And just to make sure: your 16h horse turns around in that 7’ wide stock trailer? Just double checking, since I have a friend who makes her horses back out.
I’m going to rent something with this same configuration and practice getting my horse on it. Want to be sure it’s doable for my horse before trying!
My sister’s commercial hauling trailer is a Turnbow with that floor, and she LOVES it.
Also, it’s for real commercial, DOT numbers, insurance and everything. She put some kind of air ride rig on her flatbed tonner; she says the trailer rides like a dream.
Horses come off comfortable.
Thanks for reminding me I need to pull the carpet off my Merhow dressing room floor. It’s gross, and vinyl would be easy to install.
He can easily turn around & unloads facing fiorward.
Here he is last Summer tied to the trailer on a trailride:
Have an older 4H slant with weekender pkg. We use the up front stall for storage - feed, muck buckets, tools, camp chairs, extra tent and portable grill. We took out the rear tack area - use it to tie a mini moped. You get creative. Love the insulated front because a lot can stay stored in it and haven’t had any mildew. 29 yrs and counting!
Unless your horse is a very, very good loader/unloader and extremely quiet, is is much safer for both horse and human to back the horse out. Especially if you have a rear tack on a slant load, but even without it things can get dicey in a hurry if the horse is at all difficult. I’ve seen some terrible injuries in those situations.
The only horses I let turn around in a trailer are babies under two (so, small enough to turn around without endangering either of us) and the ones that travel loose in a stock, who usually ride backwards anyways (so the turning around took place without a human in the trailer).
Circle J
I never heard of them, got the trailer used, from a dealer in MI 6yrs ago.
But I posted on here & apparently it’s a mfr from out West.
&
If this horse (or any other) was iffy unloading, I’d back him off.
This is one who self-loads & steps off w/o a fuss.
Back door is full width & heavy!
If I had to open that, then get in the trailer to back him off it would be less safe for me.
As it is, he’ll stand while door opens, then I just need to step in enough to clip on a lead & unclip from the lead that lives in the trailer to tie.
I’ve had a number of circle J trailers, I love them. It’s unfortunate that they are no longer in business.
Once upon a time, when I was a teen, we hauled my 16.1 hand long-bodied horse in a tiny old dark stock trailer. And he turned around to unload. Would literally brush his shoulder and his hindquarters on each side of the trailer to do it, but didn’t seem to bother him any. Ceiling was also so low that he couldn’t hardly put his head up at all. I did buy him a head bumper at the time just in case, although he never did hit his head. It was more the loading/unloading part where his head would get close.
Ah… the good ol’ days…
These days my horses are more pampered and everyone backs out of the trailer. Didn’t know any better as a kid and it’s just what we had.
I would think that any horse capable of doing a turn on the haunches should be able to pretty easily pivot to exit a slant load. With the caveat that the trailer have a full width rear door. In my years of foxhunting we hauled in six horse slant loads, and I never, ever saw anyone back a horse out. And we had a lot of iffy horses. No way would I want to stand in front of one to try backing him off.
Yes, any of them can turn around. The problem is that, often times, horses in the habit of turning around - especially if they are nervous or difficult travelers - begin spinning and rushing out when allowed to turn around. This leaves the person at their head vulnerable to being slammed against the trailer wall or even run over in the process. I have seen some ugly wrecks from these types of situations. Depending on what surface you’re unloading on, the horse may also be at risk for slipping and falling if it jumps out instead of quietly stepping out.
Conversely, when you are backing the horse out, you are in a much safer position during the unloading process. It is the rare horse that will rush back into the trailer while unloading (though I have seen that, too - never say never!).
If your horses are very quiet and mannerly, then the unloading method matters a lot less.
Walk through trailer. Great for bad loaders & if you have to haul an injured horse.
easily removable dividers
LOTS of rings to tie things to
I have a DD, look at their website, you can have pretty much anything you want, any way you want it…
Look at the lighting installed on the trailer. We shop for trailers during daylight, so lighting can be overlooked. I mean exterior running lights, exterior illumination and loading lights, and lights inside the trailer. Also, the placement of switches controlling the lights. I could be way more specific and wordy, but I will leave it there.
My 16.1 size 81" blanket wearer turns around in my 6’4" wide Shadow. It’s a little tight, but she does it. I’m glad I got to test it before I ordered my trailer.
@OTTBs, thanks! Mine’s a 78 blanket. Thanks for the information: that tells me she should be fine in a 7’ wide. I’m just collecting a bunch of information on dimensions from people. I have a B’rup Solo and it is too small for her (per the manufacturer), and is a straight load, which I like but she doesn’t… Thanks again.
That’s my story too, funny. This mare would NOT stay in the B’up Royal so that I could close her in. I had a stock trailer, I believe 7’ wide, for a while and that was easy for her to turn around in. But it was a step up, only 7’ tall, and a steel roof that got SO hot. So I ordered my Shadow to get everything I wanted in a single trailer.
P.S. I should have specified an 81" Amigo since they vary so much.
You got a fiberglass roof? Cool 
! Yeah, trailer height. I live in AZ and do not see any trailers on dealer lots above 7’. Dealers in CA seem to have a lot of them. I’d like a fiberglass roof, too. I love that B’rup: so wide and cool for holding my horse at shows. Alas.
My trailer is all fiberglass, it is not any cooler inside than my friend’s all steel trailer.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
