Which do you prefer for big horses?

[Slinkky]

We will soon be getting a new horse trailer. I have recently read that a slant load is not all that great for the Big Boys. This article went against everything I thought I knew.

I realize that the article is just this guy opinion, but it got me to thinking. I was just wondering what others thought and why. I need more opinions to give me "food for thought".

thanks,

 

[StormyAcreRanch]

I've owned stock trailers, straight load(very first ever 30 odd years ago), and now own a slant. Growing up I remember we owned a very old at that time straight load trailer-my mom hated it, then purchased a stock and have always owned even in my adult years a stock trailer. Recently though, my TB gelding took a fall in a stock trailer, since then I bought a slant load and he loves that thing way better then the stock. If I didn't have my tb I would still own a stock trailer. You can haul more things with them, they let the horse decide where to stand and what's best for them. But like I said, my horse is strange and likes the confinement of the slant load. I would NEVER own a straight load, I very much dislike them and think they are very unsafe, especially older models which are still very much alive in this area!!!!

 

[Floridachick]

I hate straight load. I think most of it is personal opinions. We have a 4 horse slant, high/wide draft horse trailer for our big guys and gals and I love it. Granted all 4 slots swing and open into 1 large trailer. We have amodel with the kick walls and all the bells and whistles. Before this we had a Kingston, straightload. I find the horses ONCE trained to load properlly love the slant load. I think for horses that are not trained, sometimes training on a straightload is "easier." But if your horse knows over and we slide them over and lock the partition its no big deal. I also find hauling much safer, They can lean a little easier on turns and fast stops. With the straight load if you stop short they fall on their face so to say. Go with whatever you like. Congrats on getting a new trailer, I LOVE ours. You can't see much of it, behind my Maggie moose but....

 

[Leeana]

We have a 2 horse straight load, i HATE it. It is fine for the minis/ponies but i dont like putting the biggies in it, we have a large slant load horse trailer that holds about 6 big horses (planning to do some work on it to get it down to mini slant load/tack area) and i prefere that.

Overal i prefere slant load, miniature or big horse. Straight load can be a pain in the butt imo.

 

[jjnov]

We will soon be getting a new horse trailer. I have recently read that a slant load is not all that great for the Big Boys. This article went against everything I thought I knew.

I realize that the article is just this guy opinion, but it got me to thinking. I was just wondering what others thought and why. I need more opinions to give me "food for thought".

thanks,

 

[New2Minis]

I have a 2 horse straight load which is my very first trailer and I love it for my Biggies and Mini's. No problems here! :aktion033:

:

 

[wendymac]

We have two trailers. One is a gooseneck 3-horse, with living quarters, fully-enclosed horse trailer. The other is a bumper pull stock trailer, 3-horse, with a large dressing room. On the stock trailer, the dressing room wall swings open, along with all of the dividers, so we can haul hay and things in there (even haul the riding mower in there, to mow the ground of our local saddle club). The entire back swings open, and there is also a sliding door on it (for people to get in and out without having to swing open the whole door). I will never own another straight-load trailer again. They ride soooooo much better in a slant. When you start and stop (or even accelerate a little or slow down a little) their weight is constantly being shifted from front to back. That can (and has been proven) lead to Navicular. When they're riding at an angle, more of their body weight is being distributed side-to-side...and they can even lean on the divider for support.

If in doubt, have someone haul you around in their trailer...driving like they normally do when hauling. Stand in there, without using your hands. Try standing facing the front of the trailer (like a straight-load), then try standing a bit sideways (like a slant). I've done both, and feel it's easier to ride a bit sideways. When I was in 4-H, we had a man drive us all in a stock trailer. Now, he drove a bit harsher than normal, but we all realized just how much our driving can affect the ride.

 

[Lil' Horse Lover]

We have 9 horses and we prefer the slant load. I too HATE the straight loads, I won't use one unless I absolutely have to. We have used both and you can definately tell that the horses prefer the slant load over the straight load, for the minis and biggies.

 

[lovinarabs]

Once we got a slant I will never go back. I love our slant load. To me the straight load we had seemed so confining to the horses and I had a heck of a time loading our one horse into it. He just hated it. The slant seems so much more open and yes, I agree - the ride is much easier.

 

[minimule]

My big horse hated his straight load. It would take a couple of hours to get him in it. When we got the slant, he loaded right up.

What's funny though, we have a camera system in out mini trailer. When we just "freeload" a horse in there or 2, they will stand straight facing backwards.

:

 

[chandab]

I have a 2 horse straight load which is my very first trailer and I love it for my Biggies and Mini's. No problems here! :aktion033:

:

Me, too!

And, one more thing... If a horse will load in a two-horse straight-load with no problem, they will load into any kind of trailer. [One exception would maybe be going from step up to ramp, as that can be quite a difference for them.] Everything here is a step-up, so no problems. [Ramps wouldn't survive our gravel roads.]

