How to Handle Horse Trailering Emergencies

When my family moved from Massachusetts to Michigan in 2002, it wasn’t a hard decision to hire a professional to ensure our two Appaloosas and one Miniature Horse arrived safely and comfortably at their new home, 14 hours and 720 miles away. For three late-teenaged horses that didn’t travel long distances frequently, a large, airy rig seemed like a better option than our two-horse bumper pull—while it was still well-maintained, safe, and hauling regularly, it was older than I was at the time. Instead, my father and I would take our trailer, packed with horse-care and stable supplies, and get the new barn set up while my mother stayed behind to see the horses off with the shipper a few days later.
Our trip to Michigan was interrupted when a tire on our small bumper pull rolled over debris on the New York State Thruway and all but disintegrated, sending an array of sparks flying into the night. Dad slowed to a crawl, limped the rig to the next rest area a few miles away, and stopped to inspect the damage. Somehow, nearly everything else on that old steel trailer remained intact and, fortunately, the horses weren’t on board. Area stores had closed for the night, so we inched the rig to a hotel at the next exit and got some rest before securing a new spare in the morning. We continued on our way and arrived with plenty of time to prepare the farm for its new residents.
In the end, “Erica and Dad’s Excellent Adventure” led to insignificant damage to the trailer and a story to tell every time we drive on the New York State Thruway. But when hauling horses, emergencies—even relatively minor ones, like a flat tire—can take a dangerous turn if you’re not prepared to handle them quickly, safely, and logically.
The good news? Planning how you would handle emergencies during shipping isn’t as daunting as it might sound. Just remember these do’s and don’ts from our experts: Rebecca Gimenez Husted, PhD, the primary instructor at her Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Inc., in Macon, Georgia, and Ragan Adams, MA, DVM, the coordinator of the Veterinary Extension Specialist Group at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, in Fort Collins.
No Two Incidents Are Alike
“Most people don’t have time to prepare until it’s too late to prepare,” says Adams. “But, whether it’s a flat tire on your trailer or a major highway accident, once you’ve experienced an incident, you can’t believe that you never made time to prepare.”

