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SpringClean Your Trailer Use these trailercleaning tips to provide a safe, comfortable environment for your traveling horse. Article and Photos by Rebecca Gimenez, PhD
A well-maintained trailer is a safe trailer, and trailer maintenance starts with cleanliness.
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Interior Cleaning
s we head into spring, it’s time to get your trailer out of storage and give it a good cleaning. A well-maintained trailer is a safe trailer, and trailer maintenance starts with cleanliness. Your trailer’s enemies are urine, wetness, and manure. As these substances break down, they corrode your trailer with rust (steel) and pitting (aluminum). Corrosion allows oxygen to get to the bare metal. Over time, an electrochemical reaction forms oxides that eventually can destroy the integrity of metal parts. Salt speeds up this process. Wetness leads to rot in wooden floors. In the worst case, these corrosive substances can cause the metal framing—or even the metal floor itself—to fail under your horse’s weight. In the best case, they cause your trailer to lose value. Fight corrosion with detailed cleaning, then cover your trailer to keep it clean. USRider® Equestrian Traveler’s Companion
To limit corrosion, remove all urine and manure from your trailer every time you use it. Keep a broom in your trailer, and sweep it out after you unload your horse. This is especially crucial if you use bedding materials, as they hold moisture on the floor. Deep clean your trailer several times per year. You can do this at a car wash or at home. If you opt to go to a car wash, make sure your trailer will fit in the bay before you try to pull in. Also, make sure you can turn around when you’re done. If you wash your trailer at home, park in a shady location with the rear of the trailer slightly lower than the nose to encourage drainage. Then follow these steps. 1. Prepare your trailer. Unload everything so you can clean your entire trailer. Then sweep out your trailer. 2. Loosen mud. With a screwdriver, loosen dried >>
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Spring 2021
