Those who trailer alone

Sounds like my yard! I box up to hack at least twice a week - only need to drive about 10 mins for fantastic hacking.

I do it alone 99% of the time, sometimes with both my horses (ride and lead). Few things to make it easy:

- Teach your horse to self load - I can't tell you how much easier this has made my life, and it's much safer to do the back car up before tying the horse up
- Practice closing all trailer doors and car doors etc while holding your horse before you need to do it in a weird place. your horse will learn the routine and that makes life easier too
- Practice parking your trailer in weird spots and doing manoevers in an unstressful environment so you know you can always be fine with it. One of my favourite places to ride, I have to reverse around a corner to park!
- Take a hitch/wheel lock with you if you're parking in public places
- Let people know where you're going and approx how long you'll be
- Write details on inside of trailer door in case of emergency and have something attached to the horse incase you part company

Enjoy!
 
Honestly, don't overthink it. You're obviously a very careful and courteous driver or you wouldn't be worried about it so drive with the same consideration you normally do and you'll be fine. There's a difference between planning well and working yourself up to worry about things that are very unlikely to happen. You've already had some good suggestions about emergency numbers etc.

When you get your trailer, take it out and practise (including to the places you're most likely to travel so you know your route) and if you're still worried after that, get some lessons. I passed my driving test long before the (now defunct) separate towing test was needed but still had a reversing lesson after my OH trying to teach me resulted in a blazing row. It took me 5 minutes to crack it as soon as it was explained properly to me (which I still love to tell my OH at any opportunity!) and the rest of the 90 minutes was spent practising over and over again. It was the best £50 I spent (at that point, it would probably be a lot more now but still well worth it.) Even after coming home I'd hitch up and just pull forward and reverse into the parking space from different angles over and over again. I'm now much better than my OH at reversing and am the one who parks everyone's trailers at the yard if I'm there as the spaces are tight and some of the others struggle.

Depending on your trailer, I'd invest in some full length bars and remove the partition so you can tack up and generally deal with your horse on the trailer. It's much safer and easier if you're in a public car park to do everything inside the trailer then just lead him out and hop on board. It saves having kids and dogs and the world wanting to come and say hello while you're back and forth to the car and means they're confined while you take the headcollar off and put the bridle on etc. It's also much nicer if it's raining. You can always put the partition back in if you're taking a friend.
 
I think I have already mentioned on here, but the first time I ever towed, it was with my car but my friend's trailer and her pony in it. She gave me a crash course in towing and her OH afterwards drew me a few helpful diagrams for reversing. I took my trailer test a couple of years later to be able to tow a two horse trailer. I learnt one thing most of all during that course was to tell any "helpful" (generally) man to go away. Everyone from the other student on the course to the neighbouring driving instructor who was supposed to be keeping an eye on us practicing our maneuvers kept trying to tell me what to do in a different way and so much that I couldn't hear myself think. I told them to leave me alone and just practiced on my own, which I found much more helpful after an initial explanation. My dad has also firm instructions to keep his month shut unless I'm about to hit anything. Otherwise he likes to give "advice" that I don't understand along the lines of "left hand down" a phrase I'd never heard before and as if he could actually park the trailer if I let him (he can't, and I don't let him!).

I was really pleased with myself when picking up Sassy. The breeder has a chute that I reversed up to. I was about 1cm out the first time to open the ramp. Second time round was perfect. I think I impressed the breeder as she told my mum that some people took 30 mins to do it.

I agree that self loading horses make life easier and safer. I've never minded tying mine to the side of the trailer to tack up and she'll stand there all day as long as she has a hay net, but I think that is a cultural difference (I live in France). Lots of practice will make trailering out just normal routine for you and your horse.
 
Definitely ditch the sat nav, look at google maps for your route in advance then switch to street view for any smaller roads (B or C roads) because even google will try and take you on some very narrow shortcuts!

