To the editor:
When I lived in a big city, I would speed up, pass and get in front of a tractor trailer truck approaching a stop light.
Just too impatient to wait those few seconds while the driver got his truck back up to speed after the light turned green.
It was only after learning to haul horses in our trailer that I got educated and developed better driving habits where trucks and trailers are concerned.
I am hoping that the following info, prompted by a post I saw on Facebook, will help you understand why we horse-haulers (and other haulers) drive the way we do.
Our horses mean the world to us, and most of us consider them family.
When we take our horses somewhere, we are carrying precious cargo weighing approximately 1,000 pounds each. Our two horse bumper pull trailer, for example, weighs about 6,000 pounds with two horses, tack, etc. It’s difficult to slow down or stop suddenly when hauling any kind of  heavy load, and turns have to be taken slowly.
Driving well is even more important when hauling horses, because they are trying to balance and stay upright back there and they don’t have hands to hold on! To feel what the horses feel, my husband and I have actually taken turns riding in the trailer not holding on (without the horses) – it’s enlightening.
So, we horse-haulers try to avoid hitting the brakes, signal and slow down long before an upcoming turn, and we have to swing wide to make that turn.
Understand that we are doing this for the safety of our horses. If a horse falls inside the trailer, it could mean the last trip he or she will ever make.
Tractor trailers slow down when going uphill, and so does a truck pulling a horse trailer. We also go slower than the posted speed limit and try to allow more space between us and the vehicles in front because of our longer stopping distance.
Some of our local roads go for miles without any passing opportunities, and we often feel sorry for folks behind us.
Hopefully, those folks will understand why it’s important and necessary for us to drive the way we do. Thank you for your understanding.

– Sheila Williamson Veatch