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All about horses in northern B.C. Issue # 102: November 20, 2001 Published each Tuesday by Kristi McCrindle, editor, Grassy Plains, BC Wow, here I am wrapping up the Buying a Horse Trailer series, and coming closer to the end of the Emergency series, and I am once again running out of topics! If you readers have any questions you'd like answered, topics you'd like researched and discussed, or if you would like to be a guest contributor, please email me at kristi@hiway16.com We are here for you readers but we need your ideas in order to serve you better - tell us what you'd like to see and we will try to do it! Is anyone interested in colour genetics? I am thinking of doing a short series on that - talking about breeding for roans, greys, duns, palominos, etc. photo courtesy Chris Hassell . I am on a few different mailing lists regarding colour genetics and they are a super resource for our questions. Other than that, I am on the verge of repeating our Archives, so please speak up and send me some ideas! Till next week, keep those thinking caps on and keep sending me suggestions... ~ Kristi :) email to editor: kristi@hiway16.com Photo Show for horse photos Horse articles (word search: horse) Check our Horse Trailer Sharing Page or... add your listing if you wish to share your horse trailer ride Join us for a discussion about everything to do with horses on Horse Talk Your opportunity to meet horse enthusiasts across northern B.C

	Past articles are all available in the
Emergency! Part 3 Trailering and Contingency plans		Buying a Horse Trailer, the Hitch
Here in Northern BC, most of us are not anywhere near the vet and therefore in case of an emergency, a trailer becomes extremely important. Consider keeping your trailer insured year round - the insurance premium is not that much higher on most trailers and is well worth the cost if you should need your trailer during the winter months. With winter in mind, also plan to keep your trailer free of snow and accessible - if you can store your trailer indoors all the better, but if not, plan to have snow carefully plowed away from the trailer so that you can hook up in an emergency. Also keep in mind that no matter how prepared we may be for an emergency, when we leave home for holidays or work, our emergency plans have just changed. Organize people ahead of time to act as the support system for whoever is around when you aren't. If you are not home, make sure whoever is taking care of your horses is familiar with your trailer and its hookup (or that they have an insured trailer of their own should the need arise). Make sure the person you pick is comfortable handling your horses, and if they are not, then line up your emergency support people to be available for your replacement - keep this list of phone numbers in an easy to find place such as with the feed list, or instructions you have left for the person in charge. If your truck and trailer is not available when you are away, find someone whose rig is. It's a good idea to have a names of people with trucks and trailers on your list of support personnel. Make sure you trailer train your horses - I can't stress this enough! Also, when talking to Dr. Britt Mills, she reminded me that many people wait until their foals are older before halter breaking, but babies get hurt too, and not much is worse than trying to trailer an injured, stressed out, unhalter-broke yearling. So take the time if you haven't already to accustom your baby to the halter and lead, and to the trailer. For more information on trailer training, refer to our Archives from March 5, 2001 to April 2, 2001. More on emergency transportation next week.	Northern B.C. Horse is brought to you courtesy of our advertisers including: Burns Lake Building Supplies Griffin Enterprises Hoskins Ford Northern Horse Supply Ridennoure Paint Horses The Tack Store Thanks to our advertisers for making this all possible... ...for information about advertising, email jim@hiway16.com Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page. Kristi is building a great knowledge base about horses, with the emphasis on our area of the world.	So, you have looked at several trailers by now, and have pretty much decided on one. It fits your budget, your requirements for space, and checks out safety wise. Also under the topic of safety is to make sure you match your new trailer to your tow vehicle! A four horse steel trailer is far too big for a half-ton truck, and even a two horse steel trailer is not considered safe behind a station wagon. Keep your vehicle factors in mind when you make your final decision. Run through some other checklists - while these may not make or break your decision, they are important to consider. Is the hitch an easy to hook up style? Try it! I have had one really easy trailer (jack was on a wheel and the hitch was spring loaded) and one really tough trailer (jack was not on a wheel and the hitch opened right up, making it difficult to line up on it without a second person helping). If you are looking at a gooseneck, know whether or not you can lower the trailer onto the ball once centred, or if you have to line up the heights just right and drive under it. If the trailer is equipped with equalizer bars (also called sway bars), you will need to have a hitch on your truck that supports them. Equalizer bars help eliminate sway and are a good idea on larger trailers and lighter trucks. Check and see how far back the hitch frame goes - we were shocked to discover that the hitch frame on our four horse steel trailer ended at the FRONT of the tack room! Of course, we discovered this when the tack room collapsed from a combination of rust damage and overloading the trailer (thankfully household goods and NOT horses!). The frame is the integral part of the trailer, and as the hitch is part of that frame, it is important to find the frame and hitch rust free and in good condition. Next week, I'll summarize this series on buying a horse trailer.
	If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com

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