I always go by myself or with my daughter who’s 10 x
 
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Bobthecob15 said:
Definitely ditch the sat nav, look at google maps for your route in advance then switch to street view for any smaller roads (B or C roads) because even google will try and take you on some very narrow shortcuts!

I always go by myself or with my daughter who’s 10 x
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I will have my 7 year ld with me at times. He loves to cycle whilst I ride so I am excited to find some places we can all enjoy.

I saw a tip for reversing to put a piece of tape at 6 O'Clok on your steering wheel and imagine that as where the back of your trailer is. I will update tomorrow!
 
HaffiesRock said:
I will have my 7 year ld with me at times. He loves to cycle whilst I ride so I am excited to find some places we can all enjoy.

I saw a tip for reversing to put a piece of tape at 6 O'Clok on your steering wheel and imagine that as where the back of your trailer is. I will update tomorrow!
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Yes that does work well! Personally I like to say in my head “you want it to go left so steer right…” for some reason it helps me 🤣
 
I did most of my trips solo. Horses were very good to load and well behaved. You get into a system of parking, doing the trailer locks, and then locking up when you leave.

I didn't, but now think it would have been a good idea, to leave some sort of card in the front of the towing vehicle with some contact details, as a sort of belt and braces!

I remember arriving very early once at a parking area to find a horsebox and trailer and I had no idea if the rider had just got their very, very early - or had the trailer been standing there all night and the rider had an accident when riding out the day before?

I would recommend some trailer driving lessons if you are a bit rusty. It will cover hitching up safely. I know there isn't a test any more, but it will make you feel more confident.
 
I’d second the consider full width bars and ditch the partition if not needed - mine decided he didn’t like travelling with a partition, and actually it worked better without as I had a mobile stall for him to tack up etc.
I’d no real experience of going out with a horse but knew I’d be better just figuring it out without well meaning advice making me second guess myself. So first trip to collect the trailer, second with horse on to get a new saddle (in the snow, met diversions, horse not been turned out due to weather for 2m, …an experience but we survived), and after that just booked stuff in in advance so I couldn’t bottle it and aimed to go out till i was bored, not nervous (never bored, always had fun).

And agree with others - avoid ‘helpful’ advice. If you are manoeuvring it’ll take as long as it takes, rushing makes it take longer, and never be afraid to pull forward and start over. And in any crowd of onlookers, a third will be hoping you don’t ask them to help, a third will know how hard what you are doing is and will be rooting for you, and a third will think you’ll fail. The worst you can do is prove the last third right, and chances are you’ll prove them wrong .
 
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I have been taking myself out and about for years. I enjoy it as it’s just you and your pony. I have everything set up for me to manage myself.

I do meet people occasionally if I’m at a show or clinic but I’m usually by myself. I have adapted things since my injury for us to make it more manageable.

Faran being a best boy travelling and loading is just the icing on the cake 😃
 
Always just hitched up, loaded up and off I would go. Talking pre-sat nav, rear unload only, Rice Farmers Hunt era but the freedom & independence was brilliant, and I really miss it now (don't drive at all due to ME brain fog/fatigue). Totally agree with all the above and I'm sure you will be fine - it really does get easier the more often you do.
 
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Good luck getting out and about!

Dave's Mam said:
This absolutely. I did a half day course & it boosted my confidence a lot. 5 hours of reversing, driving round various types of road.
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I’m planning to get a trailer, and as part of my campaign to convince my very anxious other half that I’m being sensible, I did a half day towing course just last week. It was excellent, and included at least an hour practicing reversing a horse box. I feel much more confident and now just need a new car and a trailer!
 
AthenesOwl said:
Good luck getting out and about!



I’m planning to get a trailer, and as part of my campaign to convince my very anxious other half that I’m being sensible, I did a half day towing course just last week. It was excellent, and included at least an hour practicing reversing a horse box. I feel much more confident and now just need a new car and a trailer!
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Good Luck to you too!
 
Absolutely I nearly always go alone, I have double breast bars and no partition, horse likes it like that but also means you have lots of room in the trailer to tack up etc.
 
