I saw that a lot, too, back home (out West).
basic safety is important, but also handling. I learned to drive a truck and horse trailer when I first learned to drive. I go easy on corners, starts, stops, and rough roads. I have seen people drive pretty nutty in the nicest trailers and their horses get out much sweatier than mine. 
Thanks, candyappy! By the way, our 15.2 horse is an Appy. I do like their personalities. 
Me too !!
BTW: We have hauled in some pretty cold, wet and crappy weather long distances and the horses were dry and just fine during the trips.
Great information from everyone! Thank you.
I used to use a 6.5ā tall, 14ā stock trailer to haul, before I bought my current trailer.
I didnāt love the height, but it was āfine.āĀ But I couldnāt comfortably use the center gate- the stalls were too small for my 15.3h horses. I had to keep it open to haul.
I would definitely go with the 16ā length.
That Bee trailer looks interesting. I have to compare prices, but the divider looks safer than a simple tube gate in the CM trailers. How does the quality compare between the two? Does anyone know?
Sounds like the 16 foot is the better option.
The Bee is 2K more. Too much for us.
The good news is that we should be able to afford a trailer big enough to evacuate, in case of emergencies, before hurricane season begins. Peace of mind.
The divider in the cm doesnāt really worry me personally
You guys are going to hate me, but I went with the open bar trailer for several reasons, once I saw them both in person.
Our horse isnāt as tall tall as I thought, but I am used to my barely 14 hand Mustang, so I thought he was over 15 hands. Heās not. Heās barely 15 hands. I bought head bumpers for both horses, just in case.
The trailer is solid for the first couple of feet and the bars are not wide enough to get a hoof between. The dividing gate has very narrow vertical bars that are much safer for our horses. They already turned a standard pipe gate in their paddock into a pretzel. Both had minor injuries that still required the vet. The open bar trailer is much wider and the horses can easily turn around to walk out. The escape door is wider and safer. All the latches were much more secure from accidental openings. The trailer was much heavier and much more solid, with thicker steel. I thought the CM walls felt flimsy. My last trailer had thick steel walls, so maybe I was spoiled. We paid more for less length with the open bar trailer, but the width makes up for that. The last trailer was a slant load and wide, but this one even wider.
I did not have them install mats. I thought I would do it myself after some thought. One opinion I have heard is that it channels the urine to the corners and sides, allowing for the acid in the urine to break down the steel faster, than if they just peed on the wood floor. This was an issue with the last trailer. If we get mats, we have to drag them out and rinse them after every trailering. I know I wonāt do that every time when Iām tired after hauling all day and just want to get the horses unloaded and settled. I can replace the wood floor, but I canāt repair the metal holding it up. What do you guys think? Is it worth it to cover the floor with mats? This is for hauling within 50 miles. We donāt really do long trips. I did multiple states and even cross country when I was in college and the military, but now, itās just local trails and hauling livestock to auction or delivering them to new homes.
We drove it home yesterday. It handled very well. The width will take a little getting used to. I kept checking my mirrors in the construction zone. We loaded the horse and pony when we got home and they hopped right in, ate some treats, and we unloaded them. They seemed to really like it. For our taller horse, weāll wait for the bumper to come in. He is new and not as easy to haul, so weāll do several training sessions with him before taking him anywhere.
I forgot to mention that itās 6 1/2 feet tall and the interior is 6 1/2 feet wide (wheel wells make it even wider).
I looked at all the flooring options, but I think I will just go with mats, again. I like the thick ones with grooves that TSC sells. I had trouble with them slipping on my last trailer, but this one seems to have a tiny lip between the metal edge and the last board. Since they will need to be lifted regularly for cleaning, I really donāt want to use screws, like I had to before. The good news is that itās much cooler to work inside this trailer. I hate handling mats.
I realize this is not the intent of the thread BUT. you need to develop plans now as to just where you would go when you evacuate. Have at least two destinations that are not near one another. Get the Hard Print maps of the routes now that have all the roads on them ā¦not just the google here you go from point to point as when an evacuation goes goes to hell you do not want to be locked on an interstate.
Just read about the Houston evacuation for hurricane Rita
Some 2.5 million people hit the road ahead of the stormās arrival. The worst day was probably Thursday, Sept. 22, as every conceivable evacuation route was clogged well past capacity.
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-wā¦ta-9236850.php
You Do Not Want to be in that
(by the way, the same goes for Fires, have multiple destinations mapped out)
Have you considered EVA mats? More expensive but much lighter (so easier to pull out). I hope to someday replace the heavy-duty rubber mats in my trailer with the EVA ones.
Thanks for the tip, Jarpur! Iāll look into that.
Thanks, Clanter. We are lucky. We have two evacuation points; one North, one South. Neither one requires an interstate.
Youāre very welcome. I hate pulling mats! :mad:My husband isnāt a big fan, either.
I will just say to do your research on the bee. I did mine and frankly, i was horrified and decided that my horses safety wasnt worth that trailer!
What is wrong with Bee trailers?
What is wrong with Bee trailers?
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