 

[whimsical]

We have a straight load. But my personal opinion is that the slant loads offer more stability for the horses. I don't know what it is. But they do. My next trailer will be slant load. If you are a careful and thoughtful driver straight load is fine. But no fast turns or quick stops.

Added though that I do believe also that if a horse learns to load in a straight load then they will load into just about anything. However a slant only loaded horse may be hesitant to get into a straight load.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Stock is my prefered method

 

[FoRebel]

We have a 2 horse slant and a 2 horse straight load. I prefer the slant load... It fits my appendix gelding better than the straight load. We have a hard time closing the straight load with him because he's so long. IMO, the slant is easier to get the horses to go into also.

 

[Krickette]

I have a 2 horse straight load. It's got a ramp and it's as tall as they come. It's nice, been around for ages. We haul everything in it...My dad loves projects, so when we go to cow shows, he's rigged the center divider so that it can come out easily and flatten against a side wall so that my fat heiffer (Who just had a calf...so she's not a heiffer anymore) can fit in there. He also extended the divider so that Splash couldn't squeeze under it, etc. And he replaced the escape door with one that's mesh, so that they can get more air.

 

[rhea]

We have a two-horse straight load that we looove. It's extra wide and extra tall and fits everything.

 

[Minimor]

I actually prefer the straight load in most cases. For a smaller trailer I would just as soon have a stock trailer that would offer room for the horses to stand any way they please. If I were hauling a bigger trailer, I'd go for a 6 horse head to head. Ideally I think most horses would choose to ride facing backward; with a head to head trailer I could if I chose switch the horses around on a long haul, so they ride forwards part time & backwards part time.

Unless it is a custom trailer where the owner requested larger stalls, the slant load trailers tend to be much too small. The reason many people buy slant load is to fit as many horses as possible into the smallest possible area. Measure the stalls of most slant loads--you'll find that each horse has a much smaller area than he would in a typical straight haul. In most slant loads--unless it's a bigger one with a side ramp--you have to unload all the back horses to get to the front one--another negative feature in my books.

You think horses can ride longer distances more comfortably in a slant load, but that isn't always the case. I've known some horses hauled in a slant load for a long distance and they arrived at their destination very sore in the shoulder (even with stops/rests along the way) and hindquarters--as in sore enough to show lame in the showring a few days later--that's not a big improvement in my opinion.

This same question came up on a big horse board I am on--people there are mainly hunter/jumper/dressage with big warmbloods & TBs & such, and I was actually surprised at how many people there agreed that they preferred stock trailers & straight hauls over slant loads.

 

[disneyhorse]

i prefer slant load trailers over straight load. They have done studies where they watch horses stand naturally in a moving trailer... the majority of horses actually prefer to travel loaded BACKWARDS and SLANT. But not all, of course, so I think it depends on the animal.

Slant loads definitely have the advantage of being less-claustrophobic for horses that don't like to be in trailers in the first place.

Andrea

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

our very first trailer was a 2-horse straight load but that is the only one i will ever own. once we went from that to a stock trailer i would NEVER go back to straight load. we have 2 trailers now, a HUGE one with one divider and a 2/3 combination slant. most of the time we leave the divider gates in both of them attached to the side wall so the horses have their choice... the big horses ALWAYS stand slant, their choice.

 

[SilverDollar]

Before I bought my trailer I did extensive research. I have both full-size and mini horses. My horses are large--16.2 hh and 1450 pounds. One is very long nose to tail. I ended up buying an Equispirit gooseneck straight-load that is oversized; stall length is 11 feet and height is 7'8". No mangers. (I would NEVER have a manger in a trailer--too may horror stories.) I love my straight load because I have full-size escape doors on each side. I can get to either horse in an emergency and can unload one without unloading both the horses. If I'm hauling one horse I can swing the center divider to one side and it's more like a slant. Some horses prefer that; others don't care either way. It has a very lightweight ramp and has windows everywhere. I can remove the center divider by myself and I haul my minis loose; they love it.

Personally, I have nothing against slant loads or step ups. My horses will load in any of them ("it's not about the trailer").

: I did research practically every manufacturer and some of them "fudged" on the length of the stall in the slant loads--this was a key feature for my situation so I paid special attention to stall length. They would give the measurement from front right corner to back left corner, instead of center front to center back. If I could get a slant load with a door for each horse and extra long stalls, I wouldn't have a problem with it. My good friend has smaller Arabians and the slant loads work great for her. It's usually people with large TBs and Warmbloods that have straight-loads. It's just easier to get them oversized as opposed to the slants (the slants end up being wider trailers).

It comes down to personal preference. Do your research and get what suits your needs. I will say that good ventiliation is a must whatever type you buy. Good luck!

(P.S.-Please NEVER, EVER drive your trailer and allow your horse to hang his head out the window! :no: The result is too gruesome to say here but I'm sure you can imagine the consequences. If not, pm me.)