Keeping Your Horse Trailer Cool

A horse trailer can get overly hot in no time at all, creating discomfort for the animals inside. It's important to be proactive about keeping your horse trailer cool to ensure the health and comfort of the animals you transport. Below we cover some easy tips to maintain a good temperature inside your horse trailer. If you want more advice or want to look at horse trailers for sale, visit Double B Trailer Sales. We have a dealership in Centerville, Utah, near Salt Lake City and Odgen. We also have a dealership in Hurricane, Utah, near St. George and Washington.

Pick the Right Travel Time

An easy way to keep your horse trailer cool is by being strategic about when you travel. If possible, try to be on the road during the coolest parts of the day. Be on the road in the morning before the sun hits midday or later in the evening once things begin to cool down.

Ensure Airflow

It's important that your horse trailer has enough airflow. Open every vent and window that you can. This will help dilute the internal hot, humid air with cooler, fresh wind from outside. If you can, set up fans to help get air flowing smoothly.

Promote Hydration

Your horse needs to stay hydrated to be able to stay cool. Plus, they need to be able to replace the moisture lost through sweating. Be sure your horse trailer has enough available drinking water during the trip. Some horses are picky about what they will drink, so you may need to bring freshwater from home that is more familiar to them.

Maintain Electrolytes

Electrolytes are the salts lost during sweating. You will need to ensure your horse’s electrolyte levels stay high enough. One approach is to supply electrolyte water. Just be sure there is another non-electrolyte water source. That way, your horse will still have another water source if they decide they don't want to drink the salty water. Another approach is to provide a salt lick.

Keep Tires Inflated

Tires that are flatter are going to flex more, which leads to more heat generation. This extra heat finds its way into your horse trailer, which isn't ideal. Keep your tires inflated to the manufacturer's recommendations to help ensure they don't generate extra heat.

Stay Alert for Signs of Dehydration

A hot horse trailer can lead to a dehydrated horse. While it's important to take proactive steps to keep your horse trailer cool, you will also want to be proactive about monitoring your horse for any signs of dehydration. Signs of being overheated (which can lead to dehydration) include flared nostrils, rapid heavy breathing, and excessive sweating. Once a horse is excessively overheated, they may stop sweating and the skin can lose elasticity (as in it won't spring back when pinched). They may even refuse to drink water at this point. If this point of high distress is reached, it's important to cool them off as soon as you can. Use shade, a hose, and a fan to cool them down and bring down their spiked core temperature. Hopefully, this will never happen. But it's good to have a game plan just in case.

We hope you found these tips helpful. If you want to check out horse trailers for sale, head over to Double B Trailer Sales. Our expert staff can help you find the right model for your lifestyle and budget, so stop by today. One of our dealerships is in Centerville, Utah, near Odgen and Salt Lake City. The other dealership is in Hurricane, Utah, near Washington and St. George.