I go to most places on my own, it's nice on the occasion we do have company but if I relied on others I'd never do anything 🙃

We travel 40 mins each way to my trainer once a week, go out once a week to the water treadmill and usually once more to meet up with friends for a farm ride or similar. I don't even think about it these days to be honest and think it's good for my horse to be in the routine of travelling alone. You quickly get in a routine, chuck tack in the car, load up and go.

My horse isn't always the easiest character but tbh we have just got on with it and you find a way. I've taken the partitions out of my trailer and cross-tie which makes life easier as I can tack up before unloading him, also handy if it's raining! My horse rapidly became a pro at being a bit of a 'handy pony' and being dragged around while I put ramps up and down but if I remember I drop the back ramp before unloading which means I can pop him straight on afterwards, especially if you have a fidget who won't stand tied (or it's peeing it down, can you tell I don't like getting wet 😁 ) - just be careful if you do this that you don't have one likely to pull back, I always put the front ramp down first so he doesn't think he's coming off backwards.
 
I can’t ride on the roads as mine is dreadful with traffic, so my only option is to box up to hack… Mostly I hack by myself anyway.
 
HaffiesRock said:
Long story short is I am on a small private yard and out hacking is rubbish. Only 2 others to ride with and that isn’t regular. I don’t want to move my pony so have bought a a towing vehicle and am in the market for a trailer (looking at long term hire initially).

There is fab hacking a 10 minute drive away in 2 different directions and also a big equestrian centre with shows, arena hire, clinics etc.

Problem is I’m likely going to be travelling alone. Will have people to meet up with and hack, but the getting there and back will be on me.

How many of you do this? Is it a silly idea? I don’t want to have to rely on others and want to be able to just go to an arena hire or a show. Meet up with a friend for a hack.

To add, it’s been years since I’ve towed so I’ll be practicing first but is it doable alone?

Thanks in advance
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I go to shows most weeks by myself. I also meet a friend out hacking so trailer there alone. Me and my horse are very happy together by ourselves and to be honest he is too big to have another in my trailer. I have all my show gear in the other side tidily organised so every show I just load up with minimal grief as I hate getting up in the morning.

I also tack up inside and never tie my horse to the outside of the trailer. It’s from my jumping days when we had lovely lorries and I cannot abide horses scratching the paint work. We are very happy by ourselves
 
Just a quick update! So I collected the trailer Tuesday evening and all was well. I towed quite happily but when it came to reverse parking I had my partner shouting one thing at me and my friends husband shouting another! Anyway, got it in eventually and vowed to go and practice completely alone!

My week then went complete breasts up with my dad collapsing at the wheel of his car Wednesday morning and crashing (he is fine thankfully but caused absolute chaos on the road with an obscene amount of emergency vehicles) then the week was taken up with hospital visits, asking people to remove videos from social media of my dads crash and extrication and stresses about childcare (he is my only childcare for work). My car then lost power on the way to the yard and has been in the garage ever since! Currently have the weirdest little hire car with drum beat indicators...

I had wanted to go out hacking this weekend but that has been written off and I have dressage booked for next Saturday.

So hopefully I will get the car back early to mid week and will be straight out to get the trailer and practice. YO has said I can turn it round in the menage so hopefully that will be easy enough to do (its only 30 x 20 thought) but its a bigger area than the t shaped yard. It's all thats putting me off as the storage is a nice big area to park and there's no one watching but the yard is very narrow and tight and there might be people!

So hopefully I will be back with an update soon!
 
Old Fogey (60+) here. However I did tow the family caravan (taught by my father) back in the day; this was when you could pass your test at 17 (and pass!) on the Tuesday; and tow a vehicle on the Sunday - which is what actually happened when I started towing!

I live in an area which does have plenty of circular routes for hacking-out in the immediate area: ranging from 10 mins quick trot-round-the-block, to two or three hours if you want it, including going up to the local common - which by the time you get there you don't really have time to have any fun, you need to think about getting home again, particularly on short winter days.

