4 Star Trailer - swinging head shield

[inca]

I have a 2015 4 Star 2 horse straight load trailer that I bought used last year. I normally haul one horse in it so don’t have the head shield installed. But, I am taking 2 horses to the vet tomorrow and need the head shield to prevent any biting/fighting. It is seems very unsafe. Now I am wondering if I am missing a part???

It pins to the same middle post that the chest bars attach to. And that is it. There is nothing securing the front of the head shield. This seems like the horse can move it? Is there supposed to be something that you secure the front of the head shield to???

[NaturallyHappy]

I think there should be two attachments for the head divider to attach to the support post. Mine didn’t swing. It looked like it would, but didn’t. I hope this helps .

[endlessclimb]

Almost certainly yes. Unless the pins have “keys” that lock it into the forward position?

If not, I’d drill a hole it in, file off any ragged edge, and use some rope to tie it forward. You could tie it both directions to the horse tie rings, if you don’t have anything else to hook to up there.

[inca]

I looked last night and there is certainly no indication that there is any way to further secure it. Nothing to indicate a missing part. It just doesn’t seem all that stable to me.

There are d rings for a hay bag on the divider and each front corner of the trailer. Maybe using the hay bags helps secure it?

[NaturallyHappy]

Have you tried wiggling it? I’ve hauled w that trailer for 20 years and never had it move. In fact, I’ve whacked my back on it ducking under more than once.

[endlessclimb]

That front D ring is to secure it, I bet. If there’s nothing on the front wall to secure it to, I’d find the nearest piece of frame on that bulkhead wall and install my own D ring to secure it to.

If you don’t have time for this, I’d haul without the head divider. They will be fine. I wouldn’t want to chance it swinging around.

[B-burg_Dressage]

I’m going to say some combination of @NaturallyHappy and @endlessclimb

See if it does move easily. I’ve seen plenty of those and haven’t heard of any issues with them moving. But, if it does, I hauled my two geldings without any head divider in the front part of my old trailer with no shenanigans. They had hay bags tied on the far side and they seemed fine (of course depends on the personalities).

[No1]

The hay bags hooked into the front of the trailer probably help keep it in place. Unless your horses just don’t get along, it isn’t really necessary.

Even then, you could tie them a bit short to the out side ties rings and put hay nets between them, so they can’t grab each other.

[ndirish07]

I have the same trailer. The front D ring in the photo is for the hay bag. The hay bags attach there on the divider, on the chest bar, and in the corner by the door. The divider shouldn’t move much–it’ll have some play but it doesn’t move, move. It just has two pins that attached it— from your photo it looks like it’s attached correctly.