Travelling in a trailer is not a natural experience for your equine friend, and every time you load up for transport there’ll be some nerves, for both you and them.
Figures from Highways England show that there are around 4,000 incidents every year involving trailers, so there is obviously reason for concern.
While the vast majority of journeys will not result in disaster, there are still too many accidents. Apart from having appropriate trailer insurance, what can we do to stop ourselves becoming one of those statistics? What causes so many accidents and can they be prevented?
Lack of maintenance – of either the towing vehicle or the trailer – is a common cause of easily preventable accidents.
The British Horse Society recommends getting your trailer professionally serviced at least once a year. Maintenance checks are vital, particularly if your trailer’s been sitting unused for any period of time. You should check for:
Transporting horses in an underinsured trailer can be dangerous and leaves you and otherroad users at risk if an accident happens.
Check you have adequate trailer insurance for your vehicle and horse insurance for your beloved companion before heading off.
As well as ensuring your trailer is up to the job, you also need to check the towing vehicle’s suitability.
If your car or truck is not strong or broad enough then you might find it difficult to deal with the shifting load of a jittery horse.
The trailer could jack-knife or snake from side to side causing a hazard for both you and other road users. Furthermore, get some expert advice on whether your tow bar or hitch system is adequate.
Horses and their trailers can come in all shapes and sizes, there isn’t a one size fits all. Exceeding a trailer’s maximum payload limit is asking for trouble and the Department for Transport has produced guidance on this.
Being too heavy can create handling problems for the driver which will only get worse in poor weather.
Even on a clear day the extra load can make braking more difficult, and if an accident does happen it can be more deadly.
A common cause of accidents is when a trailer becomes detached from the towing vehicle. Make sure to hitch your trailer when it’s empty.
Always check the trailer is correctly hitched and any breakaway cables or chains are secured. Repeat your checks once the horse is loaded, too.
If in doubt, get help from a more experienced person until you feel confident doing it by yourself.
Going through a series of pre-journey checks is a simple way to prevent accidents. The Highways Agency advises anyone towing a trailer to:
Always make sure you’ve got proper breakdown cover in place. Trailer insurance arranged through Equesure can include both vehicle and trailer breakdown cover.
Many drivers towing a trailer won’t be used to doing it every day so it’s easy to forget that you’re now essentially an LGV driver. So, when towing your trailer be mindful of the following advice:
Whether you’re transporting your own horse or even a friend’s horse, the specialist team at Equesure can help you find the right insurance cover for your needs.
With over 60 years of combined experience in the equine insurance market, we can find competitive cover for all makes and models of trailers. Trailer brands we can help insure include Cheval Liberte, Equi-Trek, Ifor Williams, Wessex and many more.
All trailer insurance policies obtained through Equesure include accidental damage, fire and theft as standard.
We can also arrange breakdown cover for both your vehicle and trailer, which can include home/stable start so you never need to worry about getting stranded, wherever you are. Other benefits can include:
We also provide a comprehensive range of horse insurance and horse rider insurance to protect yourself and others while out riding.
Getting a quote is straightforward with Equesure. Simply give us a call on 01480 220089 or complete the ‘request a quote’ form.
Policy benefits and features offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.
Once again I threw Arlo in at the deep end, affiliating him purely for the Arena UK second round show, and once again he pulled it out the bag. How lucky am I to have such a wonderful little horse? We haven’t really competed this year. I don’t really compete over the winter, and also my horsebox was away for repairs up until the beginning of June, so I had no transport even if I’d wanted to.
With the dry ground we don’t seem to be having much luck with shoes, as little madam managed to pull both her front shoes off within 12 hours the other day! We entered the arena with two shoes on for a schooling session and left it with one missing (took about an hour to find it). Then that afternoon, as I went to put some hoof ointment on, I looked down and had to double take, thinking I was looking at the wrong hoof. But, no, the other shoe was missing too.
After having a long wait and some lunch at the onsite café, it was time to get ready for the Joan Wolfe Overall Supreme Shetland Pony Championship. I got changed out of my usual showing outfit into black trousers and a maroon top with white spots, as you are expected to be a bit more “bling” in the evening.
We were all set to go for our next outing, and were super excited. That was until I heard the dreaded clunk of a loose shoe! I checked it over, praying it wasn’t too loose, but, nope, it was going to need a refit.