Trailering in extreme heat

[LCDR]

Then you can spend the weekend shopping for trailer fans.

Mine are Maradyne brand, 12V fans with metal 6-1/2 inch blades.

These smaller fans only move about one-tenth the air volume of a 20 inch 110V box fan, however. Anyone got other ideas for trailer fans?

[spotnnotfarm]

Lol! I do need a few minor repairs that need to be done and was thinking of getting those added. This weekend I’ll be crying milkshake while watching watching my fellow competitors on the live feed. I consoled myself by entering my first NCHA show in a few weeks to take the sting away.

[spotnnotfarm]

In all honesty, would they have made a difference in that heat?

[sami-joe]

Rats! I’m sorry. I didn’t quite hit the bottom of the thread.
If this is too annoying, I’ll delete it.

The wood floor is good for reducing fatigue and weird roadway resonance.
Have you ever ridden in your trailer? A short spin will give you a better idea of how much air flow you can count on. Fans are never a bad idea in the southern tier of the US.

Six hours with little to no traffic should be a breeze for your fit horse, especially if he’s good about drinking. During the smoky aftermath of the 2017 Thomas Fire (then the biggest fire in CA history, now number seven) lots of us fretted about our horses’ respiratory systems. Our vets reassured us that horses are overbuilt. What seems intolerable, whether smoke, heat, or cold, to us is usually no big deal to horses as long as they are eating and drinking normally.

[PonyRiderMom]

I haven’t read the other responses, but I thought I’d reply. I live in Central Texas and have trailered my horses several times in 100+ temperatures.

Now, I did buy a custom trailer designed with bad weather in mind, but I have to tell you that they were always just fine, much to my shock. I have four roof vents (two on each side) and lots of windows, and I opened everything up for maximum airflow. I also have fans in the trailer that I turned on. As long as you’re moving, you should be fine – mine never even broke a sweat. Even if you’re stopping and a stoplight every now and then you will probably be OK.

A couple of things you might do:

1. Leave the trailer windows all open (assuming you can) overnight, and in the morning park it where it will be in the shade all morning. At least you’ll start off nice and cool in there.
2. Hose and sweat scrape your horses before loading.
3. Open all windows and keep them open.

I tried putting ice in the trailer and I couldn’t tell that it made any difference.

[LCDR]

The fans help. Especially in a two hour total standstill on concrete interstate in southwest Georgia in mid-summer. Bright sun, no wind. Been there.

And very glad I was carrying 15 gallons of water and my battery powered hose system so I was able to mist the horses in the trailer as well.

[Jarpur]

@LCDR

15 gallons of water and my battery powered hose system

Tell me more, please! I already carry water.

[LCDR]

I built it using a 12V RV water pump which runs from a 12V lithium rechargeable battery. Intake on one side via a 3 foot, 1/2 inch diameter water hose dropped into the water container, and a 10 foot hose connects to the other side to spray the horses. Contained in a small plastic box I bought at Tractor Supply.

[NaturallyHappy]

I bet one could use a small backpack sprayer, too! I would not have thought of it…

[Jarpur]

That’s a good idea!

I went on a charity trail ride in warm weather, that turned out to not have any water available (hadn’t arrived yet) when we broke at the end of the first day – I had two five gallon containers with me, but I felt that wasn’t enough to rinse my mare, and be comfortable that she’d have enough to drink if the water was further delayed. I loaded up and hauled home.

Learned my lesson and, asap, bought a 35 gallon water tank for the pickup bed that I carried when hauling for anything other than short trips to the vet, no matter if water was described as would be provided.

[LCDR]

Thanks. The RV pump doesn’t put out a huge amount of water pressure. But with a 1/2 inch diameter garden hose rather than the larger 5/8"or 3/4" diameter hoses it produces a nice gentle shower at the hose nozzle. Half-inch garden hoses are hard to find. So I use the white potable water hoses. Besides being 1/2 inch they are also very light in weight and easy to handle. Plus they some in short lengths. As I said I use a 3 foot one for suction, and a 10 foot one for the output side.

[RosebudLaVie]

Sometimes for long hauls our barn’s veterinarian will give IV fluids just prior to the trip to ensure that the horses are adequately hydrated. This could be helpful in the heat, as well.