But we have a lovely open area of common land nearby: it is just that little bit too far to hack to comfortably, but I can get to a really nice part of it in the trailer in around 10 mins. I'm pretty unadventurous in that I have my favourite spot, and that's where I go, but pony enjoys herself immensely up there as well and so that's where we go.

I bought myself a towing vehicle a few years back - and a little trailer - and regularly load-up and trailer mine up to the local common. It's only about 10 mins journey, but the journey is well worth it because you can ride out straight onto open ground without having to go along roads with vehicles on! Perfect. Tho' the biggest PITA is dog-walkers who won't leash their dogs........... but that's another story.

I went to a clinic (with a friend) back-a-long; and somehow managed to forget my girth! It didn't actually matter in fact, as this was a clinic which you could do either in-hand or mounted, or didn't matter. But I kicked myself for forgetting such a fundamental item, and now I use a Check-Off List every time I go anywhere. This "list" starts with vehicle-prep, i.e. stuff like tyres/pressures (very important actually) and then goes on to tack, grooming kit, riding hat/BP, phone, etc the whole shaboodle. All the things that are dead easy to forget. Now, all I need to do is just get my little list out and work through it, it's ever so much easier, and I highly recommend this for someone starting out towing solo.

You can do this!! For the first outing, leave your horse at home and just go for a little jaunter with an empty trailer. Then load-up and do likewise. You will be fine, you see.
 
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When I drive in anywhere be lorry or car I always stop and weigh up the easy options, easy to park but mainly easy to get out of with max Turning space etc

One less stress
 
HaffiesRock said:
Just a quick update! So I collected the trailer Tuesday evening and all was well. I towed quite happily but when it came to reverse parking I had my partner shouting one thing at me and my friends husband shouting another! Anyway, got it in eventually and vowed to go and practice completely alone!

My week then went complete breasts up with my dad collapsing at the wheel of his car Wednesday morning and crashing (he is fine thankfully but caused absolute chaos on the road with an obscene amount of emergency vehicles) then the week was taken up with hospital visits, asking people to remove videos from social media of my dads crash and extrication and stresses about childcare (he is my only childcare for work). My car then lost power on the way to the yard and has been in the garage ever since! Currently have the weirdest little hire car with drum beat indicators...

I had wanted to go out hacking this weekend but that has been written off and I have dressage booked for next Saturday.

So hopefully I will get the car back early to mid week and will be straight out to get the trailer and practice. YO has said I can turn it round in the menage so hopefully that will be easy enough to do (its only 30 x 20 thought) but its a bigger area than the t shaped yard. It's all thats putting me off as the storage is a nice big area to park and there's no one watching but the yard is very narrow and tight and there might be people!

So hopefully I will be back with an update soon!
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Goodness! Not the update I was hoping to read. I’m glad that your dad is ok, and I hope that your car is quickly back on the road so you can get out and about towing.
 
Thank you all. We took our little hire car to our local country park to do a recce. It’s actually really trailer friendly. You come in and drive round a big circle so you can park and reverse in a straight line. There are dedicated trailer spots and a brick mounting block so perfect! The route is simpl with nothing bothersome. It’s only 10 minutes away too.

So we’ll be trying to at (minus pony) for a practice as soon as we have our car back then we’ll just bite the bullet and crack on!
 
Make sure you park somewhere secure or lock the trailer to the vehicle or with a wheel clamp. Ive heard of trailers being stolen from the towing vehicle.
 
HaffiesRock said:
I towed quite happily but when it came to reverse parking I had my partner shouting one thing at me and my friends husband shouting another! Anyway, got it in eventually and vowed to go and practice completely alone!
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Persevering alone with the reversing is definitely the way forwards. Otherwise never be afraid to tell “helpful” passengers to shut up or get out!

I decided from the start I wasn’t going to be one of those women (sorry to stereotype!!) who can only go places forwards. I learned when I did my trailer test at 18, so 20 years ago now, and trust me once you’ve cracked it the knack will never leave you.
 
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