My big point-to-point ride at the end of last year through the Seneca Creek backcountry required a bit of logistical creativity. The plan was to drop the horse trailer at the end point and have a motorcycle available for the ride home. To make that work, the bike was loaded into the trailer, carefully secured, and then we took a test drive up and down the mountain to be sure everything was stable.
I even rode in the back of the trailer alongside the motorcycle so we could be absolutely certain it was secure and troubleshoot any issues in real time.
Now, I don’t know about y’all, but although I’ve often heard that riding in the horse compartment is a great way to understand what we put our animals through, I had never actually done it before.
It. Was. FASCINATING!
I came away with a much better understanding of how motion affects horses and how constantly they must adjust and brace themselves - something I knew, but experiencing it was so valuable. I also learned just how easily unsecured items - not the moto, it didn't budge an inch! - shift and create an ungodly racket.
Holy hell.
One divider extender clicked relentlessly as we bumped down the gravel mountain road. When I put tension on the bars, the noise stopped—so I made a mental note to wrap it in paracord to create that same tension in the future. Any loose straps with metal fittings banged around if they weren’t properly fastened, and those got added to the fix-it list as well.
But more than the inner workings of the trailer clattering, the hanging tack on the shared wall between the tack room and the horse compartment was UNGODLY loud. Yes, the rough gravel road amplified everything, and I’m sure pavement would have softened the effect. But still. It wasn’t okay.
I could not believe my horses load into that trailer so willingly every single time, knowing that kind of noise is part of the experience. We truly do not deserve them. They are so, so good.
Once the test drive was over and the trailer was parked again, I went straight to the tack room to figure out a solution. It quickly became clear that with a bit of adhesive and some foam insulation, I could dampen most of the sound. Easy fix.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to complete the project before the point-to-point with Grif. For that trip, I simply moved the bridles, breastplates, and girths from the shared wall to the gooseneck area to minimize the noise.
Now, correlation doesn’t equal causation. There were other factors at play like recent, frequent travel that always helps with habituation and anxiety. But when we arrived at the drop-off for the ride, Grif was noticeably calmer and not sweaty at all from the trip. I know he has a strong aversion to certain noises, and the tack banging against the wall was very similar to sounds that unsettle him. Whether the quieter ride directly caused his calmer demeanor or not, I’m confident it made the journey more pleasant.
In the weeks after that final ride, I stopped by Lowes and picked up about $25 worth of materials to permanently address the shared-wall noise. Once home, I cut the foam sheet to fit the wall panels where the tack hangs, cleaned the surfaces, applied adhesive, and pressed the foam into place. The entire process took less than half an hour.
I’m looking forward to the riding season ahead knowing my horses will travel in a much more peaceful space.
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend riding in the back of your own trailer sometime. Seeing, and hearing, the experience from their perspective is eye-opening. These animals give us so much. The least we can do is make their trailering journeys as comfortable as possible.
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