TRAILERING In The Heat

Story and Photos By Tom Scheve

This past summer, from early June to straight past Labor Day, heat scorched the country, smashing thousands of temperature records. We often hear about pets that are left in cars suffocating from the heat but what about horses in trailers?

If a horse’s temperature rises to 106 degrees Fahrenheit for a prolonged period or if it tops 108 degrees for as little as 15 minutes, the damage to the body may be irreversible. There’s not much we can do about the heat, but you can do things to reduce the chances of your horses overheating when trailering.

Construction. If you are buying a new trailer, you should add “heat control” to your list. Construction and design play an important role in reducing interior heat, so before you buy, here is what you should consider. Avoid Aluminum floors, non-painted aluminum sidewalls, roofs, and dividers. They not only conduct heat, they retain it, which is why aluminum makes good cookware. However, light-colored pre-painted aluminum, such as outer aluminum skin, will reflect heat. Wood floors have poor thermal conductivity, which means the heat conducted through the floor from the road will be minimal. Stay away from dark colors. They absorb light and heat, so think twice before matching the trailer body color to a dark color on your truck. Matching dark stripes and decals to your tow vehicle are okay if the body color is white or a light color such as silver or gray.

Design: Ventilation is critical in keeping horses cool. Lots of windows and vents will produce good airflow while driving. Tubular, rather than solid dividers, will allow air to circulate more freely inside the stall area. If you get stuck in traffic, the airflow stops, so having two to four fans up high in the rear and head area will keep the air flowing.

Dual-wall construction reduces heat more efficiently than single walls because the inner wall of a single-wall trailer will be just as hot as the outer wall since they are one and the same. Insulation between the walls will further lower the temperature from outside heat. However, if the trailer walls are insulated, don’t insulate the roof. Since heat rises, you don’t want to trap it. The ideal roof material should not retain heat, such as fiberglass, and be a light color that reflects sunlight rather than absorbs it. However, the fiberglass should have a good thickness and preferably steel reinforced to withstand accidents.

Existing Trailers: If you already have a trailer where the design and construction are not conducive to reducing the outside temperature, there are still things you can do to battle the heat. If you’re good with wiring or know someone who is, fans can be added to provide airflow. The hot wire that works your interior lights will also work the fans. Dual scoop vents can be added to the roof to let the heat escape. An RV service department or local body shop could do the work. If your horse overheats, you will need plenty of water, not only for drinking but for washing him off. There are existing thirty-gallon upright water tanks that will fit in the corner of a tack/dressing room for bumper pull trailers. If you know someone that can weld, adding a shelf to hold a thirty-gallon tank will fit under a gooseneck. And don’t forget sponges and buckets.

Window ventilation

Water tank for a bumper pull

Water tank underneath, 30 gallon

Lastly, plan ahead. Check the weather for the days you’ll be trailering. On those searing hot days, travel in the early morning or later at night when it’s cooler. A few days before a longer trip, adding electrolytes to the drinking water and some water to their grain will help horses to handle the heat. Be prepared for the possibility of being stuck in traffic for hours. Being aware of the heat and how your horses handle the increasingly hot temperatures, will certainly be in their interest and well-being.