"Try Before You Buy Campaign"

From Double D Trailers
To: Potential Customers
We are thinking of adding a "Try before you buy campaign" which would allow you as a customer to schedule a trailer at your place. We know there are many folks looking to purchase a trailer but are hesitant about purchasing site unseen or for other reasons. Our question is, would something like this be helpful to you and what sort of guidelines would you agree to. Your input will help us put together a program that will help both of us, your response is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Sales Team at Double D Trailers

Your Horse's Nutrition and Long Distance Horse Trailering - Part I

Your Horse's Nutrition and Long Distance Horse Trailering - Part I

Your Horse’s Nutrition and Long Distance Horse Trailering– Part I

As summer fast approaches, many will be hitting the roads and traveling long distances with their horses. Lengthy trailer rides can take a physical and mental toll on your horse. A good way to prepare him for this stress is to boost the nutritional value of his meals prior to your departure.

To learn more, we spoke with Dr. Juliet Getty, Ph.D., about measures to take that will improve a horse’s immune function, and protect the nervous system against stress before embarking on a long trip of 12 hours or more. Dr. Getty is an equine nutritionist who offers one-on-one consulting services for horse owners as well as a free online forum and a supplement store. For more information, visit Dr. Getty’s Web site at www.GettyEquineNutrition.com.

Dr. Getty advises that before any long trailer trips, it’s important to first assess your horse’s condition. Even healthy, fit horses that are accustomed to trailering long distances need help preparing for the rigors of travel. If your horse isn’t healthy, is aging, or is inexperienced with shipping, you need to address these issues well before it’s time to depart.

A balanced diet is essential to good health so before you begin supplementing for your long trip, you might want to review what your horse eats daily and make adjustments if necessary. Dr. Getty provided guidelines for what a balanced diet should include.

• As much good-quality grass hay and/or pasture that your horse wants.
• For horses exercised regularly, feed a concentrated feed source to provide extra calories. Depending on the horse, you may or may not need to feed according to the manufacturer’s directions.
• A comprehensive vitamin/mineral supplement to fill in the gaps potentially not covered by the commercial feed.
• Additional Vitamin E if your horse’s diet is not already providing 1500 to 2000 IU per day. Be careful of Vitamin E supplements containing Selenium. Too much Selenium can be toxic. Review how much Selenium your horse gets from his overall diet; it shouldn’t be more than 3 mg per day. An equine nutritionist can help you with these calculations. If your horse already receives enough Selenium, be sure to supplement with pure Vitamin E, not a Vitamin E/Se combination.
• A commercial, stabilized flaxseed meal product if it’s not included in the commercial feed. Flaxseeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which boost immunity, reduce inflammation of joints and muscles, and help keep the coat and hooves healthy.
• Clean water free from algae, insects, and bird droppings. It should be available at all times.
• Additional salt if your horse doesn’t consume a 5 lb. salt block within two months. Add 2 tablespoons of plain, white, iodized table salt (the kind you buy at the grocery store) to his feed daily; in hot weather, increase to 4 tablespoons per day – but not all in one meal. This can replace any commercial electrolyte products you might be using.

Next week, we continue our interview with Dr. Getty. We’ll discuss when you should begin supplementing your horse’s daily ration in preparation for your trip, and what nutrients you should add to boost his immune function and protect his nervous system against stress, so watch for us in your inbox!

Virginia Horse Trailer Testimonial

Hi Brad.

I just wanted to follow up with you in regards to the delivery of my new Horse Trailer. It was delivered the Saturday before I was leaving out of town and I wanted to thank you and I believe, Johnny, for making that happen. Johnny ( I couldn't remember if he said Jimmy or Johnny as I was so excited!) was very friendly and delivered the trailer exactly when he indicated. He went through all the features of the trailer and made me feel very comfortable with it.

I returned yesterday from Alabama and finally have found time to go out and sit in it!!! What a great feeling. I even think the horses have taken a liking to it. The trailer is beautiful and all my riding buddies have stopped by, in my absence, to take a tour to of the new digs and they are impressed.

Johnny mentioned there was to be an adapter for plugging the trailer to an extension cord and into the house. He indicated he would let you know it was missing and have one sent to me. I just wanted to follow up on that as well. I really am not sure what he was talking about.

