You love horses, I love horse trailers

Published: April 11, 2010 09:38 pm EDT

I joined the horse world late in the game, having only stood eye to eye with a horse for the first time when I was 21.

However, when I was a wee miss, I used to dream of living in a horse trailer. (I know, I know … kinda weird.) Those sleek, shiny, silver bullets would pass by, and I would squeal with delight. I can’t recall my mother’s reaction, which likely means she was already immune to my strange fancies. Most little girls want ponies; not many want to reside in their trailers. Alas …

This morning, I drove into work at Grand River and felt the same frantic glee. Horse trailers, as far as the eye could see, lined up neatly beside one another for the McNair Mixed Sale, and the promise of more Monday night when our 2010 season opens.

Realize, of course, it’s not the trailer itself that evokes emotion, but rather what it symbolizes. (At this point, your guess is as good as mine, but I hope we figure it out together by the final paragraph of this blog!)

Regardless of whether you have a trailer, or don’t, chances are you don’t romanticize them much. Evidently, there’s something about them I find compelling. If I happen upon one on the highway, I automatically check the lettering on the side, or the driver in the truck to see if they’re harness people. If they are, I feel a subtle (and momentary) blip of superiority over the other motorists; kindred spirits, power in numbers, and all of that mumbo-jumbo, I guess.

Today, I spend more time dreaming of opportunities for the surface of a trailer, than playing house inside one. Namely, has anyone other than Killean Acres and the Ontario Harness Racing Youth Camp program ever optimized that big, mobile billboard to promote harness racing?

If you own one, what kind of incentive would it take to convince you to wrap that puppy up with some eye-popping imagery that captures the colour and emotion of harness racing? If an organization shared the installation costs and provided all of the necessary services to get the job done, would you consider it?

We talk a lot of talk about ramping up promotional efforts to bolster exposure and awareness for the industry. With hundreds of horse trailers on the highways every day, from one end of the country to the other, this seems like a prime opportunity we can all execute together.

I realize this isn't a new revelation, but I wonder what it would take to make it fly. Takers?

Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.