A Good Horse Trailering Habit

A Good Horse Trailering Habit

This past weekend a friend of mine had made plans to go for a trail ride at the nearby state forest.

Her barn was a mere five miles away and she had made arrangements with another friend to borrow her horse trailer to truck over. The horse trailer had been stored in a garage since last fall.

My friend hurried over to get the horse trailer. When she arrived, she quickly hooked up and then continued on to pick up her horse. About thirty minutes later she was at the state forest, excited to get out and ride.

Later, when she had finished her ride and walked up to the trailer, she noticed that the left rear trailer tire looked rather low. So low in fact that she worried whether she should drive on it at all. Because she knew that there was a service station less than a mile away, she decided to take the chance and drive to it. Luckily for her, she made it to the station without a problem and was able to add air to the tire. But the outcome may have been different if she had to drive further.

So why am I sharing this with you?

To remind you of a simple habit you should develop. Before you leave with your trailer in tow, take a quick inventory of your rig to make sure everything is as it should be. Even if you’re just borrowing a trailer for a short trip.

Here’s a brief list of things you should check each time before heading out with your trailer:

lights – directionals, brakes, and running
tires
hitch – check that everything is hooked up properly
ramp and escape doors – closed and fastened
don’t forget the tow vehicle; make sure it has enough gas and the tires are OK

No matter how rushed you might be to get where you’re going, the minute or two you spend performing these checks are well worth it and can help keep you safe while avoiding much grief and aggravation.