52 / Sport and Trail Magazine
Trailering the Trailhorse
By Robert Eversole Trailmeister
Spring is almost here and with it trail riding. Unless
you’re one of the fortunate few that has immediate
access to trails you most likely have to load your mounts
and haul to the trails. With that in mind let’s take a
moment to consider what goes into hauling our horses
and mules.
The effort involved with towing starts long before we
arrive at the trail head or even hook up the trailer.
Consider the training aspect of trailering a horse. Just as
we might not enjoy riding down the road in a noisy,
bumpy, and drafty trailer, most horses tend to be a bit
leery of this dark box, fortunately given enough time and
patience most equines learn to tolerate the process.
Most of us have had experience with a horse that refuses
to load or races out of the trailer. Practice obedience and
calmness by asking him to walk forward, stand quietly,
and back up on your command. The objective is for your horse to walk quietly into the trailer, stand there for a bit, and then calmly back out on your command. How long it takes to get here depends on you and your horse. Teaching your horse to load takes patience, trust and much groundwork before he’ll be a consistent loader. But once that happens he’ll step into any trailer when asked and unload easily and relaxed when you arrive at the trailhead. Quiet and confident trailering equates into a pleasure ride for both of you.
The second part of trailering involves the difference between jumping into the car for a quick drive to the grocery and hauling to your favorite trailhead. Once you are out on the open road, the driving task seems almost the same as driving the family car, but it’s what happens at either end of the trip that cause white knuckles for the first-time horse trailer driver. With many favorite horse-camping areas located well off the beaten path and perhaps up, or down, a steep hill; now is a great time to prepare yourself by thinking about how you should approach the task.
and back up on your command. The objective is for your horse to walk quietly into the trailer, stand there for a bit, and then calmly back out on your command. How long it takes to get here depends on you and your horse. Teaching your horse to load takes patience, trust and much groundwork before he’ll be a consistent loader. But once that happens he’ll step into any trailer when asked and unload easily and relaxed when you arrive at the trailhead. Quiet and confident trailering equates into a pleasure ride for both of you.
The second part of trailering involves the difference between jumping into the car for a quick drive to the grocery and hauling to your favorite trailhead. Once you are out on the open road, the driving task seems almost the same as driving the family car, but it’s what happens at either end of the trip that cause white knuckles for the first-time horse trailer driver. With many favorite horse-camping areas located well off the beaten path and perhaps up, or down, a steep hill; now is a great time to prepare yourself by thinking about how you should approach the task.
Here’s a quick tip to help take the pucker out of the drive.
The proper use of your brakes while descending a grade is to not use them.
It may be counterintuitive but your brakes are not there to help you maintain a safe speed of descent. Brakes should only be used to slow you down enough to “grab a lower gear.” Though your truck and trailer weigh many times that of a car their brake surface area is only slightly larger. Therefore a very different driving technique is needed. The goal is to use your transmission to slow down and to use the correct gear to hold your speed in equilibrium; neither gaining nor loosing speed. That could mean 1st or 2nd gear, or even the 4WD low range. It’s very easy to fall into the habit of driving your rig just like you would drive a car; with your foot on either the gas pedal or the brake pedal. Driving with a trailer in this manner will quickly wear out your brakes and could very possibly compromise your safety.
and trailer weigh many times that of a car their brake surface area is only slightly larger. Therefore a very different driving technique is needed. The goal is to use your transmission to slow down and to use the correct gear to hold your speed in equilibrium; neither gaining nor loosing speed. That could mean 1st or 2nd gear, or even the 4WD low range. It’s very easy to fall into the habit of driving your rig just like you would drive a car; with your foot on either the gas pedal or the brake pedal. Driving with a trailer in this manner will quickly wear out your brakes and could very possibly compromise your safety.
© Aponi