Horse Trailer Safety Checklist
| SAFETY POINT | WHAT TO DO |
| Tires | Check pressure, and look for signs of wear in truck, trailer and spare tires. |
| Wheels | Make sure lug nuts are tight on all wheels. |
| Hitch | Look for loose bolts, hairline cracks, and other signs of wear. Check for proper hookup. (In conventional trailers, the socket should be seated on the ball and locked in place.) |
| Safety chains | Make sure chains are crossed and hooked to vehicle frame (not bumper). |
| Breakaway | Check cable length. It should be shorter than your safety chains, but not so short that it'll break free when you make a tight brake cable turn. Weave the cable through a link of one chain, so it won't snag and pull free. Make sure coupler is fully plugged in. |
| Truck | Check fluid levels and fill fuel tanks. |
| Gear | In addition to hay, water, buckets, and other horse supplies, pack emergency equipment in your tow vehicle. (See our top-10 list, below.) |
Don't leave home without:
- Extra halter and lead rope for each horse, for off-loading in an emergency.
- Emergency flares and reflector triangles.
- Flashlight (rechargeable, with an adapter that fits vehicle cigarette lighter).
- Jumper cables and spare fuses.
- Spare tires, jack, chock blocks, torque wrench, and WD-40 for changing tires.
- Tool kit-crowbar, hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers.
- Duct tape, for covering sharp edges in a damaged trailer and other uses.
- Fire extinguisher. (Make sure it's pressurized.)
- Horse and human first-aid kits.
- Cell phone and phone numbers.
Karen E.N. Hayes is an Idaho-based equine practitioner.
This article first appeared in the May 2001 issue of Horse & Rider magazine.
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