Preventing The Two Most Common Trailering Injuries:

In less than five minutes per horse, would you be interested in preventing the two most common trailering injuries?  We hope so... and so does your horse!

Leg Injuries:

Riding in a trailer is not a natural activity for your horse.  The sensation of movement while they are standing still can be unnerving.   Although horses are very good at keeping their balance when they are moving under their own power, the motions of a trailer are difficult for them.  While "we humans" sit securely strapped into the tow vehicle with seat and shoulder belts (you better be wearing seat belts!), your horse is left to balance itself by shifting its weight and moving its body.  Consider also that a horse's center of gravity is very high, which makes the momentum of the starting, stopping, turning, bouncing trailer all that much more difficult for them to counteract.

A horse will move its legs and feet in the trailer to better brace itself against the changing forces acting on its body.  Since the horse cannot anticipate our driving actions (are we stopping, changing lanes, accelerating, etc.), it must always be reacting.  In many cases, it must react very quickly to keep its balance.  These reactions often lead to the horse stepping on itself, or on the horse next to it.  The most common injury is a combination bruise and scrape wound on the lower leg, typically around the pastern, fetlock, coronary band, and/or heel bulb.  However, it is not uncommon for a horse to strip the flesh off a leg from the knee or cannon all the way to the hoof.

The damage resulting from these injuries can be very severe, resulting in long-term lameness and high costs.  At a minimum, it will ruin your outing and give the horse a bad memory of being trailered.

Shipping Boots:

The solution is simple, inexpensive (compared to one vet bill for a leg injury), and takes very little time to implement... put shipping boots (or wraps) on your horses' legs before loading them in the trailer.  Shipping boots and wraps come in a variety of styles and price ranges; however they should all have the same goal - to protect the horse's lower leg and upper hoof area.

Today, most shipping boots are heavily padded with a soft fleece inside lining and a tough nylon or Kevlar outer shell.  They usually attach with Velcro-type fasteners.  A recent survey of tack stores and catalogs indicates that one can purchase decent quality shipping boots for as little as $30 per set of four.  You can also spend $100 on a set, and maybe they are worth it... but for only $30~40 dollars you can protect your horse from the number one trailer related injury!

Shipping wraps tend to be even less expensive, but take longer to apply.  There are also some "tricks" to putting on the wraps and bandages correctly... while it is not difficult - boots are easier.

Regardless of which method you use (boots or wraps), make sure they fit correctly and are low enough to protect the coronary band and heel bulb area.  If you're not completely sure how to correctly and safely put on the leg protection, ask your Vet or an experienced trainer to show you.

Head Injuries:  

The next most common injury horses suffer while trailering is to their heads... usually right at the poll (the top of the head behind the ears).  A natural reaction for a frightened horse is to throw its head up.  Also, because of a horse's vision characteristics, they need to put their heads up to focus on nearby objects.  Either of these natural tendencies can result in the horse hitting its head.  While a small bump is nothing to worry about, a solid thump will at a minimum spook, and at worst injure your horse.

The worst time for a horse to throw its head up is while entering or leaving the trailer door.  At that moment, the horse can hit its head on the door frame edge and cause severe trouble.

Note:  All EquiSpirit trailers' door frames are padded at the top to reduce the potential for injury to your horse's head.  Also, the trailer's fiberglass roof has some "give" to it, and has no protrusions or edges to injure your horse.

Trailer Helmet:

A trailer helmet, also called a "Head Bumper", is a padded leather or neoprene cap that fits over the top of the horse's head and is held in place by their halter.  They have ear holes and protect the poll and forehead areas.

Even if your horse is a good trailer-traveler, a helmet is a wise precaution.  Also, the taller the horse, the more important it is to have them wear a helmet... for obvious reasons.

I've seen decent trailering helmets for as little as $10, and really nice ones in the $20~25 dollar range.  Again, this is not much compared to a vet bill and/or the pain your horse will suffer from a head injury.

Please see our Preparing and Loading Your Horse: photo tour for pictures of head & leg protection.

Don't put your horse in a trailer undressed!  Leg and head protection are important - please use them!

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