Skill Set

3 Steps to Safe Winter Hauling

Haul your horse all winter long with this expert three-step strategy.

By Rebecca Gimenez Husted Photos By ClixPhoto.com

You can haul your horse all year long, even in the dead of winter, as long as you do so safely.

You can haul your horse all year long, even in the dead of winter, as long as you do so safely. Here’s a three-step strategy to safe winter hauling.

Step 1: Trailer-Load Safely

Wear good boots. Slipping, falling, or breaking a limb is really a downer on your planned trip. Find goodquality boots that will keep your feet warm, protect your feet, and provide good traction. Train your horse. Prior preparation and good training are important to make sure your horse is a good loader; if he rushes in or out, he can easily slip. Create an inviting environment. The more inviting you make the trailer’s interior, the more likely your horse will feel confident enough to step in. Put fresh hay in the bags and a little grain in the manger. Open the doors and windows, so there’s plenty of light. Lay in supplies. Keep a rubber broom, a snow shovel, sand, shavings, and salt in your trailer or tow vehicle. Use these tools to clear snow and ice from the area around your trailer and to add traction. Find traction. Park so that your trailer’s ramp is positioned on the best traction you can find. Dirt is preferred, but snow is better than ice or asphalt. Clean your trailer. Clean the inside of your trailer. Frozen urine and manure are slippery. If your horse falls, he could suffer a serious injury or even death.

Step 2: Keep Your Horse Comfortable

Provide good-quality hay. Even in really cold weather, horses create more heat than you think they do. The best way to keep your horse warm in the trailer is to provide good-quality hay. Watch over-blanketing. It’s easy to over-blanket your horse. Most trailers are poorly ventilated, so they tend to get very warm with body heat, even in belowfreezing temperatures. A light sheet or blanket is sufficient for most horses. Apply leg protection. Apply leg protection, such as polo wraps or shipping boots. In winter, it’s especially important to protect your horse’s precious lower legs from slips and kicks.

Go as slow as you need to. Run your hazard lights, if necessary. Let the rest of the traffic go around you; your priority is your safety, and that of your horse and your passengers.

Increase ventilation. Humidity and condensation buildup from your horse’s breath can cause respiratory illness. Improve the indirect ventilation in your trailer to counteract this risk. Avoid drafts. As you increase ventilation, make sure that there are no direct drafts hitting your horse, especially on his face and eyes. Freezing-cold temperatures with wind can result in damaged corneas from frostbite. Monitor your horse. On the road, check your horse frequently. If there’s sweat under the blanket, he’s cooking inside. If he’s clipped and lacks natural insulation, carefully monitor him for sweat or shivering.

Step 3: Drive Carefully

Recruit an assistant driver. An assistant driver watches road conditions, unusual events, and environmental conditions that could create a problem. This person also does all navigation, is the ground guide for backing and tight spots, checks on the horses from the in-cab camera, and handles important mobile-phone calls. Learn to back up. Backing up a rig is particularly challenging in snow. Not only are the roads slick, but also the snow covers up landmarks you might rely on for guidance. Learn to back your trailer when the weather is nice. In poor conditions, set up your rig so that you have maximum backing room. Use a ground guide to make sure you don’t hit something or go off course. Turn on all lights. Keep on the appropriate lights of your tow vehicle and trailer at all times, day and night. Stay right. If you’re moving slower than the traffic around you, turn on your flashers, and move into the right lane. Take it slow. Go as slow as you need to. Run your hazard lights, if necessary. Let the rest of the traffic go around you; your priority is your safety, and that of your horse and your passengers. Stay calm. Driving a trailer is no place for road rage or frustration to set in. In challenging circumstances, stay calm, take your time, and breathe. Pay attention. Pay attention to the road at all times. No texting. No talking on your phone. No yelling at the kids. Allow room to brake. Leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for much longer braking distances than normal. Watch for black ice. In poor driving conditions, allow 8, 10, 12 seconds or longer to come to a complete stop. Add one second per factor of driving difficulty. Factors include poor lighting conditions, inclement weather, an adverse traffic mix, and driver condition (such as fatigue). Drive defensively. Plowed snow can make normal roads and driveways very narrow. Take the time to allow other vehicles to pass, and set up for turns and backups ahead of time. Avoid a skid. If you must brake hard, do so as calmly and smoothly as possible, using your trailer’s brakes to assist you. If you start to skid or slide, ease off the brakes immediately, and steer into the direction of the skid to regain control. This maneuver is counterintuitive, so practice it in an open parking lot (with permission) or at a driving school in good weather before you tackle slippery winter conditions.

Rebecca Gimenez Husted, PhD (animal physiology), is president and a primary instructor for Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue. A Major in the United States Army Reserve, she’s a decorated Iraq War veteran and a past Logistics Officer for the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Veterinary Medical Assistance Team. She’s an invited lecturer on animal-rescue topics around the world and a noted equine journalist.