Horse Trailer Driving Tips – Turning and Backing Up

For most of us, learning how to drive a horse trailer happens by trial and error. At some point, you probably rode as a passenger and maybe picked up some pointers, but formal training was pretty much nonexistent.

Then, one day, you found yourself behind the wheel of the tow vehicle; and, if you were lucky, had an experienced friend as co-pilot. Seems like a crazy way to learn how to drive a horse trailer, especially when you consider what you’re towing behind you…your horse!

To help reduce the anxiety often experienced by the novice trailer driver, here are some tips for mastering two basic trailer maneuvers – turning and backing up.

Turning

Making turns while driving a horse trailer isn’t hard, but it does require that you pay attention and plan ahead. Also, depending on what you’re towing - bumper pull or gooseneck - affects how you’ll maneuver.

It’s important that you adjust both side view mirrors so you can see along the sides of the entire trailer and beyond. When turning, you’ll need to swing wider than if you were trailer-less, to avoid hitting curbs, mailboxes, fences, etc. If you’re hauling a gooseneck or even longer Living Quarter, you’ll need to turn wider than if you were pulling a bumper pull. Although a gooseneck gives you the advantage of a smaller turning radius, this advantage can backfire when making a normal turn. Bumper pulls tend to follow the wheels of the tow vehicle more closely, therefore not requiring as wide an arc.

When first learning to drive with a trailer in tow, empty parking lots will be your friend. Head out to one for some practice, preferably sans horses. Bring a few cones along so you can set them up and practice driving around them. Watch in your side view mirrors for the cones as you turn. Soon you’ll discover how wide you need to swing out to avoid hitting any.

Always slow down to turn so your horses can adjust themselves. Don’t accelerate until you’ve completed the turn and straightened. This lets the horses rebalance.

Backing Up

For the beginner horse trailer driver, nothing is more intimidating and sweat-inducing than the thought of backing up. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that it’s really not that difficult. Again, drive out to your friendly, neighborhood parking lot and practice, practice, practice!

Successfully backing up is all in the technique and understanding the basic mechanics. The most confusing part is training yourself to move the tow vehicle in the opposite direction of where you want the trailer to go. So, if you want the trailer to go left, you’ll turn the steering wheel to the right and vice versa.

A good habit to establish when backing up is the placement of your hand on the steering wheel. Put your hand at the bottom of the wheel each time you plan to back up. Then, as previously mentioned, turn the wheel in the opposite direction of where you want the trailer to go. If you need to make a sharp turn, turn the wheel and then accelerate. If the turn is more gradual, turn the wheel as you press the gas.

Backing up is definitely a skill that you’ll develop a feel for. Also, the length of your rig will affect how easy or difficult it is to back up. Usually, the longer the rig, the easier it will be.

Independence Sale!
Click for Details