Winter Trailering Tips

Unfortunately, for many of us, winter is right around the corner. This means the possibility of having to trailer in snow and ice. For a lot of horse owners, hauling is a year-round happening, and transporting your equines in the dead of winter presents challenges not encountered during warmer months.

Winter trailering can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. If you know you’ll be hauling your horses in the winter months, your best bet is to prepare for trips well in advance, even if it’s just a twenty-minute jaunt down the road. Read the following list for suggestions to make winter-time traveling easier for both you and your horse.

• Keep the area around your horse trailer clear of snow.
• Keep the hitch covered to protect it from snow and ice.
• If you’ll be making a long trip (a few hours or more), pay attention to weather forecasts. Prior to leaving, research places where you could stop and stay if necessary should the weather get bad and bring the names and phone numbers of these locations with you.
• If you must arrive at your destination by a certain date, give yourself plenty of time to allow for unplanned stops or slower than expected travel.
• If you do end up driving on snowy or icy roads, remember to go slowly (more so than usual), to give yourself plenty of time for stopping and turning.
• Be aware of the width of your rig should you wind up on roads made narrow by snow banks.
• Make sure your tow vehicle is road-worthy for slippery conditions. Check condition of tires and air pressure. Also, don’t forget to check your wiper blades.
• Along with your usual “road emergency” gear, be sure to include a snow shovel and a bag of sand (in case you get stuck or are forced to load or unload horses on slippery footing).

Some of us prefer to hibernate for the winter. For those who can’t, a little bit of preparation goes a long way towards managing the challenges of winter trailering.