Trailer safety

Trailer

•       Check your trailer brakes, lights, tires and hitch to ensure everything is working properly.

•       Be familiar with your trailer before you load a horse in it.

Loading Your Horse

•                Load with a helper. The helper can snap the butt-strap and secure the rear door while you stand outside the forward escape door holding your horse’s lead.

•                Load your horse one step at a time.

•                Lead or drive your horse into the trailer. Once your horse is in, keep hold of your horse’s lead, and wait for your companion to snap the butt-strap in place and secure the rear doors. NOTE: ALWAYS SECURE THE TRAILER HARDWARE (DOOR/GATES) BEFORE TYING THE HORSE.

•                Once your horse is loaded, the choice to tie or not is yours. Tying can make handling the horse upon removal from the trailer easier, but it can impair a horse’s ability to keep his balance.

•                Secure windows and consider screens to prevent things from flying into the trailer and hitting your horse.

The Drive

•                At each rest or refueling stop, double check that your hitch, safety chains, brakes and lights are connected correctly.

•                Give yourself extra time and distance when stopping. This is important for two reasons: the weight of your tow vehicle, trailer and horses will require a longer stopping distance, and your horses need the opportunity to shift their weight in preparation for stops. Stay at least the length of your vehicle and trailer behind the vehicle in front of you, and use lower gears when traveling down hills.

•                Turn corners and change lanes slowly to allow your horse to steady themselves.

•                Try to park where you can leave the space by simply driving forward.

Unloading

•                When you unload, always untie your horse.

•                Unload your horse one step at a time. If possible, do not allow him to rush out of the trailer.

•                Only unload your horse at a horse-suitable location, not gas stations, roadside, etc.

REFERENCE: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/horse-behavior/tips-trailering-your-horse

REFERENCE: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/horse-behavior/tips-trailering-your-horse

The First Trim

This past weekend the farrier came out to trim and shod horses. Keeno got trimmed for the first time. With a young horse, handling is important, especially when it comes to their feet. Pick up a youngster’s feet often, so he gets used to his feet being handled. With Keeno, I picked his feet up and held them like the farrier would every day. I had no idea how he would behave for the farrier, but he stood there perfectly still the whole time. This just proves what a teacher once said, “Preparation prevents poor performance.”

Weaning

         Today we will talk about weaning your youngster. We will go over weaning, finding a new buddy for your baby and finally the first few days. Weaning is a crucial point in a young horse’s life. Educate yourself so it wont be so hard.

         Weaning a youngster can be a very stressful but crucial part in a horse’s life. It is stressful for the dam (mother horse), the foal and handler. There are different ways to wean: natural, gradual and abrupt. With Keeno we just loaded him in the trailer and left. Both Keeno and his mother were fine and didn’t freak out at all. He was ready to leave his mommy. Normally you wean at 6 months, when the foal is eating hay and grain on his own. Large horse farms will typically wean all their foals at the same time and put them in the same pen so they have each other to be with. Keeno’s weaning went very well.

         It is important to find a buddy for your weanling as soon as possible so your baby wont be lonely. His buddy should be a calm gentle horse. We used a 3-year-old gelding that was calm and easy to handle. They met over a half door of a box stall and got to know each other. This was so that they couldn’t hurt one another. When we let them in a pen they kicked each other once and then were buddies. This buddy will help distract your weanling, which will help your weanling feel comfortable and safe.

         Your weanling should be in a well-fenced area where there are no spots for him/her to get out. The fence should be safe with no nails or sharp objects to cut themselves. Weanlings will try to get out and look for their moms. The first night I kept a close eye on Keeno in a box stall. It is also very important for you to be there for your little guy so I slept in the barn with him to make sure he was not hurting himself and so are bond would strengthen.  Your fence needs to be safe but effective to insure that your weanling will be safe and contained.

We talked about how to wean and different methods, finding a good gentle buddy and the first few days of weaning.  Weaning can be a stressful time or you could make it a learning time. Make the best of the weaning experience.