I want to take out the stud/stall divider in my little steel two horse. I don’t like it because it goes all the way down and makes the box very base narrow for the horse. But the metal butt-bar latches to the outside of the trailer and then to the stall divider on the other side. So if I remove the stall divider I can’t use the butt bar.
I want to find a full length butt bar. Is this something that could be made by someone? Or can you buy these somewhere?
TIA
Does it need to be a bar ? I’ve seen chains used with a quick release shackle.
http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Rigging-Supplies-Hardware/Jaw-Swivel-Snap-Shackle-Stainless-Steel/3-1-2-Jaw-Swivel-Snap-Shackle-Type-316-Stainless-Steel
If you needed it rigid you could cover the chain with stiff hose/tube/pipe.
My current trailer has a 12"ish padded divider at hip height, which the horses have no problem with. It pins to the head divider upright at the front, and has it’s own leg at the back that connects to the butt bars.
Equispirit sell a full width bar - but no guarantee that it will fit your trailer.
Husband just welded one up for our trailer, went full width across the back, fit on the brackets already on outside walls to latch in place with drop pins. I didn’t want the big mare leaning back on the rear doors, possible breaking off the door hinges on rough roads. This single, bigger (3") diameter steel pipe, worked just fine for her long travels. She used it when she needed it, stood nice when she didn’t need the bar.
I expect your local welding or fix-it shop could make one up for you pretty easily and probably not too expensive either. Make sure they clean off any welding spatter and the welds, so there are no sharp edges. Use the larger diameter pipe, it is much more comfortable and stronger, to lean on for horse. You can put a pad or cover on it if you like. Pipe insulation or split pool noodles are great covers when taped into place.
I liked my long butt bar to use. We also took out the divider for the big mare so she had more room standing at an angle.
Husband took the full divider and shortened it, so our smaller horses could splay legs out a bit if needed for turns or rough roads. I never use a full divider, best way I know to get a horse fighting the trailer in transit trying to stay upright. They turn into ugly loader and bad trailer rider in short order, even with pretty nice driving.
You might ask the Welder folks if they could NEATLY shorten your divider for you, what it would cost? Compare cost to buying a half divider from the trailer maker, so you can haul two horses at the same time in the future.
^ Interesting site, but I didn’t see anything that would help the OP (42" butt chain is not long enough for 2-horse width.)
I don’t like using chains across the rear of a trailer. If not covered the chains can pinch, are a small diameter to cut in if horse persists in sitting on the chain.
The other issue, is to get chain tight enough to prevent horse TOUCHING those back doors. Usually chain can’t be fastened if it is short enough to prevent a leaning horse to touch the door. You just have too much slack which horse uses up and getting on the rear doors.
I would much prefer a pipe across the back end of any trailer, as being more solid and bigger diameter for horse to sit on if they should. More restricting because the pipe butt bar has no slack to allow horse to reach that back door and push on it.
I think you need to get one made, OP.
I have considered doing the same thing. I wouldn’t use anything but pipe. I want a horse to feel something solid back there such that he/she has the impression that backing out while it’s still up, or I’m back there is not an option. Chain doesn’t quite do that.
Also, be sure to put the pipe well in from the back doors. You don’t want a horse able to stick a back foot too far back to the edge of a ramp (or worse, off a step-up trailer) while his/her ass is still contained inside the trailer.
The last issue-- the one that has stopped me-- is about safety: How will I feel about taking down a long pipe and laying it safely aside while I have an in tied horse in there? Standing behind a horse to unload it-- with a solid pipe between your body and a horse’s hind end-- isn’t a safe position to be in. But with a short butt bar, the horse can always see me “in the way” and I don’t have a long, heavy “potential horse weapon” to deal with.
I know that great training is a solution to this safety problem. But when building equipment, it’s really not: Some day, with some horse, you’ll be at risk…. and that long pipe might make it worse.
I’d love a solution to my paranoid problem. Anyone got one? Or at least can you picture the geometry of the situation as I describe it?
[QUOTE=mvp;8088874]
The last issue-- the one that has stopped me-- is about safety: How will I feel about taking down a long pipe and laying it safely aside while I have an in tied horse in there? Standing behind a horse to unload it-- with a solid pipe between your body and a horse’s hind end-- isn’t a safe position to be in. But with a short butt bar, the horse can always see me “in the way” and I don’t have a long, heavy “potential horse weapon” to deal with.[/QUOTE]
We spend a lot of time working with horse in the trailer, getting commands down firmly. With a 2-horse, I would untie the horse, then drop the longer sized butt bar,. Then go around to open the back door and ask him to back out. Maybe your trailer would not allow that route, but I untie horse before removal of the butt bar. If horse is being dumb that day, he may dance a little, so sometimes we WAIT while he settles, so I can finally unhook the bar or open the door to ask him to back out. He MUST move forward when pushed on, otherwise the butt bar is unable to be unhooked, so this part needs practice too. The push on him should help keep him forward until you ASK (remove the pressure) for him to come out.
I never rush to unload the horse in a trailer, he waits patiently inside until I have things ready for him to enter a stall or come out to be tied on the trailer side after unloading.
Any chance of this working for you?
[QUOTE=goodhors;8089319]
I never rush to unload the horse in a trailer, he waits patiently inside until I have things ready for him to enter a stall or come out to be tied on the trailer side after unloading.
Any chance of this working for you?[/QUOTE]
Of course. And I train horses to wait untied while I undo butt bars, too. My only point was that I believe that someday things will not go as planned.
That might be, say, you hauling a friend’s not-trained-by-you horse to a clinic for a big stitch-up job in an emergency. And then, you’ll really have to depend on your equipment to insure safety because you don’t have the luxury of a trained horse. And that consideration was the one that made me question the value of a long pipe.
The only thing I could see doing with a long pipe is rigging it on the outside of the trailer ramp/doors. That way, you can take it down without worry about a fractious horse, and it will still offer a brace to the ramp/doors if the horse is leaning.
[QUOTE=Melissa.Van Doren;8090148]
The only thing I could see doing with a long pipe is rigging it on the outside of the trailer ramp/doors. That way, you can take it down without worry about a fractious horse, and it will still offer a brace to the ramp/doors if the horse is leaning.[/QUOTE]
Lots of great responses. Thank you.
I always until the horse and then do the butt bar and door. One issue I see now that I think about it is if I take the divider out I can totally see her trying to turn around in the trailer and not having enough room to make it. It is just 6’ wide. IDK. I don’t want her to get in the habit of turning in the trailer. I hadn’t really thought about that.
Maybe seeing if they can redo the divider is a better idea. It’s nice to have a solid divider for throwing in gear on the other side, but I feel like she is going from a great trailering horse to a more upset one and I think it is because she can’t spread her feet.
I really just need a new trailer, but am hoping to get by for one more year. I rarely haul, it’s mainly for emergencies.
Lots to think about. Thank you!
[QUOTE=Melissa.Van Doren;8090148]
The only thing I could see doing with a long pipe is rigging it on the outside of the trailer ramp/doors. That way, you can take it down without worry about a fractious horse, and it will still offer a brace to the ramp/doors if the horse is leaning.[/QUOTE]
The last thing you need is to open the door, without a butt bar inside, and a fractious horse.
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