stress-free horse hauling

Anyone who has been reading since the beginning will know that my foray into eventing was made possible by the acquisition of a truck and trailer.

the truck and trailer are hands down some of my absolute favorite material possessions 

Deciding that my lease horse Isabel and I wanted to learn to event meant getting into a lesson program. But we didn't have any trainers at our farm at that point and I kept striking out at getting anyone to come to us, so this dream necessitated travel. And so it began.

charlie dressed up for travel from this weekend's adventure to Kealani Farm (spoiler! more to come soon!)

The idea of owning my own rig had literally never even occurred to me before being inspired by this amazing blogging community, where dozens of you routinely ship out to lessons. Prior to that point, I'd only ever just lessoned with the resident trainers at my various barns. Picking a training program was synonymous with choosing my home-base barn.

But that all changed with the truck and trailer. Have trailer, will travel, right? And it was like a whole new world opened up to me! Suddenly I could lesson and train and school all on my own terms!! I could go wherever I wanted, to do whatever looked fun, whenever I felt like it!

pictured: poor charlie stuffed into my Calico stock trailer. homeboy .... did not fit haha

I bought my truck (a 2000 Chevy Silverado 1500 4wd with 200K miles) and first trailer (2013 Calico 2Horse bumper pull stock trailer) in the spring of 2014. Charlie didn't exactly fit in that trailer, tho, so in late 2016 I upgraded to my current Cotner 2Horse bumper pull. And over the years I've logged well over 10K miles of hauling horses.

this is my ideal trailer layout: two extra wide escape doors and extra nose space with no dressing room. ymmv obvi, but for my typical shipping outings this is absolutely perfect

That may not seem like very high mileage, esp for some of you who live in remote areas with long hauls to any of the "local" events. Maryland is densely populated horse country tho, and virtually all of my outings are < 3hrs round trip. Probably more than half are < 1.5 hrs round trip. So lots and lots of short hauls over the years haha.

the wooden bench is so key. as are the extra hanging hooks in front of those ribbons. and the drinks and snacks -- so so so key to have snacks!

In the spring of 2014 I started hauling out for weekly lessons, a routine that persisted until Charlie moved to his current barn in the summer of 2017. During the winters with Isabel, we often shipped out 2+ times a week to local indoors, since our own outdoor arena would freeze solid for a couple months each year. Plus, obviously, we ship out to almost all our shows.

Moving Charlie to OF reduced our hauling frequency substantially, since we no longer have to ship out for weekly lessons. Still tho, I probably average 1-3 outings a month for most of the year.

we've since added another set of extra hooks over the right side window. the two saddle racks allow for stacking so four saddles fit easily.

I'd never towed a trailer before buying mine - let alone even really thought very deeply about it. Since then, tho, I feel like I've learned a few things. Especially relating to setting up a stress free, efficient process to make hauling less of a hassle.

So when Katherine from Virtual Brush Box reached out asking me to write about my process and thoughts, I was more than happy to oblige! See, Katherine is in a similar situation as my Isabel days: Especially in the winter season, there isn't a whole lot of riding that can be done at home. So any meaningful riding requires travel. And travel is exhausting and time consuming and occasionally stressful.

have trailer, will travel!! adventures await wherever we go!!

While nothing I say can erase the reality of how much time gets spent on the road, maybe some of these thoughts can help make the process go a little more smoothly, or at least feel a little easier?

So. With that in mind, here are some things I keep top-of-mind when it comes to hauling out for the average lesson, horse show, or other elective activity:

1. Getting Comfortable with the Rig

For starters, it's key to actually be comfortable doing the driving. I'd only ever driven small little sedans growing up in urban environments with on-street parallel parking. So the truck was a big adjustment in spatial awareness for me.

don't be like me and let your truck sit neglected for so long that even a tractor can't jump start the battery....

The first two weeks I owned the truck, I decided to use it exclusively as my daily driver just to get a feel for it. This meant parking it everywhere and anywhere (on the street, in tight garages, or labyrinthine lots...), driving it on narrow city streets, winding country roads, and major highways, and generally just getting a feel for how it handles. Once I finally bought the trailer and hooked up for the first time, at least the truck part of the equation felt familiar and easy.

bright interior lights inside the trailer are also key, esp for early mornings or late nights!

These days both the truck and trailer live on the farm full-time. Trucks that just sit require a bit of thoughtful attention to stay healthy. Running an engine regularly serves important functions like resisting rust on the moving parts and keeping the battery charged. So at least once a week I'll at least turn it on to run for long enough to warm up.

this stuff has been helpful in keeping the connection between my truck and trailer working properly, since this Cotner turned out to be a bit fussier than the Calico ever was....

Likewise, to avoid letting either the truck or trailer brakes get too stiff or locked up, I'll generally roll the whole rig back and forth a couple feet once a week. And if it's been a while since the truck has done anything, I might take it for a solo jaunt down the road to gas up and put air in the tires.

And as always, it's important to check the trailer hitch every single time, no matter what. Maybe double- or triple-check it. And if parking the trailer stresses you out? Only answer there is practice!


2. But Will the Horse Load?

On the subject of practice, another thing I take fairly seriously is my horse's trailer loading behavior. Personally, my own taste is to have a horse that will self load on the first try with no fuss or drama.

Like so:

video of izzy and wick here

And so:

video of charlie here

I've written at great length about the methods I use for achieving the calm self loading behaviors demonstrated above. Mostly? It started with investing in training with a professional. All three horses in the videos above had sessions with a local pro who taught the horses the process, and then taught me how to do the same.

