Stock trailer height from floor to first opening

[wsmoak]

If you have a stock trailer, how far off the floor does the first horizontal opening begin?

(For extra credit, what’s the interior height of the trailer?)

Most of them have two horizontal openings the length of the trailer and horses can see out with their heads in a normal position. The openings in mine are, I think, higher than normal and I have a pony. So the poor thing can’t see without acting like a giraffe!

I am considering moving the slats on mine. I will talk to the manufacturer but it’s just some rivets and welds and looks like it should be possible. (If one of the metal slats got damaged it would be replaced the same way.) Ideally I can reuse the slats by carefully grinding off the welds but if not I’m sure they can ship me a few pieces of the same metal.

201115_7748 by Wendy, on Flickr

The lower 4’ is lined and insulated but the upper part is just open studs with the slats welded to them, and trapped behind a piece of trim on the outside.

210928_9148 by Wendy, on Flickr

So the one below the opening gets detached and slides up and gets re-attached, making the opening 6" lower. Which is why I want to know where the first opening is on YOUR trailer, is that going to be enough? It puts the opening at 5’ instead of 5’6". (I can’t even see out.)

[OzarksRider]

On my stock trailer the first horizontal opening begins 5 feet above the floor. My horses are 15.0 and 15.1 hands, and they can see out but they have to raise their heads.

The interior height of my trailer is 7 feet, because I custom ordered it with extra height. The standard interior height on my trailer would have been 6 1/2 feet.

[candyappy]

My stock trailer is 7 feet tall ( i ordered it that way). I am not sure at what height the slats start but it is lower down than the one you pictured. I haul goats and cows as well as horses so we have a livestock trailer as opposed to a " dedicated horse" one , so my goats / cows get a bit better air flow when traveling.

It is up high enough that it poses no risk of hooves getting through if a horse paws or kicks.

[Texarkana]

My trailer is 7’ interior height. I just measured and it seems my lowest opening is just a hair over 4’ tall.

I feel like they are “high enough”. I also appreciate that my openings are on the narrower side: only about 3.5 inches. It would be tough to get a full sized hoof through them (this is not a challenge, horses!!!).

[wsmoak]

I’m interested if anyone has a Shadow. From the outside it looks like the first opening is quite low and there’s a bigger solid piece in the middle and then another opening towards the top.

[Texarkana]

@wsmoak

I’m interested if anyone has a Shadow. From the outside it looks like the first opening is quite low and there’s a bigger solid piece in the middle and then another opening towards the top.

I don’t, but I have noticed that about them. Bee is another company whose first opening is quite low, though more traditionally spaced.

I actually don’t like that about either brand’s stock models. The openings are low and wide and horses are suicidal.

[2DogsFarm]

I haul a 35" mini in my stock trailer.
First opening of 2 is around 6’.
Nowaynohow can he see out & why should he?

Unless the plexiglass partitions are in place, those openings allow dust & etc to blow in along with air.
When I haul my 16H horse, I slide the partitions so his head is protected from debris blowing in.
Plenty airflow with the plexiglass in place closing off part of the openings.

[OTTBs]

I’ll try to measure mine. I’m 99% sure @TBDressage916 has a Shadow too–he/she had the thread about modifying the trailer after a horse got a leg out.

[goodhors]

My inside height is 7ft, slat openings are high. I do NOT want lower openings! Horses kick and can kick pretty high at times. I do not want a hoof thru the slats. We have straight stall in front, so ability to kick high is somewhat limited, but there is a reason slats are high on stock trailers, safety is one of them. Also creating drafts with passing trucks, that are lessened with higher slats. 2Dogs said it well. Many folks haul with fly masks in open slat trailers, to protect eyes from flying dirt.

I think you may be thinking too hard on what pony “likes”. If you pulled a 2 horse trailer, he could not look out the windows either. This is more about you than pony. I have hauled a number of ponies over the years. With hay in front, they travel happily with no sightseeing. Load easily, unload easily.