Inspect the trailer several days before travel, starting with the floor: lift every mat, press and probe the boards or panels for rot, then check tyres including perished sidewalls, correct pressures and the spare. Continue with brakes, lights, coupling, latches, ramp springs, partition pins and hinges, opening and closing each fitting by hand, and finish any repair before loading day rather than at the ramp. The timing matters as much as the list. A fault found several days out can still be repaired, a part ordered and a borrowed trailer arranged, while the same fault found beside a loaded horse becomes a cancellation or a dangerous temptation to travel anyway. Work in the order below, from the structure that carries the horse outward to the fittings you touch last.
Floor First: Lift the Mats and Probe for Rot
The floor carries the horse, hides under mats, and rots quietly where urine and damp collect, so it earns the first check, done slowly and by hand. Lift every mat fully rather than folding back a corner, wash or brush the surface clean, and press along every board or panel, especially around the edges, the rear where horses stand during loading, and any spot that stays damp. Probe suspect wood with a screwdriver; sound timber resists, while rotted fibres crumble or let the blade sink. On aluminium floors, look for corrosion, pitting and white powdery patches, and check the bearers and cross-members underneath from below with a torch. Flex or softness anywhere underfoot means the trailer does not travel until that section is repaired, since a hoof breaking through a floor at speed can be catastrophic. Check the ramp surface and its covering the same way, since a horse's hindquarters load the ramp heavily at every entry and exit.
Tyres, Brakes, Lights and Coupling
Trailer tyres perish from standing as much as from mileage, so examine sidewalls closely for cracking, crazing and bulges, check tread depth, and set pressures to the trailer maker's figures with the trailer loaded as it will travel. Inspect the spare with the same care and confirm the jack and wheel brace fit and work, since a spare you cannot fit is dead weight. Test brakes by applying them during a short tow on private ground or a quiet road: the trailer should slow the outfit evenly without snatching, pulling aside or a clunk from the coupling, and the handbrake should hold the trailer alone on a slope. Plug in the electrics and check every light with a helper behind the trailer: side lights, brake lights, indicators, number plate light and interior light. Examine the coupling for wear, confirm it locks positively onto the ball, attach the breakaway cable correctly, and check safety chains where fitted. Any doubt on brakes or coupling goes to a trailer specialist before the journey, not into a mental note for next time.
Latches, Ramp Springs, Partitions and Hinges
Finish with everything your hands operate on the day, testing each fitting by opening, closing and loading it as you will at the yard. Ramp springs should assist the lift without a dead spot or a sudden drop, and ramp hinges should run straight without grinding or play. Partition pins must slide home fully and stay put under a firm shake, breast and breech bars should seat securely at the heights your horse travels at, and every door latch, window catch and groom's door lock should close positively with one action. Lubricate stiff hinges and catches, replace bent pins and worn clips, and check the interior for protruding screws, cracked kick boards and loose trim a travelling horse could catch. Sweep out old bedding, check the spare halter and rope you carry, and close the inspection by walking once around the hitched outfit at horse height and driver height. In KinsLe, Care Teams turns this inspection into assigned duties, so one person signs off the floor and tyres while another confirms lights and latches before departure.