Horse Trailer Towing Tips

New to driving a rig? Some tips for the inexperienced horse trailer driver.

If you’re a novice to driving while towing a horse trailer, I’ve got a few tips to share with you.

Driving a rig is a bit different than driving your passenger car. For starters, as soon as you put a horse trailer behind you, the length of your “vehicle” changes significantly, so you’ll have to adjust your driving accordingly. In addition, those jack rabbit starts and stops you find so thrilling won’t be for your horse. (Although once you get the weight of the horse trailer behind you, and depending on what your tow vehicle is, the ability to take off like a rocket and stop on a dime may be a thing of the past.)

But don’t let any of this put you off from learning to drive while hauling. Listed below are the basic areas of concern that you need to be aware of. My best advice to you is to practice. Preferably with an empty horse trailer at first. Once you feel confident, then put your horse on and take him for a spin. Like any endeavor, you’ll get better with practice.

Turns and corners. You have to prepare for them to give yourself plenty of room, especially if you’re pulling a gooseneck trailer, which has a tighter turning radius than a bumper pull.
Traffic lights and Stop signs. Once again, preparation here is key. You have to give yourself additional time to bring the rig to a stop, otherwise; you’ll have to stomp on the brakes.
Entering and exiting highways. The approach is the same as in your passenger car, just a bit trickier. Due to the length and weight of your rig, you won’t be able to nimbly zip into traffic, so you need to be attentive to what’s coming up behind you and blend in as smoothly as possible. Don’t worry; with practice it will become easier.
Passing. If you’re on the highway and planning on passing, make sure that you have enough room to move the tow vehicle and the horse trailer into the next lane. Never forget that with a horse trailer, your “vehicle” length is much longer.
Backing up. Ah, the one activity that separates the men from the boys, for sure! Be prepared to practice this a lot, because it does take some skill. But you can master it. What’s confusing to people is that when you back up a horse trailer, you turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction that you want the trailer to go. It also helps to backup by using the side view mirrors. I strongly recommend that you find a big, empty parking where you can go and practice.

Driving a rig is easier than you think. So just go out and do it!