hot weather hauling hints, hot weather trailer tips, hot weather trailering tips, hot weather trailering information, how weather horse trailer information
Hot-Weather Hauling Hints
Hot weather can pose serious health
problems for both you and your horse,
including dehydration, heat stroke, and
exhaustion. USRider Equestrian Motor
Plan encourages horse owners to take
steps to prevent these ailments when
traveling with Horses.
USRider — in cooperation with Dr.
Tomas Gimenez, noted expert in largeanimal
emergency rescue — provides
these hot-weather safety tips:
Stay tuned. A properly tuned engine
runs cooler than a poorly tuned one.
Maintain your tires. To avoid blowouts,
check air pressure in all tires — including spares — while
the tires are cool, before you travel. (For more on tire safety,
see “Tire-Safety Tips” on page 6.)
Keep spare tires handy. Having seen a high incidence of
two flat tires on horse trailers, USRider recommends carrying
two spares for your horse trailer. Also, carry a spare for your
tow vehicle. Make sure all tires are in good condition and that
they are properly inflated. Then, if you do have a breakdown,
you can get back on the road quickly.
Plan smart. Avoid trailering during the heat of the day.
Vent the trailer.
Promote airflow
by opening all
trailer vents,
making sure they
Keynotes • Seasonal Tips
HEIDI NYLAND PHOTOS
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are unobstructed. However, do not allow Horses to stick their
heads out windows — this could lead to serious eye injuries
from bugs and debris. If stuck in traffic on the interstate,
provide as much ventilation in the trailer as possible without
unloading the Horses.
Watch for dehydration. Carry a bucket and two to three
gallons of drinking water per Horse. The Horses may not
drink, but offer them water when stopping for fuel or at a
rest area. Check each Horse’s capillary refill time to evaluate
hydration. You can do this through a trailer window. (For how
to check capillary refill time, click here.)
Monitor traffic conditions. A traffic accident could cause
you to spend many hours trapped on the interstate. To help
avoid getting stuck in traffic, Dr. Gimenez suggests installing
and listening to a Citizens’ Band radio. This radio could alert
you of possible accidents on the road ahead and allow you to
take an alternate route around the accident.
Use your phone. In metro areas, you can monitor traffic
conditions on your smartphone. Enter “traffic” in the app
store’s search engine. (If you have an iPhone, check out TrafficTweet,
on which drivers enter updated traffic reports.)
Park in the shade. Park in shaded areas and/or areas with
some air movement. USR
In hot weather, promote airflow by
opening all trailer vents and windows;
however, do not allow Horses to stick
their heads out of the windows.
Follow these hotweather
trailering
tips to help keep
your Horse healthy
in transit.
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