USRider Equestrian Motor Plan TM HITCHSpring 2012 UP! Your Quarterly Guide to Trailer Safety & Travel Published by AIM Equine Network Keynotes This issue: Check your breakaway battery; find equine- transportation info online; find out about a high-tech 5 horse ID; download handy iPhone apps; and more. Member Story Rainstorm Nightmare. This USRider Member was hauling his daughter’s beloved mare when a 9 breakdown left his rig in a precarious situation. 12 Trailer Clinic Slow the Backup. When you unload your horse from the trailer, does he back out too quickly? Use 12 Julie Goodnight’s technique to slow him down. Destinations 14 Red Cliffs & Rugged Canyons. Head to the Texas Panhandle for red sandstone cliffs, rugged caprock canyons, and juniper- 1314 covered hills interlaced with wandering trails. Bonus slideshow! Seasonal Tip Trailer Spruce-Up Tips. Use these trailer spruce- up tips to boost your horse’s comfort and your 16 trailer’s resale value. On-the-Go Gear This issue: Slow feeder; handy hitch; three-horse 20 trailer; deluxe hay bag; portable heated chair; 18 electrolyte supplement. Bonus videos! Hauling Hints Size Up Your Trailer. Whatever style trailer you have, make sure your horse has enough room to move his head, 20 neck, and legs for balance. Here are expert guidelines. USRider Community This issue: Sign up for Large-Animal Emergency Rescue Training; request roadside-assistance reimbursement; USRider 25 testimonials; USRider’s 10th Anniversary, and more. At USRider, the safety of our Members and their Horses is our top priority. To help us keep the focus on, as well as show our USRider Benefits respect to, these invaluable components of USRider, we capi- USRider recognizes benefits partners in the talize the words “Member” and “Horse” where these words money-saving Winner’s Circle Advantage relate to our membership program. 28 Benefits Program. Bonus video! COVER PHOTO BY HEIDI NYLAND MELOCCO 2 USRider Equestrian Motor Plan CLICK CORNER Welcome to Hitch Up! TO TURN PAGE SpringHITC 2012 Welcome to the Spring 2012 issue of Hitch Up! magazine, KEYNOTES brought to you by the talented staffs of USRider Equestrian Motor Your QuarterlyH Guide toUP! Trailer Safety & Travel Plan, EquiSearch.com, and Active Interest Media Equine Network. ON-THE-GO GEAR TM In this issue, trailering expert Neva Kittrell Scheve tells you how to determine whether your trailer is the right size for your horse, and top trainer/clinician Julie Goodnight explains how to teach STORY MEMBER your horse to back out of the trailer slowly, safely, and on cue. Plus, you’ll learn how to spruce up your trailer to enhance Trailers & your horse’s comfort and boost your trailer’s resale value. Trailering We also take you for a scenic ride through Texas’ rugged Accessories It´s canyons and relate the story of a Member who lost power in a Live Links! FREE to CLINIC TRAILER rainstorm while hauling his daughter’s beloved mare. Subscribe! And don’t miss our safety tips, trailering gear, Safety News • Member Story • Not a subscriber? USRider Community news, valuable USRider Published by AIM Equine Network On-the-Go Gear • Click on the sub- Member benefits, and more! Travel Tips • scribe icon USRider on anyCommunity • page, or see USRiderDESTINATIONS Benefits • page 30. Functionality Communication Navigation TIPSEASONAL Click to Zoom E-Mail Us Turn Page Click to enlarge any Click this icon. Click any corner element on the page. to turn the page. Subscribe ON-THE-GO GEAR Click to Click for your free Home Start Video subscription to Hitch Up! quarterly Click here to online magazine. return to the table of contents. Click to Stop Video Navigation Bar HAULING HINTS PLUS! More ways to make the On every page is a direct link to most of Hitch Up! each section. Just roll your mouse Information Use the new tools below each page to: over a selection and click! • Go to any page in this issue. Click for More • Send this issue to a friend, or to your Click to view the favorite social network. COMMUNITYUSR rest of the story and/or more • Download a PDF. information. • Save or send a clipping. This publication may briefly summarize some of the benefits of USRider membership. In the event of a conflict between this publication and These tools the USRider Service Contract, the Service Contract shall control. Copies of the Service Contract are available at www.usrider.org. USRider appear on every page BENEFITSUSR does not endorse products featured in this publication; they are presented only to provide information to horse owners. USRider receives no income from advertising that appears in this publication, nor does it endorse any advertisers or products that appear. ® USRider Equestrian Motor Plan LIKE US ON E-MAIL US SUBSCRIBE RETURN TO Hitch Up! e-Magazine • Spring 2012 3 FACEBOOK NOW FREE! HOME PAGE STRAIGHT ARROW FROM: ABBY MCDOUGALL SENT: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 