Thank you again for making this a great experience and the trailer is headed out on it's first trail ride this weekend!!!

Kelli K. Sherwin, Virginia

Your Horse's Back - Careful How you mount up

Your Horse’s Back – Careful How You Mount Up, Horse Trailer Safety

We all know that back pain can really interfere with daily life. Having a sore back makes even the simplest chores difficult. So imagine how back pain can hamper your horse’s performance.

Equine chiropractors and massage therapists have become as commonplace as the veterinarian in helping to treat back ailments. Likewise, more riders seek the advice of professional saddle fitters when selecting a saddle for their horse, because it’s common knowledge that an ill-fitting saddle can be detrimental to how your horse responds during work.

But have you ever stopped to consider whether the way you mount your horse affects his back? One study has.

At the Mary Anne McPhail Equine Performance Center, a part of Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Hilary Clayton and colleagues performed such an investigation.

The experiment involved ten riders of varying heights and weights and one horse, a 14-year old gelding, who was clinically sound with no back problems. All participants rode the horse in a properly fitted dressage saddle.

The pad beneath the saddle was fitted with several sensors, each designed to measure the pressure exerted when the horse was mounted. Then, the results were analyzed to determine the overall rates of pressure.

Each rider took turns mounting the horse, first from the ground and then a mounting platform. The outcome of the analysis showed that the withers play a major part in stabilizing the saddle as the rider mounts. The force exerted on the wither area was greatest as the rider balanced in the left stirrup while swinging the right leg upwards. This force reached its highest measurement when the heaviest riders mounted from the ground. During the mounting process, the right side of the horse’s withers experienced the most pressure.

The outcome of this study may make you rethink how you mount your horse, regardless of your height and weight. If there’s a mounting block handy, try using it to reduce the pressure placed on your horse’s withers every time you climb on. And make sure your saddle fits well, especially over the withers to avoid inflicting any additional pressure.
Keep your horse comfortable and he’ll always be happy in his work.

Purchasing a Horse Trailer, learn the lingo, Part 2

Purchasing a Horse Trailer

Learn the Lingo, Part 2

Last week’s newsletter, for those of you who missed it, talked about terms you’re likely to hear when Horse Trailer shopping.

If you’re a first-time buyer, being able to understand and speak the language will make your shopping experience and purchasing decision easier.

So, to increase your knowledge and expand your vocabulary even further, we’re giving you some more terms this week.

Chassis – the frame that supports the structure of a Horse Trailer.

Galvaneal – what Double D Horse Trailers are made of. Galvaneal is galvanized steel which, when painted, provides superior, long-lasting corrosion resistance. The auto industry uses Galvaneal to build pickup truck beds. It’s less expensive than aluminum yet far sturdier and more durable, so better able to withstand the flex and stress of the road. (To learn more about Galvaneal, click here.)

Receiver Hitch – type of hitch used for pulling a tag-along trailer. Receiver hitches mount to the frame of the towing vehicle either by bolts or welding. Mandatory for towing and the only hitch legal in all states, use a Class III or IV frame-mounted receiver hitch to safely haul your tag-along trailer.

Sway Bar – a bar (or bars) attached to the trailer hitch to help control trailer sway. Sway bars are often confused with weight distribution bars, but they aren’t the same. Weight distribution bars help distribute the weight of the trailer between the trailer and the tow vehicle, making towing safer and easier. (See Double D’s blog post dated February 27, 2008 for an in-depth discussion on weight distribution bars.) Chances are if you need sway bars, your trailer has suspension problems, uneven tire pressure, or it’s not level. Correcting these issues should eliminate the need for them.

Undercarriage – the supporting framework that runs underneath a Horse Trailer. The axles attach to this. Also, the undercarriage is part of the chassis.

Unladen Weight – the weight of the trailer including the mats, spare tire, and other trailer accessories, but exclusive of its load (i.e., horses and gear.) You’ll often find the unladen weight listed on the trailer’s Certificate of Origin or on the Title.

Okay, before you reach overload, let’s stop here.

We hope the focus of these last two newsletters has been helpful. Did they answer your questions or raise new ones? Send us an email or post a comment on our Trailer blog. We’d love to hear from you!

