Traveling alone with two horses (or more): safety first
Setting off alone with several horses is entirely doable, provided you have anticipated everything: if something goes wrong, you will have only one pair of hands.
Loading: the riskiest moment
- Load the easiest horse first: it reassures the others.
- Never wrap the lead rope around your hand. A horse that backs up can drag you with it.
- You tie up after closing the breast bar, and untie before opening it. A tied horse that backs into thin air is a guaranteed accident.
Balancing the trailer
- The heaviest horse on the driver's side: the road is cambered, so it rides better.
- Two badly distributed horses throw the whole rig off balance, especially in the turns.
Alone with the unexpected
- Have a plan: the number of a vet along the route, a roadside assistance service, and someone close who knows your route and your arrival time.
- High-visibility vest and warning triangle within reach: if you stop, you must be seen.
Well-being, multiplied
More horses means more heat, more humidity and more shared stress: ventilate. And avoid putting side by side two horses that hate each other in the pasture, they will travel tense.
Traveling alone is not traveling without a safety net. A charged phone, a shared route, tidy handling at loading, and you drive with an easy mind.