Post by riding101 on Apr 9, 2007 21:17:30 GMT 1
Hi
Great advice on here. I recently had to buy a trailer after years of only driving a lorry and found it so much harder than the lorry. My very first trip was to be 3 hours, I know not ideal but I didn't have a choice. I persuaded my brother to come with me - totally non-horsey but works offshore and in his time onshore he works at my dad's garage so he could fix the car, reverse the trailer, all the really non-girly stuff. We went out without horse to a local out-of town science and technology campus, at night, so that we could practice reversing (it was slightly streelit which helped but it was the perfect location as I had the structure of parking lines to follow, without worrying about crashing into anything!) Forwards and back, forwards and back, for ages!!! That one session helped me soooo much.
I also joined a breakdown service for trailers, I get my dad to give the trailer a full service regulary, I check the oil and water in my car before every trip (it's quite an old car!), fill up the tank before I leave, just in case, and made sure I knew exactly how to hitch etc. I can also change tyres etc, you can't be a mechanics daughter and not know that! Long and short - arm yourself with as many coping tools as possible. One great piece of advice my brother gave me was that don't let anyone else intimidate you. If you are driving through a town say and you don't know if the trailer will fit, just wait for a big enough gap. Also, drive as slow as you want. Be courteous if on a country road and stop to let people past once in a while if necessary, but you don't have to get out of your comfort zone.
Also really good idea on the CCTV. My lorry had a cut through cab so I could always see the horses. I think that is the bit I hate most about towing. However to slightly help this I tie my haynet down low so that the window of the trailer isn't blocked and I can see my horses nose. I also think keeping the haynet low helps with their balance. (it is a very small holed haynet so zero danger of him getting a foot stuck!)
And remember, if your horse loads well every time, and isn't sweating or bothered when you arrive anywhere, then chances are he is happy to be in the box and thinks "way-hey, off to another party!", so you are worrying about him, but he's fine
Great advice on here. I recently had to buy a trailer after years of only driving a lorry and found it so much harder than the lorry. My very first trip was to be 3 hours, I know not ideal but I didn't have a choice. I persuaded my brother to come with me - totally non-horsey but works offshore and in his time onshore he works at my dad's garage so he could fix the car, reverse the trailer, all the really non-girly stuff. We went out without horse to a local out-of town science and technology campus, at night, so that we could practice reversing (it was slightly streelit which helped but it was the perfect location as I had the structure of parking lines to follow, without worrying about crashing into anything!) Forwards and back, forwards and back, for ages!!! That one session helped me soooo much.
I also joined a breakdown service for trailers, I get my dad to give the trailer a full service regulary, I check the oil and water in my car before every trip (it's quite an old car!), fill up the tank before I leave, just in case, and made sure I knew exactly how to hitch etc. I can also change tyres etc, you can't be a mechanics daughter and not know that! Long and short - arm yourself with as many coping tools as possible. One great piece of advice my brother gave me was that don't let anyone else intimidate you. If you are driving through a town say and you don't know if the trailer will fit, just wait for a big enough gap. Also, drive as slow as you want. Be courteous if on a country road and stop to let people past once in a while if necessary, but you don't have to get out of your comfort zone.
Also really good idea on the CCTV. My lorry had a cut through cab so I could always see the horses. I think that is the bit I hate most about towing. However to slightly help this I tie my haynet down low so that the window of the trailer isn't blocked and I can see my horses nose. I also think keeping the haynet low helps with their balance. (it is a very small holed haynet so zero danger of him getting a foot stuck!)
And remember, if your horse loads well every time, and isn't sweating or bothered when you arrive anywhere, then chances are he is happy to be in the box and thinks "way-hey, off to another party!", so you are worrying about him, but he's fine