Honestly tho, I'm pretty convinced that virtually any sort of trailer training method will work, so long as you're consistent and the horse understands. It's critical that the horse understands, and that it's a calm and safe process.

relaxed + calm behavior at the trailer is a must. extra sets of hands are key too for keeping everything easy! thanks Austen and Brita for always being so helpful!

Because again, the whole point here is to reduce the stress of travel, right? Feeling confident that loading and unloading will be non-issues can go a long way toward making hauling out less of a hassle. And again, like with anything else, it's never a bad idea to do some practice sessions - esp if it's been a while since your last trip or if you've had some hiccups recently and want to reset the parameters.

Waiting until the last moment when you're already feeling under pressure is a recipe for disaster.


3. General Strategies to De-Stress

So with that in mind, another major component to my hauling strategy is being realistic about planning how long everything will take. If I am rushing, I am stressing. Full stop. Maybe you operate differently on tight time schedules, but it stresses me out. Thus the #1 way I stay relaxed is to plain old give myself enough time.

horses are happier with friends too!! the more, the merrier!! esp with there's a DINO pony involved!!!!

Considering my horse can basically read my own heart rate better than I can, it's generally worth it for me to stay relaxed so I don't subconsciously transmit my worry to him.

Other than timing, honestly my favorite way to turn hauling into a fully enjoyable endeavor is to do it with a buddy. My horse especially is much happier with company. And since I'm happy when he's happy, I always try to fill that second trailer spot - esp for longer hauls.

dramatic reenactment of me falling out of said trailer and breaking my leg. mounting block and shipping boots are there to protect against repeating history haha.

This is made relatively easy by boarding at a big bustling barn full of other riders who want to go on adventures haha. And it's also proved to be a good way to get to know people better and make more friends. Plus extra hands are always useful in case there *is* a problem with loading or unloading a horse, or just for normal packing and clean up, or, uh, in case you fall out of your trailer and break a leg by accident. Whoops....

Ahem. Cough cough. Moving on haha.

Life on the road is also generally better when everything I need is within reach: snacks, drinks, phone charger (and blue tooth adapter if needed), a reliable GPS.... Good music or an audio book are key too, esp if I'm traveling solo.

so so so much gear pictured here. all those buckets and jugs of water, and folding chairs and saddle racks and hanging hooks and bungee cords and muck buckets and drinks and snacks and hay nets and and and and... a happy horse and rider <3

Regarding directions - especially if I'm going somewhere new, I'll often look up the address in advance on satellite images. This way I can kinda get an idea of what the driveway might look like, and what the trailer parking situation will be.


4. Equipment to Make Life Easier

Finally, tho, if all has gone according to plan, we've arrived wherever we're going with plenty of time to unload and get set up. So this is where we get into all the accouterments of trailer travel.

absolute must-have piece of equipment right here. plus charlie nose <3

You probably already know that routine and convenience are my personal favorite antidotes to stress. So I like having a clear plan (or a LIST) for what needs to get packed for any given trip. And aside from whatever specific tack I'll need for that particular adventure (dressage lesson? xc clinic? trail ride with friends? full 3-phase event?), there's an entire independent set of gear specifically devoted to the trailering process itself..

ditto the above. also : always remember that directions for literally any how-to or trouble-shooting situation are only a google and youtube video away!

For virtually any trailer trip, I'll want plenty of hay spread across multiple nets, about 10-15 gal of water plus separate buckets for drinking and bathing, and usually a little grain (or even a full meal, in case my travel schedule interferes with Charlie's normal meal times). I also have mucking equipment for the trailer - a tub, muck cart, pitch fork, and broom.

Additionally, it's good to have emergency tools and kits on hand for the horse, truck, and trailer. Including a basic first aid kit (bandages, bute, wraps, wound cleansers and dressings, etc), equipment to change a truck or trailer tire, heavy duty rope or tow straps, di-electric grease for fussy electrical hook-ups, and probably a roadside assistance membership too. I'm covered through my insurance company, but have also heard great things about US Rider.

two main water containers, plus that water cooler jug visible in the background. tons of buckets - normal drinking buckets, the cosequin bathing bucket, and that purple muck bucket. and like. ya know. whatever other junk you wanna throw in the back of your grandfatherly truck cap, which i adore btw

Finally, depending on my trailer set up, there's all manner of equipment to set up my "tack-room-to-go," including tons of extra hooks, saddle racks, and grooming totes. I also have my own mounting block, tho it's only a two step and a bit too short for Charlie unfortunately....

It's never a bad idea to have a number of spares too: spare halter, spare leads, spare girth or bridle, spare hoof pick, spare protective boots for the horse.... You get my drift.

gotta save the best for last tho: the saintly holy muck bucket, muck cart and pitch fork!

In Summary

So all in all, my trailer experiences have remained overwhelmingly positive despite some bumps along the road. I've had a few break downs, a few repair jobs, a few navigational catastrophes, one broken leg, and god knows how many other smaller forgettable headaches.

But by and large, hauling horses out to various adventures has gone the best for me when I prepare in advance, my rig is in good shape, the horse is practiced at trailer loading, I've given myself enough time, and I have all the necessary equipment for safety and efficiency.

Sure, sometimes the hours on the road are long. And tiring. Usually tho? Usually it's worth it. And at the end of the day, all the hiccups and snags and small snafus are generally forgotten, with just the lasting memories of the riding experience itself.

What about you? Do you have a truck and trailer, or plans to acquire them eventually? Does your process look similar to mine? Or maybe different in some key ways? What am I forgetting on my list of essential trailer equipment? With the competition season on the horizon, will you be going through a checklist and inventory to make sure everything is in order?

Or, coming at it from a different perspective, how do you deal with the stress of the travel? How do you keep yourself motivated to keep packing up again and again for those longer hauls? Or does there come a point where you figure it's not really worth it except for special circumstances?