Finally remodeled the "Mini Van"!!

[O So]

We finally made time to remodel the one horse "mini van" into a two horse one! I probably could have put the 2 together in the smaller stall, but I just didn't want to risk it. Didn't want them to start picking on each other in such a small space. This weekend we got in and got it done.

Now I should be able to haul them much safer and hopefully easier. I couldn't try to load them because it started pouring down rain right when we got the mats in the bus.

All I need to do now is add some shavings and I should be good to go.

Here is a few before pics.

The stall out of the bus. This was the nice thing about this stall, it was removable. The new set up is permanent.

The beginning of the project. The white thing in the floor is the heater. Bye Bye heater! LOL I didn't use it anyway. I don't drive the bus in the rain and in the cold weather I just wore gloves. If it is to cold, we just stay home. We did have to remove the seat that was above the heater.

The starting of the walls.

To be continued in next post..........

 

[O So]

The walls are in!

The back of the bus gained about another foot of space. I now have room to haul my "gate guard" sideways instead of length wise. I will be able to haul any mini things l want on the other side now. Like a mini size saddle.

Here is the final product, minus the shavings. One horse has more room because we had to have the wall far enough over for him to get in the door way. The other horse lost some room do to the ramp, but it is still big enough for both to go on either side!

Here's a view from the drivers seat!

Now I can't wait to be able to test it out. I know they will love going down to the stables and getting to run in the big arena!! Sad thing is, the rain is back so that is out for at least a week now.

 

[A Little Blessing]

Can the ramp be stored in back so that the horse has more room and doesn't get squished if the ramp slides?

 

[O So]

Can the ramp be stored in back so that the horse has more room and doesn't get squished if the ramp slides?

You know, I haven't tried it. I will have to see if it will fit. Only bad thing about doing it that way is I would have to empty everything out of the back, load the ramp and then reload everything back on top. Then do the opposite to get the ramp out.

The ramp will not fall over where it is at now though. There is a 2x2 plus a section cut out of the wall in the back, that the ramp slides into. That holds the back of it up. We still need to make a bracket that will slide down the front off the ramp, and the front section of wall, so it can't move away from there too. Either that or I am going to attach a board on the door, so when it is closed, it shuts the added board up against the ramp, kind of like the back 2x2 is doing. I am leaning toward a horse shoe shape bracket though. That way I don't have to ruin the door panel.

One horse has 28 inches of space. The other ( with the ramp) gets 24 inches. If anything, I may be able to turn the ramp around to give that horse a bit more space, but I don't think I will need too!

 

[MINI REASONS]

I really like your Mini Van ! I especially like that they are right by you and you can keep a good eye on them while your driving. Pretty Neat!

 

[O So]

I really like your Mini Van ! I especially like that they are right by you and you can keep a good eye on them while your driving. Pretty Neat!

Thanks.

I do it this way because I don't like to pull trailers. If we had to go any real long distance, we would get a trailer, but for now this works. I will go the 20 miles to the vet in the bus, but that is as far as I will go. I have the vet come to me for the most part, so I don't have to worry to much about that trip to often.

Hubby is going to make a mini trailer, but he wants to make it in a miniature scale to a big horse trailer. Not sure I like what he has planned. Main reason is he only wants to use one axle. I want it to have 2 axles. He say's he doesn't think he can make one like he wants with 1 axle. We will see what happens when the time comes. It is still on the way, way, way back burner. LOL

 

[O So]

PLEASE MAKE IT A TWO AXLE !!!!

Don't forget with one axle if you blow a tire then -- well it can be deadly, let's just say that! With two axles, even if you blow a tire, the trailer has stability. So please. rethink the one axle decision.

Yes, I know this. I am trying to get that across to hubby! I don't have to worry about it for the time being though. I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it. LOL Since I know how my hubby is. He probably won't get to this project till the horses are long gone! LOL ( No, I'm not getting rid of them, just using that as how long it takes hubby to do some of the things he talks about doing. LOL

 

[Reble]

I am wondering if you really need a ramp, my horses jump right up and on, had a ramp and than redid the doors because it was just so heavy.

