Jan 21

Jan 21 Getting Down The Road: Hauling Horses Safely

If you’re anything like me, you still get giddy every time you see a horse trailer. Come to Arizona in the winter, and you’ll be sure to see a few.

We’re well into the winter season here in the Grand Canyon state, where warm-weather horsemen and horsewomen flock to Arizona in droves.

Fair weather, large competition purses coupled with the holidays not only means more vehicles on the road, but horse trailers as well.

A lot of us don’t give driving a second thought. There’s a certain level of awareness that should always be had (and often isn’t), but trust me, when you’re hooked on to a 5,000 lbs. steel trailer hauling a few 1,000 lbs. horses you become a lot more aware.

Horses are constantly moving and rearranging their weight for comfort and balance. Thankfully most modern horse and stock trailers are designed for ultimate horse comfort, but still — think about all the bumps, turns and lane changes a horse must stay centered with throughout the ride!

Recently, I had my first scary hauling situation. To get to my trainer’s (and really anywhere) I have to take some busy streets through town. While driving through town a pickup truck across the road in front of me tried to join my way of traffic and turn left, but underestimated the turn was still hanging in the right lane by the time I got close (going the speed limit), causing me to either A) swerve while hooked up or B) hit the driver’s truckbed head on.

Quick thinking and a fast glance into my mirror led me to option A.

Praise God for giving me that luxury with no one in the left lane and for keeping my horse safe while I switched lanes avoiding the driver’s tailgate.

While I’m sure said driver wasn’t malicious in his intent, it certainly felt personal. It could have ended so badly for everyone, and their actions left me to make a difficult choice. How did they not know that one of my precious horses was tied up trusting me to trailer him to his destination safely?

Thanks to my awareness, the situation ended up OK. But I know that’s not always the case.

When driving around a horse trailer, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Haulers cannot stop suddenly
Haulers cannot swerve suddenly
Haulers just want to make it to our destinations safely, like you

While hauling horses isn’t for everyone, it’s still how we horse people get horses to and from lessons, the vet, horse shows — you name it. Whether you see a horse trailer every once in awhile or often I hope you remember these tips:

Space is a hauler’s friend and appreciated. I personally get cold sweats when someone is riding my trailer’s bumper. Space in front of us is also appreciated, remember, we can’t stop on a dime.
They’re going slow for a reason. Have you seen trailers? They’re not super aerodynamic and it’s unsafe to go over certain speeds. We’ll do our best to stay in the slow lane but sometimes we aren’t the slowest on the road and need to get around.
Caution: wide turns. We may swing a little wide and slow to let our four-legged friends adjust.

With the thought of hauling precious cargo in mind, horse trailer companies continue to build safer trailers with horse comfort in mind.

Bruton Trailers, assembled and sold in San Angelo, Texas is no exception. Since 1954 Bruton has been working with horse and livestock enthusiasts to create a safe ride for both animal and human.

Kathy Tucker, and her brother, Kerry Bruton, are co-owners who run the family business started by their father Wilbert Bruton 68 years ago.

The Bruton Product lineup includes horse trailers, stock trailers, show animal trailers, equipment trailers, deer feeder filler trailers and more. They also sell trailer parts. Services offered include rewiring, repainting, rebuilding, and more for most makes and models of trailers and pickup trucks.

“Our steel structure and slant-load make our trailers much safer,” Kathy said. “We've had so many customers wreck their Bruton Trailers and they call to tell us their horses come out without a scratch. It’s all due to the structural integrity of these trailers.”

More key safety features:

Rubber kick and paw pads in front and behind horses, and our travel bars cover the drop-down windows to keep your horse from pushing his head outside the trailer.
Floor mats that run the length of the trailer and roll out the back to keep horses from hitting their legs as they unload. Ramps are also offered on the back as an option.