Spring was a long time coming this year…but finally, the snows have receded (at least temporarily). The last of the melting snowdrifts unveiled your gardens, your pastures, and something rather less attractive–that old two-horse trailer of yours, sitting forlornly in a corner of your field. Chances are, it’s been there since November, and now, as your thoughts turn to getting out to the shows or the trails with your horse, you figure it’s probably time for an inspection of the winter damage.

If you’re like many of us, you can spot a horse’s strained suspensory at 500 yards, but the intricacies of determining whether your trailer is sound just aren’t your long suit. And you certainly don’t want to load Custard up and head down the highway without any idea of whether your rig is roadworthy. If you feel insecure about assessing your trailer’s safety, it’s best to take it to your local trailer repair center for a complete going-over, but there are a few simple things you can do at home to give your mechanic a head start.

An Inspection

Start by donning your grungy, barn-mucking clothes, and giving your trailer a bath–inside, outside, and underneath-to expose any flaws that might be hiding under last year’s road grime and mud. Then chock your wheels and crawl under the trailer with a flashlight and a long, sharp screwdriver. Probe all the metal parts of the undercarriage with your screwdriver, looking for cracks and rusting, especially at the joints and rear cross members, where urine and manure tend to collect and eat away at the metal. Poke at the floorboards, as well, to see if they need replacing. Solid boards are firm and hard and don’t give way to the screwdriver; rotted boards will have the consistency of cork