I am ordering a new Hawk XP BP straight load and noticed the center divider (divider between the two horses) doesn’t go all the way to the floor like my current trailer. Is that something a horse can get a leg or something caught underneath? Should I be concerned?
I’ve never had that kind of issue but you can’t put hay or tack trunks there without them possibly shifting under the divider. So I personally dislike this set up.
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You can order a full divider,or a mat to hang from the divider.
Many horses will scramble with a full divider, this type allows then a wider stance around corners for better balance.
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^^^^ THIS
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I personally would never buy a trailer with the dividers that went all the way to the floor. Horses need the Availability to spread their legs legs for stability. Hawk makes a fantastic trailer. I think you’ll love it
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I thought they stopped making those things in the 1960’s. Death traps.
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Note that if you order it with a full divider, it’s a REMOVABLE full divider.
And while there are horses that need a mega wide stance, you better haul that horse alone because he’s going to be stepping all over his trailer mate if he’s not contained in some way.
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We have 2 trailers and for our large Cimmeron trailer, we specifically ordered full partitions (so they go all the way down to the floor) as we like to pack things in one of the back 3 stalls. This of course prevents things from going into the neighboring horses stall. We have shipped like this for more than 25 years (between 2 different trailers) with 0 issues. None of the horses we hauled had any issues with balance or needing to go into the next stall to brace.
My 2 horse Exiss trailer does not go all the way down to the floor, and is similar to the Hawk posted. I have also not had any issues trailering 2 horses side by side and it does make it look more inviting when you are loading a suspicious or green horse. Its a little more “airy” looking and less claustrophobic for sure. As long as you don’t plan on using the second stall to put things like tack trunks etc in it, the open stall should give you no issues.
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My mom had an old Kingston with dividers that went to the floor. While 90 percent of the (many, many) horses we hauled in it were fine, a few weren’t and my dad actually cut the divider so that it was similar to the ones shown. It was never an issue. Just the extra centimeter of space seemed to make all the difference.
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I think you’ll find most horses ride better without the full divider. The only time I rig up a full one is if I’m hauling a mare and foal together
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They both have pros and cons. The pros of a full floor length divider is it protects the horses from one another. One of my uglier trailer scrapes came from a pony kicking the coconuts out of my horse in the trailer with half dividers. The pony was not necessarily small - really was more of a hony, but it could have been so much worse if it was horse vs horse.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for horses being able to utilize as much of the trailer as they can, and full length dividers do also provide additional storage if you are just hauling the one horse.
Ideally, you will be driving conservatively enough that horses do not need to brace with a wide stance.
I was always told (by more experienced trailer drivers) that you can tell how considerate a horse hauler is of their cargo, by how their cargo stands when you first open the trailer. If they are standing with a mega-wide stance or standing crooked despite being in a straight load, the driver was taking turns too fast and/or braking too aggressively.
That did remind me of something SO commented on the other day. He is primarily non-horsey, but is indoctrinated enough to the lifestyle that when we were on 93 in traffic the other day, he noticed a truck and horse trailer was braking so aggressively that the horses were standing defensively - both bay windows were open and you could see them struggle to keep their balance. He commented on how sorry he felt for them. At the risk of sounding negative, I do wish more people were chucked in the back of a trailer a few times before they drove their own – there are horse people I respect that I wouldn’t subject my own horse to in that respect.
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Yes. I am getting the Hawk XP XXL with side ramp.
I have the Hawk Extra wide, Extra tall, gooseneck with tack room and side ramp and I LOVE my trailer. It has the dividers like mentioned and the horses are really happy.
My new guy was not excited about trailering when we got him and he now walks right on. Happy to go back on the trailer between classes.
Other horses at the barn who have not been happy travelers have all liked this trailer.
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How wide is the extra wide???
The XXL is more a length but the width is 80".
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I’ve got the Hawk and have no issues with the divider. That said I don’t try to travel with anything besides occasionally anothr horse on the other side. You can order a different divider from Hawk or an add-on to the ground from Schneiders. Hawk is really great about customizations, I highly recommend the shelf in the tack room.
LetItBe
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My first trailer had a full divider and my seasoned hauler scrambled from the first ride. We modified it and he hauled fine. I never had an issue when hauling 2 horses in it.
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I had a Hawk just like others discussed here. Never had a problem with the divider not going to the floor.
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