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Horse trailers are definitely an important vehicle for moving your horses for sale, shows or any other reason. It is important to ensure that your equines are safe and comfortable during the journey and for this you need to take care of several things like preparing the trailer, making the horses comfortable in the trailer, loading the horses, safe driving and at last comfortable and safe unloading of your horses.
Selecting the right type of trailers is also important for comfortable travelling. If there are only 2-3 horses, you can go for a small trailer while for the larger number you need to have a specialized and a bigger trailer.
Moreover there are also Horse Trailers with living quarters which are perfect for the ones who have long distance to cover and looking for a comfortable stay for themselves along with the horses. So if you have any plans to use the trailer shortly then the below given guide of horse trailing will be of great use to you:
- Preparing your trailer:
The most important part of any travel or journey is the vehicle concerned. When you need to move your horses then horse trailers are definitely the most important thing to consider. Once you have selected the type of trailer you want, park it at an area which is at level with the horse’s foot. Also make sure that vehicle is parked in an area which has enough space so that you can have access to all the doors.
After parking do all the safety checks of the horse trailer before loading the horses so that there are no issues on the way. Keep the first aid and all that you may need in case of emergency like fire extinguisher, reflectors and others. In order to reduce the shock and to make the floors of the trailer less slippery you can also cover the floor with wood shavings. Finally cross check your list and put all your needed stuff in the trailer.
- Preparing the Equines:
Once your trailer is ready, the next step is to make your horse ready to get into the trailer and for the journey. With patience and calmness, slowly load your horses onto the trailer. Make sure to check that horses do not have any injury or any other issue. Keep talking to your horses to make them comfortable while loading. Once the horses are inside the trailer, lock all the safety latches and knobs and close the door properly.
- Driving the horses to the destination:
Driving safely and slowly is very important to keep your horses comfortable throughout the journey. During journey, make sure that air vents and windows are open so as to keep the fresh air moving through the trailer. Keep checking the wheels, doors and hitch during the way to look for any problems or issues. Since there are horses in your trailer who are travelling while standing so make sure that you drive safely while taking the corners and turns so that there is no sudden jerk. If you have to travel long distance then break the journey after every few hours to take rest and also to check the horses from time to time.
- Unloading of the horses:
Unloading the horse from the trailer is as important as the loading. Once you reach your destination, park your vehicle at a safe and shady area to unload the horses. Park in an area which has a surface level with the foot of the horse. Now slowly open the door and slowly help your horses to move out in a clean and safe area. Once they are out give some water to them and check for injuries if any.