Even our little 24" weanling's will jump up..

Nice job.. and good luck let us know how it goes.

 

[ruffian]

We have some friends that showed for years hauling their minis in a full sized van - I think they could get 6 or 7 in it. They had a little metal ramp that folded in half. They had a little electric winch that they would attach to a ring in the middle, lift it up, and it rode at the back of the 2 front stalls.

 

[O So]

I am wondering if you really need a ramp, my horses jump right up and on, had a ramp and than redid the doors because it was just so heavy.

Even our little 24" weanling's will jump up..

Nice job.. and good luck let us know how it goes.

Yah, one of the trainers down at the stables told me I probably could do away with the ramp. I would love too! I just haven't tried to train them to jump up or back out. Now my problem would be if the one has enough room to turn around. With the ramp out of the bus, his total width space is 26 inches. I think he would be able to turn around, but not sure. If I find out he can, then training to jump in and out is this summers project. Wonder if I should start off with having a step first, then eventually removing the step and making them go to the ground?

 

[O So]

We have some friends that showed for years hauling their minis in a full sized van - I think they could get 6 or 7 in it. They had a little metal ramp that folded in half. They had a little electric winch that they would attach to a ring in the middle, lift it up, and it rode at the back of the 2 front stalls.

My husband works for a tow yard. They have had 2 of the newer Plymouth mini vans come in there and stay. The kind that the side doors open on both sides of the van. I have said something twice about how I wouldn't mind moving up to one of those. I think it would be nice to have the double doors. The real bonus would be the luxury of heat and air conditioning. That and they are automatics. My bus is a clutch. Only down fall to that is, it would be one more car to have to pay higher registration fees for, higher insurance fees, and also have to smog every two years. The bus cost me a total of about 90 bucks a year to keep going! So the bus is it for now! LOL

 

[Knottymare]

I was married to a VW mechanic in my 20s (oh so long ago)... we had quite a collection of Bugs and vans. I never dreamed of putting a horse in one LOL. Well done! I keep hoping to see updated pix of your boys. How are they getting along? I just got my second little girl and it's like 2 little girls on the playground. One minute they are grooming each other and the next they are in a screaming match, butts together, kicking the snot out of each other!!!

 

[O So]

I was married to a VW mechanic in my 20s (oh so long ago)... we had quite a collection of Bugs and vans. I never dreamed of putting a horse in one LOL. Well done! I keep hoping to see updated pix of your boys. How are they getting along? I just got my second little girl and it's like 2 little girls on the playground. One minute they are grooming each other and the next they are in a screaming match, butts together, kicking the snot out of each other!!!

LOL, That is what my husband was too, a VW mechanic. He is a tow driver now. We also had a few bugs in our time. Mostly parts though. It's one of those, if we would have known then, what we know now things. We would have never just thrown away all those parts. Ebay would have been a good business for us now , if we still had all those parts. Oh well, live and learn! LOL

My guys are doing very well. Kind of acting like your girls, but they are not grooming each other yet. They do the but thing and chase each other around, playing for the most part. I think it is the cutest thing when I walk in to the garage and they are both laying 2 feet away from each other in the stall. I wish I could get a picture but it is always in the night time, when I go out for their last hay feeding for the night. They get up as soon as a flick on the light. I really enjoy having the both of them. Can't wait to take them to the stables so I can see them really play in the big arena there. My only fear is not being able to catch Pippin in a timely fashion. O So comes to the gate when he is done and ready to go eat some grass. Pippin is so shy, that I am afraid he will be a bit more difficult to get ahold of in the big arena. I'm hoping he will come over to O So at the gate, but I won't know till we can get down there, to see how things go.

O So is so friendly that I can walk up to him anywhere and he will stay put. Pippin will try to get away from me. I actually have to reach out and grab him and hold his neck if I want to give him some loving. I don't like to do that though because it isn't the best way to gain trust. I am basically trying to get him to come to me with food or treats, or just by sitting in the yard with them. He does come up when O So gives him a chance to, but he will keep at a nose distance. Meaning he will get close enough for me to touch his nose, but not anything else! Time will help that!

I haven't taken any new pics yet. Been so yucky and wet outside. I will take some when I try to load them in the bus. Hopefully soon!

 

[Knottymare]

I hear ya on the yucky and wet

Be patient. I have a mare that was terribly hard to catch for the longest time. I did all the "join up" stuff for eons... she knows the drill. But catching her and releasing her, giving her a treat, and repeating over and over - not doing anything with her but catching, treating and releasing.

I am one who believes in using treats... specially for the shy horses. If he were pushy and obnoxious I would say no but with the shy guys (and gals) it gets right to the part of their brain that says comfort!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

OMG!

I love it!!!!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I think you have done a brilliant job.....but: (sorry) do you actually need the partition?

I use a transit van, much taller than yours but probably not a lot more floor room as I have two full size Dobe crates fitted permanently at the back.

I can fit three colts in, tied up but not partitions, and no problems. Once I am moving they find the best way to stand for the journey, eat hay and talk to the dogs.

Do not try without a ramp as you are as they will hurt themselves backing out but without a partition they will hop in and out no problemo- I have far more trouble teaching my colts to walk up the ramp I now need as this van is quite high off the ground, than I ever had asking them to hop in and out of - well, anything, really!

Rabbit has never been up a ramp in his life- he always preferred to jump, even into the trailer, so, since it had a ramp he used to go in and out of the grooms door.

Think hard and long about a "mini" trailer unless you are, like me, gnome sized, or you enjoy standing hunched over like a hair pin!

Besides which the extra space on a full height trailer can be used for all sorts of things- like carts and bales of hay, with the simple addition of a false ceiling.

Oh, and your ramp could be stored on the roof- just put an ordinary rack up there, a couple of bungee's and off you go.

I really do LOVE how you are getting so much out of these boys, you are a real poster person for Mini ownership!

I wish I could find ten homes like you, I really do.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Okay, that is freakin' COOL!!!

Dude! I want one!!

23-24" is standard for a mini partition but that is with the expectation that the partition can be swung out of the way and the horse turned for unloading. I think I'd want a box just like yours but with the partition put in from left to right and hinged so you'd load the first horse, swing the partition into place and latch it, then load the second horse. That way loading and unloading are much easier, no ramp required.

I'd definitely need a partition though- Kody will stand quietly next to Turbo if I'm working with them but the minute I leave he gets that mulish look, puts his ears back, backs into Turbo and starts wailing on him with both back feet.

Little stinker!

Leia

 

[O So]

Actually we were going to make the partition on a hinge, but as we went things changed. Can't even really tell you why off hand. Only hubby really knows why he changed his mind on that.

I can tell you that I didn't expect it to come out like it did. If you look at the first stall (original stall) you can see it was just basically thrown together. I was almost embarrassed to share it and really shocked that hubby built it like that. When we started building the new stall, I figured we would just screw some plywood to the walls, make a plywood divider that hinged and then make some sort of door to keep on in while loading the other. Hubby had other ideas! All of a sudden he wanted to go back to his picky self. LOL He had to get the plywood to bow with the bus walls, then had to cut the divider wall to match that bow. Then had to have the divider be a double wall thing. Took 2 days to make it and I figured it would only take a day! LOL Husbands, just don't know what they will do.

The reason I wanted a divider was to keep the boys separated. I don't tie them in once they are in. I unhook their halters. That and the old stall was scary if I had to make a sudden stop. There was just to much space for one horse. I like the smaller space in the stalls now, except I'm not sure if they will be able to turn around to unload. I think the one in the back will be able to, but not sure if 26 inches is enough space for the front one. If not, we will have to learn to unload backwards. The other reason for the divider is I just didn't want them to fight for some reason. I can see me going down the road and have 2 horses rearing up and kicking each other.