Suggestions for fixing up our trailer!

[polly]

We recently acquired this little trailer from a guy off Craiglist. He told us the original owner built it and used it to haul show hogs. My little Peanut is half cryptorchid so we need to get him to the vet to be gelded - it's about a 40 minute drive.

I'm planning on putting stall mats on the wooden floors and we've been thinking we'd need to put up some boards in the front to block the wind and any flying rocks. Do y'all have any suggestions? I'm not sure if we need to add a roof of some sort? Do we need to have him tied up while driving?

Peanut is my first baby and I want to be sure he gets there safely and comfortably, any suggestions are much appreciated!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I think a stall mat would be the most important thing. Or a piece of old carpet turned upside down. Anything so he won't slip. I wouldn't worry about the wind right now; just put a fly mask on him. Hogs are way more sensitive than horses, especially show hogs. If they traveled it it okay I'm sure your little horse will be fine. Since it does not have a top, I would probably tie him; some have been known to try to climb out. Be sure the floor boards are in good condition. I have heard horror stories...
Good luck with the gelding. Keep us posted.

 

[polly]

Thank you so much Marsha! I am planning on having his fly mask and blanket on while we travel. It will be easy to tie him and I'm thinking we'll put a hay net in there too, hopefully he is comfortable.

You've really helped put my mind at ease, I may worry a bit too much about him

 

[diamond c]

I would put a roof and at least close in the front for sure to help keep the hay from flying of the hay net. and tie him also to help stable stabilize him for the ride.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Don't think hay is necessary for a 40 mile ride. And on the way home he won't care about it anyway.

 

[Cayuse]

I would definitely put a roof on it and probably go as far as to wall up the sides about 3/4 of the way. I have had a mini actually rear up and get his front feet out of a full sized horse trailer window which was about five feet high. If he could've fit out the window, he would've been gone. You don't want a mini coming out of the top of the trailer. And like Marsha said, check the floorboards for dry rot. You don't want them falling out the bottom, either.
My mini is named "Peanut" too

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

I would put plywood over the front and add a big eye-bolt at nose level for ease of tying him. I have run a trailer without a roof, but yours looks like a truck topper might be able to fit over it and if so I would take advantage of that!

My only real concern would be the floors and perhaps that gate in the back. If it held pigs it’s probably strong enough though.

 

[polly]

Thank y'all for the advice! I was just realizing that we need some sort of little ramp, the trailers not too high but he can't just step into it. A piece of wood came with it but It seems like it may be too slippery for him to walk up.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Can you just park on an incline? I'm pretty sure he can jump up into that. Lead him to the edge and put one of his front feet into the trailer and encourage him to jump in. I'd try that before messing with a ramp; many horses do not like ramps.

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

He might surprise you. I spent days trying to convince my mare to go up a ramp into the tack area of my trailer. It’s a walk through but the door opened inward to it so that loading her from inside the trailer would require leaving it opened. Well, I didn’t latch the escape door and she backed out halfway, and then she jumped back in...so I backed her all the way out and all it took to get her to load herself back in was putting one of her feet up there. I only had to do that once. She’ll jump right in by herself now.

It says my pictures are too big to upload, but here’s a link if you want to see. It’s a 2 ft jump! https://www.facebook.com/1204753791/posts/10216531697263984?sfns=mo