Horse owners typically want a prescribed protocol for emergency scenarios. “But one of my favorite emergency managers once said, ‘No two incidents are alike. Each one poses different challenges.’ ” she adds. “Giving a prescribed list of things to do isn’t helpful (because) there’s no way to predict what’s going to happen.” You can, however, be as prepared as possible by ensuring your truck and trailer are in good condition and that you’ve packed all the essentials before hitting the road (TheHorse.com/137976).
And, our sources agree, owners should be ready to apply a variety of strategies when facing an emergency. “Being as prepared as you can be increases your ability to respond to any incident,” Adams says.
Husted also recommends considering the specifics of how you’d react to various emergency scenarios.
“Going through it in your mind makes it more like muscle memory when it actually happens,” she says. “If I were driving down the road at 70 mph and I heard a funny sound from the trailer, what would I do? I would put on my flashers, I would slow down, I would move over to the side of the road, and I would limp to a safe spot to exit the truck and see what happened.
“Or if there’s been an accident, what would I do?,” she adds. “I would turn on my flashers. I would tell whoever’s in the vehicle with me, ‘I need you to call 911. Then I need you to start finding a veterinarian because there might be an injury.’ If we can get people to think through those kinds of things ahead of time, then maybe it won’t be so scary when it actually happens.”
When an Incident Happens
Here are our sources’ top do’s and don’ts when it comes to equine-transport-related emergencies:
DO: Remember human health and safety come first.
Both sources note this is often a challenging reality for horse owners to accept during an accident or emergency. Husted says the first thing to do after any incident is to check to be sure everyone, in all vehicles involved, is okay.
DON’T: Wait to call police, fire, or emergency medical assistance.
“If you have an emergency on the road, you call 911,” Husted says, regardless of how minor it might seem.
And, she says, be prepared to communicate exactly what’s going on.
“ ‘There’s a horse trailer wreck on the highway’ is a lot different than ‘There’s a wreck on I-75 Southbound; everyone is out of the tow-vehicle and okay, but there are two horses trapped in a four-horse trailer that’s flipped on its left side,’ ” she says. “The information you give the dispatcher is important.”
Husted says if a serious accident occurs you should wait for first responders before trying to get to the horses.
“I think many horse people think that somehow, they’re going to go in the trailer and make their horses feel better,” she says. “But it’s better to just leave them alone, get the help there first, and come up with a plan.”
In addition to mobilizing human first responders, a 911 dispatcher can help secure large animal rescue services or veterinary assistance for injured horses, especially if you’re in an unfamiliar area and/or unable to reach a veterinarian, Husted says.
“Vets usually respond pretty quickly when 911 calls them,” she says.
Even if you and your horses haven’t suffered any injuries, first responders can often provide assistance to get you back on your way as soon as possible.
“If a horse gets out, (these professionals) can provide safety or stop traffic,” Husted says. “They can provide light if it’s nighttime. They can find another trailer to pick up the horses and move them to safety. There are lots of things they can help with, and they have many resources you may not have.”
An important note: While you might be facing a frightening situation and be worried about your horse’s safety, don’t forget to have patience and respect the police, firefighters, and other authorities.
“Understand that the first responders are trying their best, and they’re trying to work in your best interest,” Adams says.
DON’T: Open trailer doors and/or windows without extreme caution.
Especially after a collision, your first instinct might be to open the trailer door or window to check on your horse. A safer approach, however, is to try to assess the situation through windows until you have a better idea of what awaits you in the trailer.
“If you just open gates and doors, horses can actually come right through, especially if they’re stressed or panicked,” Husted says. “Everybody’s seen pictures of horses trying to come through trailer windows and doors, even in nonstressful situations.”
The escape attempt could not only cause injury to horse and/or owner but also present another dangerous situation. If they get loose, she says, “now they’re running down the road and someone could hit them.”
DO: If possible, get to an exit, rest stop, or parking lot before stopping.
If you face a minor emergency that needs repair, but your rig is still movable (such as with some flat tires, mechanical issues, or body damage), Husted recommends rolling slowly and steadily to the nearest exit, rest stop, or parking lot.
“Just get off the interstate, because it’s so damn dangerous to be stopped or changing a tire on the side of the road,” she says. “Even though I have the tire-changing tools, I would much rather destroy a wheel on my trailer and have to replace it than get hit by someone that’s not paying attention.”
She recalled a recent accident in Michigan where a motorist who stopped on the side of a highway to change a flat tire and an emergency responder who stopped to help were both hit and killed by a passing driver.
“(Getting off the highway is) usually pretty easy here in the Southeast where there are only 3 or 4 miles between exits,” Husted adds, “but when you go out West, there could be 40 miles to the next exit.”
If a safe place to stop is out of reach, Husted recommends pulling as far off the road as possible, even completely off the road.
“Still try not to expose yourself to injury,” she says. “Try not to get out of the vehicle; meanwhile, call roadside assistance. If you need to get out of the vehicle, wear a reflective vest and carry orange cones or flashing devices to put out and make yourself more visible.”
The No. 1 ‘Do’: Ensure Your Horse Loads
“It actually amazes me that any horse would ever get into a van or a trailer,” says Ragan Adams, MA, DVM, of the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, in Fort Collins. “They are prey animals, and to walk into a dead-end box and be closed in goes against every neuron in their bodies.”
So, it should come as no surprise that it takes consistent training and practice for a horse to become a reliable loader. And the importance of this skill cannot be overstated.
“It’s an emergency if you can’t get your horse on a trailer, and he’s sick or injured or has to reload—maybe in a different trailer or a situation he’s not used to—after you’ve had a travel issue,” says Rebecca Gimenez Husted, PhD, who runs Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Inc., in Macon, Georgia.
Adams and Husted agree that even well-trained horses can object to loading in abnormal situations or when their handlers are stressed. They both recommend regular practice to ensure horses stay comfortable loading and unloading in any circumstance.
“We have a horsemen’s association that helps with (disaster) evacuations in the county where I live,” Adams says. “Each spring they have a meeting where everyone meets with their horses at a big farm and they practice loading. Loading horses they don’t know. Loading their horses in trailers the horses don’t know. It helps the horses and the people get their confidence with loading in general.
“It’s so simple, but it’s so important,” she says.
Find useful loading tips at TheHorse.com/110108.
DON’T: Take horses off the trailer, in most cases.
If you’re forced to stop on a road to make repairs or wait for assistance, our sources say your horse is usually safest in the trailer.
“If possible, never unload your horse near a highway,” Adams says. “The trailer is the safest place (for him) to be.”
Husted agrees: “We take the chance on the horse getting loose, and then we’ve got huge complications.”
She says the main exception to this guideline is with trailer fires. In those cases, she says, as long as it’s safe for you to do so, unload the horses immediately, regardless of where you’re stopped.
DO: Seek veterinary advice if you think a horse needs treatment.
Yes, it sounds obvious. But whether you should attempt to administer first aid while a potentially stressed horse is in a trailer or wait for a veterinarian to provide that treatment can vary—even for the same health issue—based on a number of factors.
“It really depends what’s the matter with the horse,” Adams says. “Did the horse go down? Does the horse have an eyeball that’s been seriously damaged? Is there a giant laceration? Whether to treat or to wait depends on the injury.”
Gather as much information as you can safely to communicate with the veterinarian. Husted also recommends taking photos and/or video of the horse to send if you can collect them without putting yourself in danger. Based on the surroundings, the horse’s demeanor, the injury or issue, and other factors, the vet can recommend next steps.
One more important point: When hauling, Adams recommends keeping handy a list of contacts both electronically and on paper (in case your phone’s battery runs out while someone else’s remains charged, for instance). In addition to a list of emergency contacts for you and your horses, vehicle and animal insurance details, plus your home veterinarian’s contact information, she suggests having information for state and national equine veterinary associations.
“If you’re somewhere unfamiliar, you could call one of those and say, ‘I need a veterinarian,’ ” Adams says.
Take-Home Message
Unfortunately, not all trailering emergencies end as positively as Erica and Dad’s Excellent Adventure. However, our sources agree that understanding the steps to take—and actions to avoid— when faced with an incident can help make these stressful and often frightening situations seem a bit less scary.

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