By: Neva Scheve
There’s a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and you’re planning on being there with your horses. However, it’s been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and you’re a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.
Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. There’s very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?
How to Ensure Safe Trailering
If you’re out of practice, or if you’ve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.
The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.
Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:
-Turning with your trailer.
-Backing your trailer.
-Parking your trailer on a grade.
-Stopping the trailer rig suddenly.
Ready for the Highway
After you’ve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, you’re ready to test your skills out on the road.
Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, you’re ready to travel any distance with your horses.
Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation
