HJM Emmett 4 Horses

28/05/2023

Too Many Still Don’t Know this when towing !
So many cars that shouldn’t be towing out on the road !

HORSE FLOATS
A GUIDE TO SAFE TOWING OF YOUR HORSE FLOAT.

How to keep you and your horses safe.

Take a walk around the local pony / horse clubs and you will see some large and often dangerous rigs. You will see some towed by vehicles not legally allowed to tow such a weight.

Horse riding and carriage driving are popular and enjoyable pastime for many people and is a popular and a fun weekend activity for many, however, some starting out, are towing often with limited driving and towing education or experience.

The horses also need to be transported, usually with a horse float towed behind the family car, 4 x 4 or ute. Often little consideration is given to the legalities and safety issues of transporting such a large animal.

SOME BASIC FACTS

HORSE WEIGHTS and sizes vary greatly from a Shetland pony at around 8-10 hands height at 200 – 225kgs, a heavy weight hack at 16 – 17 hands height at 450 to 600 kgs up to a draught horse at 16 - 18 hands height at 550 to 800 kgs or more. Weights courtesy DPI NSW.

TACK WEIGHT also varies greatly depending on activity and the number of horses to transport but can easily average 20 – 40 kgs.

SADDLES vary on type and size but can average at around 10 to 25kgs each.

FEED – a bale of hay can weight approx. 25kgs and a bag of feed will be around 20kgs.
Adding all that up we have a basic average weight of around 700 to 800 kgs per horse with feed saddle and tack.

HORSE FLOATS

Floats vary in size and function. They are built heavy and strong due to the heavy and moving load they are designed to carry. There is the very basic one-horse float (not popular) to the two, three, four and more horse floats with kitchens, sleeping accommodation, storage, portable panels and fences and awnings.

Many floats are left parked in a paddock and often neglected until they are needed for the next event. In the meantime, the horses have urinated in the float causing rotting of the floors and rusting of the frame axles and other components. Cleaning after each trip will assist but it is not the whole answer and regular maintenance checks are vital for a safe float. When did you last really check your float underneath?

Tyre pressures, age and conditions should be checked before each trip. More on tyres and how to tell the tyre age on our web site.

A two-horse float can cost upwards of $13,000 and have a tare weight (unladen weight) of around 800 kgs with an ATM of approx. 2,000 kgs, (Maximum total legally allowable weigh of the float and all load in / on it). All vary so check the legally allowable weights of your float and its load.

The three-horse float can cost over $23,000 and have a tare weight of around 1,300 kgs and an ATM of approx. 3,500kgs, making them ‘on paper’, just towable with many popular 4 x 4 light vehicles.
But there is far more to the story than towing capacities when discussing can that car legally tow that trailer or float.

LEGALITIES OF SAFE TOWING

Towing a horse float has basically the same legal responsibilities as towing a caravan, boat, or any other large trailer. The main difference is that you have a live, moving load with a high centre of gravity on board, making stability a bit trickier.
The driver is responsible to ensure that the tow vehicle and trailer, (in this case, the horse float) are all loaded correctly, and weights, hitches and chains are all within legal limits.

The tow vehicle MUST have the capacity to tow the float within the manufacturers Aggerate Trailer Mass (ATM), the tow vehicle and trailers tow ball weight (TBW) as well as the towing vehicles Gross Combined Mass (GCM).

YES, IT IS MUCH MORE THAN THE GLOSSY BROCHURE TOLD YOU ABOUT TOWING CAPACITY.

If you are over in ANY one of these weights you are driving an unroadworthy vehicle, and your insurance can be voided. Yes, read your insurance policy. All insurance can be voided if driving an overweight vehicle and an unroadworthy vehicle. Voided on both points.
Apart from that it is beyond the manufacturers recommended vehicle limits and you are a danger to yourself, your horse or horses, and all other vehicles on the roads.

It was reported that a triple horse float pulled be a Colorado dual cab ute was stopped by police at random roadside weight checks in Qld last year. The float had a basic kitchen and some accommodation. The driver was instructed not to proceed as they were over the limits of the Colorado and forced to empty 100l of water (100kgs) from the water tank just to be able to drive on the road to their destination.

The interesting thing was, IN THIS CASE THE TRIPLE HORSE FLOAT WAS EMPTY. Can you imagine how much overweight this rig would be if they had 3 x 500kg horses also on board. After all, that is the intention of owning the float.

An article on the Truck Friendly web site under Road Safety Info on dual cab utes marketing hype helps explain legal towing capacities and GCM, GVM and other weight legal compliance.

https://www.truckfriendly.com.au/the-dual-cab-ute-marketing-hype/

HOW TO FIND OUT IF YOU ARE DRIVING LEGALLY.

Basically, the easy way is to have your fully loaded vehicle and float weighed on your next outing.

Many local councils will allow you to use their weighbridge at the dump, and there are also commercial weighbridges available.

I will be reporting on our page about some big changes to make it a lot easier to weigh your vehicles, floats and trailers shortly, so follow our page for more on this soon.

However, the mobile weigh companies will weigh each wheel and axle individually, the tow ball down-load weight and the weight of your tow vehicle. This will give you much more information to see where the weight is. Anything else involves guesswork.

There is a list of mobile scales companies throughout Australia who can weigh your rig (preferable fully loaded for an event) to see just how much your rig weighs for peace of mind. The list is published during the first week of each month on the Truck Friendly caravan road safety program page. You are welcome to share it among club members and the wider community.

1. KNOW YOUR TRAILER AND TOW-VEHICLES LIMITATIONS.

Every vehicle has maximum weights on all aspects of its use. These are set by the manufacturer and under Australian Design Rules, legally must not be exceeded to remain roadworthy and insurance compliant.

The tow vehicle will have a rated GROSS VEHICLE MASS (GVM) which is the max weight allowed on the wheels of that vehicle. This will include all drivers, passengers, vehicle accessories like bull bar, roof racks, the load, fridges, canopy, drawers, and the tow ball weight of the fully loaded trailer or float once attached.

The TOW BALL WEIGHT (TBW) is the maximum allowed stamped on that vehicle, the tow bar, tow hitch or tow ball, whichever is the lesser rated of them all is the max weight allowed. All legal 50mm tow balls must have a max weight stamped on them. There are many out there that don’t comply. The 50mm ball is limited to towing a trailer / float to a max of 3,500 kgs.

The TOWING CAPACITY of the tow vehicle must not be exceeded and varies between many 2 x 4, and 4 x 4 models and makes. Just because the vehicle is marketed as having a 3,500kg tow capacity, in real life this is often – well ‘just garbage’, as the vehicle is often restricted to just a driver with no passengers or load to achieve this figure and stay under weights. This rarely happens in real life as you know, so do your sums.

The trailer also has a GROSS TRAILER MASS (GTM) which is the maximum weight that the trailer can weigh on the wheels. It excludes the actual tow ball weight which becomes a load weight on the tow vehicle when the two are coupled together.

EACH AXLE on the tow vehicle and the trailer will also have a maximum weight allowance to stay legally able to drive on the roads. Overloaded rear axles is one of the biggest infringements found in recent Qld Police road side weight checks.

Keep in mind that on the average tow vehicle a load of 200kgs, for example, on the tow vehicles tow ball may equate to a load of around 300kgs on the rear axle due to the leverage effect as it is taking weight off the front axle. (A multiplier of some 140 to 150 % of the tow ball weight)

The tow vehicle will also have a maximum GROSS COMBINED MASS (GCM). This is where many vehicles become illegal.
The GCM is the maximum combined weight of the fully loaded trailer and fully loaded tow vehicle. That is the actual tow vehicle GVM and actual trailer GTM added together.

Many tow vehicles have MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDED TOWING SPEEDS and several state road rules also have restricted towing speeds. NSW for example is limited to 100kph if the tow vehicle’s GVM and / or GCM is over 4,500kgs, which may include many horse floats under tow.
Western Australia also has a 100kph towing speed limit.

2. KNOW THE WEIGHT OF YOUR HORSES, PEOPLE AND EQUIPMENT.

This will include all drivers, passengers, and all load so that you can work out the weights discussed above.

3. KNOW SAFE DRIVING HABITS

ALL vehicles must have electric brakes (or in some cases override breaks to a max of 2,000kgs) fitted when towing a trailer / float over 750kgs. Check that electric brakes are adjusted correctly and can be adjusted for a softer braking around town or heavier braking for faster highway driving via the controller in the tow vehicle.
There are some braking systems on some horse floats that are controllable and adjusted via a phone app , however good luck explaining to the police why you were using your phone while driving and not get a hefty fine. Remember the brakes need to be adjusted to different braking strengths for low speed around town and faster highway travel.

An electronic brake controller adjustable within the cab that also has an override button so that you can independently apply the trailer brakes if needed is always the best option.

All trailer safety chains, and ‘D’ shackles are connected and rated to the correct breaking capacity to be able to take the sudden strain of the float if it becomes disconnected, especially with your valuable horse / horses in it.

Ensure that you have adequate mirrors on the tow vehicle. While most would be adequate, however, if your float body is wider than your tow vehicle, you may legally, and for safety reasons need towing mirrors to help eliminate those blind spots. NOTE that adequate rear / side vision is a legality, not a suggestion. You must be able to see both the rear corners of your float from the drivers seat.

Remember that you have a live animal in the float that can move around so the weight can shift, and the horse can lose balance. Drive, corner, and brake, smoothly and carefully.

4. INSTALL A UHF RADIO

Install a UHF radio in your tow vehicle. They are a very useful safety device, especially if travelling on the highways.

Tuned to channel 40 – the ‘highway safety channel you will hear of roadblocks, wide loads, and other useful information.
A friend had her horse fall in the horse float, and she was contacted by UHF by a truck driver following and was able to pull over to assist the horse before any serious injury was done to the horse thanks to UHF communication.

Oricom is an Australian company making UHF radios and tyre pressure monitors. Purchase any product from their web site and use discount code TF15 to receive a 15% discount at the Oricom web site checkout.

LASTLY, please follow the Truck Friendly caravan road safety program’s page and read the web site. You will stay up to date with safety information and the program helps educate on safe towing practices for all trailer types and interacting with heavy vehicles on our highways.

The Truck Friendly program also has an Australia wide ‘I’M TRUCK FRIENDLY’ sticker program which helps identify you as a driver who has read the Truck Friendly, driving guides on the web site, know how to help other drivers, you have a UHF radio installed and want to help others stay safe on the roads.

Qualifying horse float drivers are welcome to join the program. See the web site for details.

Ideally, ask your pony / horse local club to arrange a weighing day. I am sure your local mobile caravan weigh company will assist. It is a responsibility of many clubs to help ensure that members are instructed on safe driving and towing.
Talk to a local mobile scales company about doing a group weigh as a fundraiser for your club.

I trust that this information has been of help. Please contact me should you have any questions.

You are welcome to share this article with other horse, pony clubs throughout Australia. Just click share from the Truck Friendly page.

Photo used by permission of the owner.
Stay safe
Ken Wilson

www.truckfriendly.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/truckfriendly.com.au

08/10/2021

Always check .

We’ve all watched enough Law & Order or CSI that when the coroner says the victim had petechial haemorrhaging and a broken hyoid bone, we know they were strangled. 🕵️‍♀️

It’s still common practice in some equine disciplines and communities that pulling the tongue to the side was seen as an effective way to immobilise the horse to get into the mouth for looking at teeth without a gag or to give wormers.

The hyoid bone is delicate and easily damaged.
It provides points of attachment to the pharynx, neck and sternum. 12 muscles connect to the hyoid. 3 of them, form direct attachments to a nerve at the C1 cervical vertebrae.
Several muscles in the neck, the nuchal ligament and many nerves which assist in balance and self carriage reside or are attached in this area.
As you can already see, pulling the tongue can have significant consequences. Space doesn’t permit here to relay all the issues that can arise.

Some signs your horse may have a damaged hyoid apparatus.

❗️Tossing the head from side to side.
❗️Prefers one lead over another.
❗️Evades contact
❗️Drops food out of its mouth.
❗️Refuses the bridle
❗️Teeth Grinding

Of course these symptoms are common to several other issues, which complicates it even more.
If you suspect your horse has a broken or damaged hyoid, you must consult a professional.
I believe that red light therapy can be of great benefit. Make sure your bodywork practitioner knows what they are doing as it is a very specific treatment.

27/08/2021

Haha lol

Just a reminder for the day 🤠

05/08/2021

This is what happens with ill-fitting saddles !

The Vicious Circle.

We all understand the importance of maintaining good health, and the same applies to our equine partners.
With the availability of alternative therapies and treatments, our horses are receiving better care than some of their owners/riders.

But, are you undoing the work of your equine body workers?
We often call out chiropractors or massage therapists as a reaction to something - altered gait, muscular tension and improper development, atrophy, etc. But, how often do we consider that the culprit could be the saddle itself?

It's a common occurrence for a body workers to treat their equine patient only to have that same, ill-fitting tack placed back on the horse to undo the treatment.

It is so important for everyone - not just riders, owners and trainers, but also vets, massage therapists, chiropractors and all equine professionals to understand the effects a badly fitted saddle could have to better serve their clients and their four legged patients.

If you were to wear a shoe that gave you blisters, go to the doctor to get the blisters treated, would it make sense to go right back to wearing that shoe?

Too often we only look at the symptom and not the cause, and our horses are the ones who suffer for it.

02/08/2021

How can SURE FOOT help horses? Here it from a Veterinarian! by Wendy Murdoch Donna Woelfel, DVM of Carousel Veterinary Clinic in Florida explains what she sees happening with SURE FOOT and how she thinks it can help any horse. Go to video Filed Under: Interviews

29/07/2021

Saddle Fit Reflex Points

When checking the fit of a saddle, one of the many components we look at are the reflex points. When pressure is applied to these points, it will cause an undesirable reaction ranging from biting and bucking, to simply tensing the muscles or limiting mobility.

One of the most common issues we see are from pressure and pinching on the thoracic trapezius (wither), which causes horses to drop the base of the neck, be heavy in the hand, move out of the elbow instead of the shoulder, and have a stagnated gait especially in the forelimbs. This can also result in shortened stride, and knocked rails over jumps.

There are THIRTEEN more reflex points that are considered, and that barely scratches the surface of proper saddle fit.

11/05/2021

Did You Know?

What is EMMETT Technique?

11/04/2021

This page is very interesting.

Did you know that..
Horses stretch and release their biceps in
a gallop, creating 100 times the energy output of non-elastic muscle! Like a catapult! (Wilson et al. 2003)

The following is taken from Wilson et al. 2003, I just thought it was so cool to see how evolution has created such efficient mechanisms for the ultimate prey animal!

At 50% of stance, the GRF is flexing the shoulder joint (resisted by the biceps), flexing the elbow (resisted by the triceps and digital flexor muscles) and extending the metacarpo–phalangeal joint (resisted by the digital flexors and suspensory ligament).

At 90% of stance, the GRF has moved further behind the
shoulder and is now also behind the elbow joint. The GRF is therefore further flexing the shoulder and extending the elbow, both of which stretch the biceps.

Through stance, the carpus is extended by the GRF and the tendinous link of lacertus fibrosis/extensor carpi radialis, and is flexed by the digital flexors and palmar carpal ligament. When the GRF approaches the neutral axis of the carpal joint, it no longer balances the digital flexors’ moment (this occurs at around 90% of stance).

The carpus then buckles forwards, destabilizing the limb and releasing the catapult.

The GRF and the digital flexors subsequently fold the collapsed joint and the limb is accelerated forwards by recoil of the biceps.
At 101% of stance, the biceps muscle is flexing the elbow and extending the shoulder.

The biceps released 243 J in 0.11 s in a gallop (2,200 W), which equates to a muscle with a peak power output of roughly 4,400 W. Equine muscle has a peak power output of about 90 W kg-1. A horse would therefore require 50 kg of non-elastic muscle to achieve the same power output as a 0.4-kg biceps muscle. The peak power output of brachiocephalicus (identified as the main forelimb protractor) would be only 220 W.

The catapult mechanism is therefore essential for rapid protraction of the equine limb!

Wilson, Alan & Watson, Johanna & Lichtwark, Glen. (2003). Biomechanics: A catapult action for rapid limb protraction. Nature. 421. 35-6. 10.1038/421035a

18/03/2021

So very True .

06/03/2021

And I got to get cuddles and Camel kisses from this beautiful Girl .
Her Name is Caramel!! ❤️

06/03/2021

Emmett isn’t just for Horses !!!

This was an awesome experience to be able to help this beautiful big Bull , he was having trouble getting up and was dragging his back feet a little. So after a few Emmett moves he was feeling a whole lot better.
Happy Bull and Owners ❤️

18/02/2021

This is What We Do .

Want to know more about EMMETT Technique International and what we do?

04/02/2021

What’s your favourite horse shopping place to shop??
Horseland ?
Or
Saddleworld?

Tell Me in the Comments 🐴🐴💰💰💰

14/01/2021

Wellbeing always . ❤️🐴

Because it's all about the horse.

01/01/2021

Happy
New Year, 2021 will be Sensational

24/12/2020

Merry Christmas to my Emmett family . Enjoy today give your ponies a big hug . This my lot having a Reindeer Breakfast ❤️❤️

22/12/2020

Do you know the How too !! I think mine would be in the too Fat category!!!

DID YOU KNOW that the weight of your horse is the single most important factor in knowing how much feed and forage your horse needs.

Here are some ways to get it right:

LIVESTOCK SCALES: ask your vet to weigh your horse, go to the local weigh station or find a local farm with scales they would allow you to use.

EASIFEED SELECTOR: Use our feed selector at prydes.feedxl.com/au - enter in height and build, to
estimate weight.

WEIGHT TAPE: These are available from produce and saddlery stores and will give you a weight estimate.

BODY CONDITION: Is your horse too fat, too thin or
just right? Feel your horse’s neck and the area over the ribs to assess how much fat your horse is carrying. Your horse’s neck should feel soft and you should be able to easily feel - but not see - his ribs. Assess body condition regularly so you know as soon as your horse might need more forage/feed to put on weight, or less feed or forage to lose some weight.

👇If you do someone that works well, we would love to read them in the comments below :)

21/11/2020

There are still some spots available ! Like Gary’s page to keep up to date for when the next levels are on .
Emmett is the Best thing you can do for your horses. There are just so many many benefits with simple non evasive light touch . ❤️❤️

Some exciting news - we have just confirmed another level 1 Emmett 4 Horses course in Samford, Brisbane. This is a very horse focused area; we have received a lot of interest which has motivated the programming of this module. Can you please like and share this with any of your friends in the area who would benefit from this amazing course. Tomorrow we are heading to Chinchilla for a level 1 also this coming weekend.

12/07/2020

Took my 4 year old out again today he was super chilled out. We even got a 3rd in our age group (which is old 😝)

08/07/2020

Another special moment over the weekend with my 4 year old QH gelding. Was his first time out and he did super great . Never seen anything like this ever . Proud Mummy ❤️

25/06/2020

Mr Oreo was getting some relaxation after his Emmett therapy. This was his second appointment and he was happy to stand on the pads for the hind end as that’s where he had hurt himself whilst running around. Pm for appointments and make the change your horses need.

08/06/2020

Hey Everyone Hayley here just wanted to share something really special that I had done the other day with my very special Boy , he’s the reason why I started my Emmett therapy Journey to help him and others also . To improve there over all well being and vitality to give them the very best that they can be with in them selfs to perform at any level of performance or to give your special one some extra love .

29/05/2020

Clients mare today getting her sure foot pads relaxation. Lots of licking and chewing was happening. She was very content that’s for sure . I used them after her Emmett therapy session . # #

27/05/2020

Hey Everyone hope you are all doing well . Just letting you know I will be in the Bundaberg area Friday Lunchtime for any one that would like an Emmett treatment and try out these New Sure Foot pads. Shoot me a message or give me a buzz .

22/05/2020

Bit more about these pads and benefits of using them .

🍊The HARD Orange SURE FOOT Pads are ideal for horses that are recovering from injury or accident and need additional support mentally, physically and emotionally.⁣
⁣
🏇Race horses or those that are nervous, anxious or tense find a place of tranquillity and peace when standing on theses Pads.⁣
⁣
📚The best thing about the HARD Orange SURE FOOT Pads is they can be used as a base Pad for stacking.

21/05/2020

So many benefits

🐽

19/05/2020

Hey Everyone I have added these Sure Foot pads to go with the Emmett therapy. Great for all kinds of horses . Very beneficial to a therapy session too . I will be getting more as soon as possible as they are just awesome.

29/04/2020

Horse And Rider Awareness-Randi Thompson

Horse And Rider Awareness-Randi Thompson

It's all about what you do with your horse on a daily basis... What other habits do you have related to your horse?

"When equestrians think of ‘habits’ they usually think of bad ones such as looking down at the ground while riding. But there are many good habits that you should work on getting into as a rider. Making a conscious effort in your daily life to develop some simple good habits can transform you into a better rider and horseman. It will take a bit of time and commitment on your part to form these habits but you owe it to yourself and your horse(s) to form these habits"

https://eventingconnect.today/2019/02/17/12-good-habits-that-every-rider-should-develop-2/

19/04/2020

Today’s Stretches. All these are easy to do and keep your horse healthy and happy .

Today’s our last day of stretch posters! Thank you everyone for your feedback and shared. Feel free to email us [email protected] if you would like any of the PDF versions. Next week we’ll be bringing you some quick videos to help you with these stretches! So keep looking after your horses at home and “stretch your knowledge”.

18/04/2020

Some More stretches for your ponies.

Only one more especially cool one tomorrow... you better let us know what you want us to do after this!!
In the meantime, here are some great head and neck stretches to do with those horses who get "tight in the poll" or just do a lot of collective work!

16/04/2020

Emmett Technique Federation

www.emmett-technique-hq.com

15/04/2020

Stretches for your horse

Here's a new one for you featuring Foreleg stretches.

12/04/2020

Do you have too!!

Do you have Obsessive Horse Disorder?

12/04/2020

Happy Easter to everyone from D**k and I . ( first time selfie ) lol

09/04/2020

Hope everyone is staying safe during this virus outbreak . Riding and getting to know there horses a bit more during this time . Hopefully it will be over soon 🤞🤞