10:30 AM TO: ANNIE KENNEDY; BENJIE LEMON; BILL RISS; BOB KLINER; DAVE ANDRICK; GREG MEDLEY; KIM DOUGLAS; MARY WATTS; MITCH MILLER; NICK GRIGGS; RICK SWAN; TERRI BAINBRIDGE SUBJECT: HITCHUP SPRING CLOSING HI ALL - THE SPRING ISSUE OF “HITCH UP” IS CLOSING ON WEDNES- DAY. PLEASE SEND YOUR IO’S TO TERRI AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU WILL BE BOOKING ANY ADS. SO FAR THE ADS BOOKED ARE: DOWNUNDER HORSEMANSHIP STRAIGHT ARROW MATERIALS FOR THESE ARE DUE SOON. THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! Keynotes KEYNOTES Check Your Breakaway Battery KEYNOTES LOVELAND, CO (AP) - Loveland firefighters and other rescuers had to peel away a trailer to save a horse after the trailer broke loose and wrecked in traffic. The trailer was being towed in the Big Thompson Canyon on Saturday when the trailer broke loose and raced down a hill, hitting a car and pinning the horse inside. STORY MEMBER Owner Patrick Lambke tells the Loveland Reporter-Herald the horse suffered minor injuries and is expected to recover. — Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Imagine what would happen if your extended periods. If possible, store CLINIC TRAILER trailer became disconnected from the battery in a warm area away from your tow vehicle, and your emergency children. HEIDI NYLAND MELOCCO PHOTO breakaway battery was fully dis- • Use the proper battery for your Imagine what would happen if your trail- charged. Disaster! breakaway system. Consult your er became disconnected from your tow However, when a breakaway system owner’s manual, or check with the vehicle, and your emergency breakaway DESTINATIONS is working properly, it’ll lock the brakes trailer manufacturer. battery was fully discharged. Disaster! automatically if the trailer becomes • If the battery has removable cell caps, disconnected from the tow vehicle. maintain acid levels by adding dis- To help maintain a battery’s charge, “Be a good steward — don’t take tilled water. Take care when adding USRider highly recommends a built-in chances with the safety and welfare water. Wear protective eyewear, and battery charger. These systems can be of your precious cargo,” said Bill Riss, don’t overfill. installed on your tow vehicle to charge TIPSEASONAL general manager of USRider, the na- • Maintain the charge. Don’t allow your battery every time you tow. tionwide roadside assistance program a battery to remain discharged for If you use your rig infrequently, for equestrians. extended periods. Twelve-volt batter- use a charging system that provides To ensure your breakaway system is ies are considered totally discharged a “float” charge for extended times in good working order, USRider offers below 11.9 volts. Check voltage with a when your trailer isn’t in use. If you’re ON-THE-GO GEAR the following safety tips: digital voltmeter. a frequent traveler, use a breakaway- • Have a qualified mechanic annually battery system with a built-in charger test the system for proper operation. and battery-status LED. • Have the battery load tested to check Keep your trailer’s brake and electri- the current. A qualified trailer me- cal system in good condition, as well. HAULING HINTS chanic or personnel at most auto- “We’ve seen numerous wiring issues parts stores can perform this test. with horse trailers,” said Riss. USRider • Replace old and weak batteries. has addressed this issue with a safety • Regularly inspect the cable and switch bulletin recommending that all horse for the breakaway system. Replace owners have their horse trailers’ wiring COMMUNITYUSR the cable if it’s showing signs of wear. checked by a competent mechanic. • Keep the top of the battery and the CLIX PHOTO “Regretfully, the wire-handling aspects battery terminals clean. A small wire Keep your trailer’s brake and electrical on most horse trailers are a black-eye brush and dielectric grease will help system in good condition. “We’ve seen in the trailer-manufacturing industry.” maintain an optimum electrical con- numerous wiring issues with horse trail- For additional trailer safety informa- nection. Remove the battery when ers,” said Bill Riss, general manager of tion, visit www.usrider.org, and go to BENEFITSUSR the trailer is stored or isn’t used for USRider. the Equine Travel Safety Area. USR More Keynotes ➽ ® USRider Equestrian Motor Plan LIKE US ON E-MAIL US SUBSCRIBE RETURN TO Hitch Up! e-Magazine • Spring 2012 5 FACEBOOK NOW FREE! HOME PAGE Keynotes High-Tech Horse ID Global Animal Management, a wholly erinarian using a special camera. The “Once a horse is enrolled, the eyeD owned subsidiary of Merck and Co., Inc., images are electronically stored, along identification can be attached to other has announced the launch of eyeD™, a with pedigree-registration photos, medi- pieces of information, such as health revolutionary equine identification solu- cal records, and other information.