June 2009

Horse Trailer Hitching Made Easy

Much like matrimony, it takes the right combination to make things go smoothly.

By Nancy Butler

Some people have little problem backing up to their horse trailers, dropping the tongue on the ball and taking off for a show, event or trail ride. Then there are the rest of us. We back up, get out and look, pull forward, move over three inches, back up again, get out and look. . . .

The Hitchin’ Rods are inexpensive and simple to use. Set them straight, one on the trailer and one on the ball (top photo). When you knock the one on the ball off, you’re lined up (left).

We looked at ways to make hitching up alone easier and found there are some tricks to learning how to back up straight. And there are some silent assistants available that can help make hitching up a trailer a one-person job. …