Trailering your horse can be intimidating, but fortunately you can take precautions to make the experience more enjoyable for both you and your horse. Problems on the highway are bad enough, but if you are responsible for a thousand pounds of horse as well, the results of a mishap can be devastating. Prepare before leaving the barn to ensure an uneventful trip. Don't take anything for granted when trailering a horse.

Before hitting the road

Regularly look over your equipment. Check the floor, tires and hitch on your trailer before every trip. If the trailer has rubber mats, clean and sweep underneath them regularly. Moisture from urine, trapped between the mat and the floor, may cause the floor to prematurely rot or rust. The towing rig should be in good condition as well. Before heading out on trips, check the fluid levels, tire pressure and brakes. Also, be sure to check all trailer lights before leaving.

Train for success. If your horse is difficult to load, work on solving that problem when you are not pressed for time. Ideally, your horse should load easily into the trailer and back slowly out. Repetition is the best way to teach your horse to load and unload well. If you are having difficulties loading your horse hire someone who specializes in training horses to load. Don't try to force the horse into the trailer resulting in injury to horse or human.

Be considerate to your horse. Travel is stressful because the horse balances herself in the trailer, sometimes bracing against the partition, and cannot tell when you are about to brake, turn or accelerate. Drive as smoothly as possible. If your horse’s personality permits, consider allowing her to ride loose in the trailer or tied with a long lead. If the horse has the freedom to lower her head below her shoulder, it’s easier to cough and expel any inhaled dust. This option helps reduce the risk of developing a shipping-related respiratory issue.
 

Think before you leave. Inside a steel or aluminum trailer, your horse or horses will generate enough heat to become uncomfortably warm, even on mild days. Consider the weather in advance and plan for as much airflow as possible into the trailer. Open the air vents and, whenever possible, the windows. If you are concerned it may be too chilly in the trailer, consider covering your horse with a light sheet. It is better to have your horse in a trailer that is slightly chillier than ideal but with a fresh exchange of air than in a warm trailer full of damp, still air.
 

Add hay. Most horses enjoy having a full hay net to enjoy on the trip. Make sure you tie the hay bag high enough so that as your horse empties the bag, it doesn’t hang low enough to tangle in her feet. To prevent hay dust or chaff from blowing into the horse’s eyes while you’re driving, dampen the hay before leaving—while keeping down the dust, the moisture won’t affect the taste or quality of the hay.