I am going to be buying my first trailer in the next month or so, and will be hauling my horses through some pretty hot weather at times (40 degrees Celsius/104 degrees Fahrenheit). Does anyone have a thermometer/temperature monitor in their trailer that they can read from their truck while hauling? Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
I don’t know about the monitor, but if you haven’t already bought your trailer you may want to look at a Hawk. I just bought one, and between the multiple windows (even a bulkhead window to the tack room and two windows in the front of the trailer) and the fiberglass roof it is significantly cooler than any trailer I’ve ever used before. I love it and my horses do too.
Definitely get a trailer with BIG windows and lots of them.
I love my Hawk too! Windows are big and well placed.
i have drop down window on head side and rump side as well as flettner vents that suck hot air out just from the wind passing them. keeps it much cooler than my previous trailer.
I am generally not a stock trailer person but I live in the NorthEast so we have cold. If we ever hit 104 F I sure as heck ain’t trailering unless it is an emergency. This chickie don’t like it that hot. Plus in my area it would be humid too.
That being said if you routinely are hauling in really high temperatures I would seriously look at a stock trailer. They seem to have much better air flow. I would also be putting in trailer fans. I am actually going to add them to mine. I am fine when the trailer is moving but I worry if I ever get caught in traffic.
I have never had a temperature monitor in the trailer. However my husband has one of these for the house. http://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Technology-WS-9160U--Thermometer-Temperature/dp/B001DNIIOS/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1459863444&sr=1-2&keywords=remote+wireless+thermometer
He has used it outside, in the freezer, in the garage, in fridge. The base unit stays in the house and he moves the 2 remote sensors to various places around the house/property. We have had ours 13 years and have only had to replace the batteries a few times.
With a range of 330 feet I would think you could have the base in the truck and the sensors in a couple of places in the trailer. I would just stick velcro on the back of the sensors and smuck them up in a few spots.
Thanks for the replies everyone! I will definitely getting a trailer with lots of windows. I hope to not have to trailer on the very hottest days, however sometimes that may just have to happen. The good news is, it’ll all be on a highway and we should always be moving.
I haven’t bought my trailer yet, but we’re fairly limited in brands over here on the west coast of Canada… I’ll probably be getting a Trails West.
I will definitely look at that monitor SonnysMom, look like it could work quite well!
A suggestion for horse comfort that we use is to ice the footing in the trailer. We have a stock trailer, but on those REALLY hot summer days with high humidity here, we add ice to the sawdust bedding under the horses.
Sawdust is fairly deep, 4-6 inches, we use a couple bags of ice per horse, mixed in the sawdust which keeps it cold. On long hauls, you may need to add ice every couple hours, keep it cold under the horse hooves Friends have done this hauling to Canada in the summer, with a big load of show horses, having the normal holdups waiting to cross the Border. Horses stayed cool while parked, not tired, even in very warm temps inside a closed style trailer with the windows open. She said the horses seemed a lot more rested, not tired from the long haul using the iced bedding.
We have not had any issues with horses “slipping” on the ice with a decent amount of bedding under them to cover deep ice. Ice does melt, dampens the sawdust, not blowing around in the trailer. Or you can sprinkle the sawdust, to keep it from being dusty.
Do clean the icy bedding out of the trailer pretty soon after you are done using it. Closed trailers will add heat to damp air as ice melts, so you can QUICKLY get mold going in the trailer. One person we know didn’t clean her trailer out for a week, it was REALLY moldy in there by that time! Had to spray the inside to kill the mold when they got everything out, then rinse it down and leave open to dry.
I clean my trailer the next day after we get back home or at the show, get the wet stuff out. There is usually plenty of still frozen ice still in the bedding, so you do get a long use time of ice under the horse.
Horse will take in the cold thru his hooves, really helps keep the rest of their bodies cooled down this way. Our humidity can be very bad, so even sweating, a horse doesn’t self-cool without a breeze over him to carry off the sweat in a closed (not slat sided) trailer. Keeping him cooled with the ice around his feet is a huge help to prevent overheating on hot days.
www.horsetraileraccessorystore.com/Fans_c_67.html These are wonderful little fans that really help in hot weather.
Don’t count on moving to cool the rig. These days with all the idiots on the road there’s always a wreck tying up traffic.
The ice is a great idea! We wet shavings, and carry water & alcohol to sponge the horses if they get hot.
www.johnsherman.com/therms/MaxMin.html These are thermometers that show current, maximum, and minimum temps. I have the first one, it is easy to hang in a trailer. Most garden/greenhouse suppliers carry them, also Farm Tec item # CA100 $13.95.
ditto on fans, I’ve had them in all of my trailers. If the trailer roof is insulated, it keeps the horse area much cooler as well.
I have drop down feed windows with screens in my Sundowner 2h bumper pull. They make a huge difference in keeping the trailer cool, particularly when in traffic.
Agree on the Hawk and I love love love my fiberglass roof. Makes such a difference. If you do get a trailer with a metal roof, make sure it is WELL insulated.
We have been faced with transporting horses in 110/115F heat… always did it at night when it had “cooled” of to 100F, took plenty of water and electrolytes with us
it is sort of like driving in a convection oven
The insulated roof also helps with drips in the winter.
We have two something like this in the house, not exactly this model, the house unit is a smaller square, but it is that brand:
You could use those by hanging the outside unit in the trailer, putting the monitor in the pickup.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
