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Winter Safety Tips for Hauling a Trailer

Nov. 25 2022 Seasonal By Double B Trailer Sales

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Your horses are more comfortable traveling in winter than in summer. However, this doesn’t mean you can start your engine and hit the road with your animals. Instead, planning and preparation can go a long way in keeping your livestock safe and happy on your outings. Here’s how to get started.

Prepare Your Horses

Regardless of how frequently your horses travel, you want to prepare them for wintertime outings. Here are a few things you can do:

  • Keep your horse well-fed and well-hydrated during your trip.
  • If your animals don’t have a full winter coat, give them blankets for extra comfort.
  • When traveling long distances, take frequent breaks and allow your horses to rest awhile before resuming the journey.

Ready Your Trailer

Next, you want to ensure your horse trailer is ready, too.

Replace your standard tires with traction tires and adjust the air pressure in each tire to winter-appropriate levels. You also want to ensure proper ventilation inside your rig to keep your animals safe and comfortable. Open a few trailer vents and windows to promote airflow inside your vehicle but ensure the air doesn’t reach your animals directly and make them uncomfortable. If your trailer has open spaces along the walls as windows, apply a light sheet to prevent direct air from making your horses sick.

Practice Winter-Appropriate Driving

Although you might be familiar with the routes, drive slowly when hauling your horse trailer during the cold season. The roads can be slick due to ice and snow, and you want to prevent your towing setup from becoming unstable or skidding. You also want to keep tabs on the weather forecast and delay or reschedule your trip to avoid the hassle and stress of being stranded on the road.

Most importantly, drive your vehicle with the headlights on and maintain a suitable distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Practice defensive driving and refuel your towing vehicle suitably.

We hope you find these winter-safety tips helpful. If you need more advice or want to upgrade your trailer before your next outing, visit Double B Trailer Sales. We have dealerships in Centerville and Hurricane, UT, and we proudly serve our patrons from Salt Lake City, St. George, Ogden, and Washington—so reach out today.