Tips for Keeping Your Horse Cool in the Trailer

When the Summer Heat is On, It's Important to Keep Your Trailer Cool for Your Horses

Heat will add extra stress to both the horse and the horse owner. There are several simple tips you can consider when you are vacationing with your horses this summer! A successful trailering experience may lead to several great vacations in the future!

The first tip is to travel in the early morning so that you have reached your destination by the heat of the afternoon. If you have several days of driving, this will not work, but you can plan your road trip to start early, break in the afternoon and let the horses out, and then continue your traveling once the heat has subsided in the late afternoon. Traveling overnight may be another great option to prevent trailering the horses through the heat of the day.

Secondly, plan many stops! While you may feel that your horse is just standing there in the back of the trailer, the physical demand on the horse is very tiring. Balancing in the bumpy, rocky trailer is more work that you can imagine, and the horse may become tired and the muscles may start to cramp. If the horse has not been trailered often this is especially important. Try to find a place that you can take the horse out of the trailer and walk around a bit. Good horse friends can help you find stops along your trip that will have access area for your horse.

Thirdly, provide an adequate layer of bedding in the base of the trailer. This bedding will absorb and fecal material from the horse and prevent damp conditions. When you stop be sure to clean out the trailer and lay down new bedding. The smells from the urine and stools of the horse may make for a very uncomfortable condition for the horse. A great tip to prevent the bedding from blowing and creating dust is to simply water the bedding after application. Take along a watering can, and sprinkle the new bedding just enough to prevent blowing and excess dust.