly transfers horses and colts to other islands. The interisland freight rate and stall rental for individual animals is expensive.
Shipping two or three animals in the ranch trailer was slightly cheaper, but the total cubage freight rate coupled with the return shipping was still a major monthly expense.
Analyzing the interisland freight rate schedules, he noticed that container freight rates were about half the rate for general freight, and the return cost for empty containers was minimal.
So the logical step was to redesign a container to meet his needs. Drawing from years of experience, 'Dutch' based his design on the four fundamental requirements: Proper ventilation, clean water, sufficient food and adequate space. Ventilation could be created by cutting out the upper four feet of the container wall and replacing these sections with spaced steel bars. Water could be provided by a constant flow system linking a bulk tank to wall mounted troughs. Similarly, food could be supplied from wall mounted feed bins. But 'Dutch' faced a real design challenge when it came to ensuring adequate space for the livestock. And it all boiled down to a major difference between cattle and horses.
Now transporting cattle is a relatively simple procedure. You can take five or six cows, herd them into a common area and they'll be just fine. But horses, as they say, are a whole 'nother animal. Put two horses side by side in the same stall and they'll bite, kick and raise all kinds of hell. To be comfortable, horses need their own space, no matter how small the space may be. So after considerable thought, 'Dutch' came up with the perfect solution. The container was partitioned into six stalls separated by adjustable dividers. By designing a removable divider, he could use all or part of the container for cattle.
After adding finishing touches to the basic design by adding storage space for bridles, saddles and related gear, 'Dutch' hired an engineer to turn his plans into a working blueprint.
Now only one question remained...
Who in the hell could build the damn thing?
'Dutch' remembered how helpful the folks at Container Storage Company had been. He called them back, told them of his modification design and asked them for advice on completing the project. Fortunately, he had called the only container supply company in Hawaii with the experience and expertise in custom modifications to tackle the job. Working together, they turned the blueprint design into a production plan and began work.
Thoughout the construction process, 'Dutch' worked closely with the folks at Container Storage to fine-tune the finished product. The result of this cooperative effort was Hawaii's first fully functional, multiple use, shippable horse and cattle container.
