The Horse

DEC 2017

The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.

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55 December 2017 THE HORSE TheHorse.com 6. Disease Prevention After confirming a trailer's equipment is in good working order, no safety plan is complete without attention to the bio- hazards that owners can bring home with their trailers. That's why Buchert recom- mends owners clean trailers thoroughly by removing bedding, removing and cleaning the mat(s), scrubbing the inside walls from top to bottom, and at least hosing down the exterior walls from top to bottom after returning from a horse show, trail ride, or any other venue that might have unfamiliar horses— especially if you've borrowed the trailer. "Remember, trailering is the most stressful thing you can do with a horse," says Buchert, resulting in immune system compromise. "So when you transport in a trailer that has been used by others, you exposed your horses to (biohazards), too." 7. Drive With Care Finally, the most thorough safety regimen is only as good as the operator's driving skill and the ability to avoid unex- pected hazards that appear on the road. "You have to be alert," Buchert says. He recommends horse haulers drive defen- sively, observe speed limits—even travel at a slightly slower speed—and compen- sate for the load's weight by allowing for more braking room between cars. If you must stop abruptly and the horses are facing forward, they could col- lide with the front of the trailer or, worse, break through a front window. At the same time, some novice trailer haulers might not have enough experi- ence to cope with a load that shifts every time the horses move. While there is no substitute for experience, you can prac- tice keeping the load balanced. "There was one older experienced fel- low who suggested that you should put a quarter on your dashboard, and if the quarter moves across the dashboard, your horses are sliding in the trailer," Buchert says. "I don't know if that's true, but it makes some sense." If an accident does happen, auto insurance covers the driver of the vehicle towing the trailer. "If you are driving your trailer and transporting another person's horse and you have an accident, your (auto) insur- ance covers the accident. If someone else is driving their (truck) and pulling your trailer, their insurance covers it," says Palmetto, Florida-based insurance agent Martin Vreman. In most states, the financially respon- sible insurance carrier is determined by which driver the responding law enforcement officer deems responsible. However, 12 states and Puerto Rico have so-called "No Fault" laws that al- low drivers to recover accident-related financial losses from their own insurance companies. "But the auto insurance does not cover the contents—that would be the horses or whatever else is inside the trailer, includ- ing clothing, tack, buckets, feed, or any other equipment," Vreman says. Finally, he reminds drivers to carry their insurance information in the vehicle pulling the trailer so they can produce it for law enforcement, whether during a routine traffic stop or in the case of an accident. Take-Home Message Ultimately, Rogers Smith believes that no amount of preparation can guaran- tee that every trip involving a horse and trailer will be uneventful. But she believes her recent experience makes a good case for preparedness. "I'm a former school bus driver, so I'm super-conscious about safety checks. In fact, I'm kind of paranoid about it, but you never know what's going to happen, no matter how prepared you are," she says. "That's why I make sure I go over every single safety checkpoint before I even think about putting Cosmo in the trailer." h RegisteR at www.toba.org Sign up today! C L I N I C S & S E M I N A R S Always educational ... Always fun OWNeRsHiP seMiNaR DeCeMBeR 2 gulfstream Park / Hallandale Beach, Florida THOROUGHBRED OWNERS AND BREEDERS ASSOCIATION P.O. BOX 910668, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY 40591-0668 ❙ 888.606.TOBA ❙ 859.276.6793 ❙ www.toba.org ❙ mdowney@toba.org Dandy Products, Inc. Padding & Flooring Specialists "Padding At Its Best" Breeding Sheds, Stocks, Stalls, Trailers, Exercise & Training Areas, Induction & Recovery Rooms Table & Surgical Pads, Neo-Natal Foal Beds Non-Slip Safety Floors for All Areas Pavesafe Bricks & Tiles, Trac-Roll & Vet-Trac Floors, Wash Stall,Grooming, Aisleway and Trailer Mats Toll-Free 888.883.8386 • 513.625.3000 FAX 513.625.2600 3314 State Route 131, Goshen, Ohio 45122 • www.dandyproducts.net

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