Starting to shop for a WB 2 horse trailer. Strongly prefer ramp load. What are benefits of straight vs. slants?
Get a straight load. Slants are ideal for larger horse trailers, so you don’t have so much length going down the road. A 2H BP slant is just silly, esp with a ramp and WB size horses. Get an oversized straight load.
I am really paranoid, so I prefer straight load. God forbid something happens, I can get to both horses.
A two horse bp trailer that’s a slant load with an escape door for the front stall will give you access to both horses. If you’ve got a big WB horse, though, a straight load is probably what you will want, just because they’re generally larger. My horses are small, so the slant load works great for me. If I had big horses I’d definitely want the straight load.
I have a 2 horse straight load and generally prefer it to slant. The slots are longer than a comparable slant load and the horses ride well. It is, however, sometimes harder to load in a straight load when by yourself compared to a slant. Unless you have perfect ponies that walk right in and stand while you hustle around to put up the butt bar!
I have a three horse slant and it has no escape doors. I had a friend trailer my horses a few times and she had a two horse straight (NO MANGERS) and it is sooo nice. When and if I ever sell my older trailer I want a two horse straight with no mangers. I had a horse go into a manger many many years ago and it was terrible!!!
The only benefit I can think of with a slant is they are big and you can remove panels when hauling a baby so you can open it up like a giant box stall.
[QUOTE=horsepoor;7752614]
I have a 2 horse straight load and generally prefer it to slant. The slots are longer than a comparable slant load and the horses ride well. It is, however, sometimes harder to load in a straight load when by yourself compared to a slant. Unless you have perfect ponies that walk right in and stand while you hustle around to put up the butt bar![/QUOTE]
Good points. I didn’t think about that. Horses load really nice in the slant and can do it by myself.
So I guess for the OP depends on what you will be hauling. I too prefer trailers with ramps… make sure your mats are good. I had to replace mine because they got old and were hard and slippery.
[QUOTE=horsepoor;7752614]
It is, however, sometimes harder to load in a straight load when by yourself compared to a slant. Unless you have perfect ponies that walk right in and stand while you hustle around to put up the butt bar![/QUOTE]
The proper way to load in a straight load is to send the horse into the trailer as you stand near the butt bar, which you then put up as soon as they’re on. There’s no “hustling” to be done, just a well-trained horse. 
For a two-horse BP I agree that a straight load is probably what you want, especially for larger horses. But the nice thing about a slant is that it’s much easier to make it one big open box stall if necessary.
A couple years ago my horse colicked very severely and I would never have gotten her out of my straight load trailer once we got to the hospital; I was very lucky to have access to a slant at the time, in which we secured the dividers back so that she could move freely and lie down on the ride.
I now have a slant load. (Both because of the emergency issue and also because I now have a horse that has to turn around to unload.)
The better made trailers tend to have longer stalls. I had a 2H BP DR slant and loved it. It was warmblood size - 7’9" tall and 8’ wide. I trailered drafts, warmbloods, & Friesans in it. I camp and needed the rear tack for my tack and the DR to sleep in, etc It also had a ramp which I prefer.
I sold it (to get a GN LQ) to a girl that had an Oxen she rode in parades. It was the biggest trailer she could find and Bo was a bigun for sure…
I prefer straight load.
I think in most cases the horses have more room and can negotiate the movement a little better.
I have an equispirit and I adore it. Both of my mares load right on it without me even walking them in. I just throw the lead rope over their necks and on they go. I can load one while holding the other. And trust me, I have taken no time out of my day to practice loading.
Based on a lot of forum commentary I’ve seen over the years, there seem to be some geographic preferences on straight vs slant…it’s rare to see a slant around here unless it’s a professional hauler going down the road. Even the four and six horse trailers owned by barn operations seem to all be head-to-head “straight” loads. More folks “out west” seem to like slants than straights. But this is all anecdotal and not scientific.
Personally, I prefer straight load for BP trailers, especially for accommodating larger horses without having a super-wide trailer footprint. And that’s what I bought for my own horses.
I prefer straight loads. I generally trailer alone but w/ at least 2 horses and like being able to work one horse w/o having to shuffle them around. The stalls and usable space tend to be larger in straights than slants (although there are exceptions). Do teach your horse to self load (NOT hard w/ most horses). I like the design on both Hawks and Equispirits and both offer options that allow them to be easily turned into a box stall.
Jim, I think you are right. Since moving out west, I have been surprised at how slants, including step up 2 horse slants, are preferred out here compared to what I was used to seeing on the east coast. I like a straight load for a 2 horse personally–find it is much easier to carry extra hay etc. than with a slant.
I prefer a straight load, although I did have to buy mine (2H Hart gooseneck) from back east and have it hauled to Colorado.
There are straight load trailers out there where you can remove the divider and turn it into a box stall. I wish mine were like that–while you can pull out the middle piece, it requires it in place to close the doors. Being able to open it up would make it much more all purpose for hauling the tractor or a load of hay.
I live in MA and have a step up slant. I love it. Especially since I can turn my horse around and have him come off walking forward instead of backing. He is such a nervous trailerer that I think this is the best way to go for him.
[QUOTE=Jim_in_PA;7752799]
Based on a lot of forum commentary I’ve seen over the years, there seem to be some geographic preferences on straight vs slant…it’s rare to see a slant around here unless it’s a professional hauler going down the road. Even the four and six horse trailers owned by barn operations seem to all be head-to-head “straight” loads. More folks “out west” seem to like slants than straights. But this is all anecdotal and not scientific.
Personally, I prefer straight load for BP trailers, especially for accommodating larger horses without having a super-wide trailer footprint. And that’s what I bought for my own horses.[/QUOTE]
Fully agree on the geography! I’d say 90% of the newer trailers out here are slant. That being said, I’m starting to see more straight loads again. I have a 2H Straightload, no mangers, and love it. However my mare loads well and will walk up to the front on her own while I hook up the butt bar.
I love the extra barrier behind the horses (I have solid bars, not chains or a rope). They can’t lean on the door that way, and it just seems safer. My mare also stands on the trailer more quietly, ie while I check in at shows. I think it’s the difference in head space…
For years I was a straight load fan, generally had larger horses, they all marched into my Brenderup, no problem. UNTIL - the red headed mare came along. She loaded great, rode great on straight or gently curving roads unloaded great. However around corners, even going about 2mph, she scrambled big time.
I tried her in a slant borrowed from a friend, problem solved. So my much loved B-up got traded for a 2 horse slant. I only haul one horse, so was able to tinker w/ divider and make the front stall more roomy, otherwise it was tight fit.
Recently hauled a 15’3" lusitano, he fit just fine w/ regular configuration.
Moral of story - it seems that sometimes the horse decides…
The trailer I have (Trail-Et 2 horse straight BP) has the type of dividers that can be completely removed, and as someone above mentioned, that can be helpful for hauling other things. I had to tote our riding mower to the shop in ours, and it was nice just to push it up the trailer ramp and not try to get it up in the taller truck bed. You could also haul open like that (box stall like) but I like the security of the butt bar keeping them off the doors/ramps and they aren’t set up to use without the center divider, in mine at least.
We have removed the divider easily in my 2h Sundowner straight load when we were using it to move my daughter’s furniture out of her college apartment. My Irish Draughts fit in my trailer easily. I can’t imagine shoving them into a slant load or smaller straight load.