Purchasing a Horse Trailer

Learn the Lingo

Purchasing a horse trailer, especially for the first time, can be a daunting undertaking. So many things to consider – aluminum or steel, new or used, bumper pull or gooseneck, slant load or straight load – the choices are dizzying! And on top of all that, there’s the horse trailer lingo.

Ignorance may be bliss, but not when you’re about to plop down a good chunk of change on a beautiful, new, living quarters horse trailer!

To help you out, this week’s newsletter defines some terms that you’re likely to hear when trailer shopping, yet may have no clue what they mean. So here we go…

Breakaway brake– an independent braking device housed on the trailer’s coupler and equipped with a battery. While hauling, if your trailer and towing vehicle become unhitched, the breakaway brake activates the trailer’s brakes so the trailer stops.

(You’re probably wondering how the breakaway brake knows that the trailer and towing vehicle have become separated. Good question. The battery has a removable pin that’s attached to a cable. When you hitch up, you’ll attach this cable to the vehicle or the hitch frame. Should the trailer break away during travel, the cable becomes taut, thereby pulling the pin from the battery, which activates the brakes.)

Coupler – the part of the trailer that "couples” or joins the trailer to the hitch ball whether the trailer is a bumper pull or gooseneck.

Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) – the weight of a trailer when fully loaded. Also known as Gross Weight (GW). Fully loaded means with horses, gear, and all trailer accessories such as mats and spare tire. Technically, your GVW can fluctuate depending on what you’re towing. Two 17 hand warmbloods will be heavier than two Shetland ponies.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) – a value assigned by the trailer manufacturer which reflects the recommended maximum loaded weight of a single vehicle. The GVWR for a horse trailer depends on the axle and coupler capacity. So, a horse trailer with two axles rated at 2500 lbs. each and a two inch ball coupler rated at 5000 lbs. gives the trailer a 5000 lb. GVWR. It is illegal and unsafe to load a trailer in excess of its GVWR.

Okay. That’s it for this week; expect a quiz next week (just kidding!)

When making a major purchase like a horse trailer, you can’t educate yourself too much. The more you know, the better buying decision you’ll make.

Trailer More Safely with Weight Distribution Bars

Trailer more Safely with Weight Distribution Bars

If you’re considering
bumper pull horse trailer trailer or currently own one, you’ve probably heard of a weight distribution bar. Maybe you’ve wondered if your rig needs them. Understanding the basics of a weight distributing hitch can help you decide if you should be using one.

Weight distribution bars, also known as stabilizer bars or equalizer bars, more evenly distribute the trailer’s weight between the trailer and the towing vehicle.

Have you ever seen a bumper pull
trailer hitched to a vehicle whose back end was sagging down? Hopefully, your trailer and vehicle doesn’t look this way because if it does, it means the rear axles of the vehicle are carrying too much tongue weight. This lightens the front end of the vehicle which can create float or bounce as you travel. (To use an analogy, think of what happens when your horse rears; you don’t want that happening to your vehicle while pulling a trailer!)

Properly adjusted weight distribution bars alleviate this problem by displacing the weight resting on the hitch ball and rear axles. Instead, the bars take up the weight and distribute it through the frame of the tow vehicle and the trailer, thus leveling the two. With the weight better distributed, you put less wear and tear on your towing vehicle and your trailer tows better and more safely.

Should you be using weight distribution bars? To find out, check the rating sticker on your hitch, it will list two weight ratings. One rate applies to the weight-carrying load, which is the maximum your hitch can support without using weight distribution bars. The other rate applies to the weight-distribution load, which is the maximum load you can pull using weight distribution bars.

So, for example, let’s say your weight-carrying rating is 2500 lbs. and your weight-distribution is 6500 lbs. You’re heading out to a show with your gear and your 1200 lb. horse. If your trailer weighs 2500 lbs. empty and you’ve added 1200 lbs. plus the weight of your gear, you’ve exceeded the weight-carrying rating and should be using weight distribution bars.

The importance of outfitting your
horse trailerand towing vehicle with the right equipment can’t be emphasized enough. The safety of you and your horse is first and foremost with Double D Trailers. If you have questions about your hitch setup or hitches in general, feel free to call us at 1-800-435-6274 or email us at sales@doubledtrailers.com.

And, keep an eye on your inbox for Double D’s upcoming weekly newsletters. We’ll be talking more about hitches, choosing towing vehicles, and lots of other useful stuff - so stay tuned.