I have a 7’6" tall 7wide 3 slant with a dressing room. 2 horses --1 is freaky deaky claustrophobic 16h 1200 lbs size 84 blanket…TBx sporthorse…he’s big, he’s a princess about trailers. Old retiree babysitter is 16.1 1600lb draft mare size 86 blanket, old fashioned percheron X belgian grade mare, Big built like a 1600lb bull dog. She’s 26 yo.
I have a Adam j2040 excursion. I’ve measured my slant stalls and they made the first stall have a wider rump angle to help out with the fact that 1st stall has thal wall next to them and a bit narrower front angle by escape door. The drop down bars also angle out to give bit more nose room. The Draft mare has ridden up there for 3hr trip x2 (6hr total) while I have the princess pea horse the whole rest of the box. I felt kinda bad, because just loaded in there she could stand and balance as needed, put her head down etc but it wasn’t giving her the kind of xtra room I’d have prefered. But she was fine—I found over the road she liked too brace her butt on the back wall and she had plenty xtra head room under those circumstances. —So, it was not my ideal, but in practice it worked out fine for her—also she’s got srthritis everywhere—canme off the trailer both legs of the trip bright and fit, never showed any signs of stiffness in the days after. I did stop regularly in a safe location, and let the drop down bars down so she could stretch her head neck out the window in case she was getting cramped up----with the bars down she can walk fwd fully several steps, stretch out the window—which I think helps the old bones too. But I only do this stopped at a safe rest area parked where a 18 wheeler or car is not going to come by and hit a horses head! Over the road, bars always up.
After getting princess horse used to the new trailer, I played around with different options. Now, I have the first divider removed to make a very big front box, and the rear tack folded up if I want a real big stal in back too. When I do this it’s more for the xtra air around that horse in hot weather, he’s actually gotten very civilized about being in the rear stall with rear tack closed. —so now either one of the rides in big stall in front or rear stall. They both like the room, but both over the road plant their rump against the back wall/corner of their stall.
My dividers are aluminum with airflow slats in them. They aren’t bad too take in and out once you get used to it. I can do it alone. Usually take a couple bales under it in case it drops off the hinge faster then I’m expecting. Also— mine has a spring on it to make the dividers swing open and stay open when you load/unload— I took the spring to hardware store—guy there helped me come up with a technique to grip/compress it to get it back on if/when I put a divider back in. We found 2 wrenches that fit on securely and I could squeeze the compress the spring ends. Works a charm—but I do it carefully and wear eye protectors…just in case the wrench flew back…I’ve known people to get bad face and eye injuries working on stuff …personal paranoia.
I was never a fan of slants. However, I went with a slant because I felt 2+1 was a longer trailer than I wanted to just skip around 90% of the time 1 princess pea horse. The 3 slant is a size that for me, used to GN I can snake in all sorts of tight spaces. I also like that w 3 slant so easy to have it be a open box or load 3 take a friend or pack the front with hay etc. If I was driving cross country or to FL—I wouldn’t want my old draft mare squished in the front—for really huge horse, IMHO double stall is huge, my draft acn turn right around in it loose no problemo, the diagonal with double stall islike 13ft at least. The rear stall fits “longer” because of how they have full corner behind their bum to stand/brace against–it’s like standard 10ft.
I would asay though—the 2 horses I do this with know each other and don’t kick or have hissy fits. It’s their barn RV as far as they are concerned. If I had strange horse on—I’d use a stud divider below because with the double stall in front—that horse could kick under and hit the horse behind it.
If you are worried about hauling—definitely practice practice practice. Back up, drive around, get used to handeling the thing. With a helper—also determine how sharply you can jacknife the rig before it contacts the back of your truck cab…a lot of people have busted out their rear windows/damaged cabs that way.
here are some pics of mine.
https://goo.gl/photos/V9UcNNxGYahkuzS27
I’m not sure they are helpful—but you can see how these 2 horses look 1 divider out in 7’6" tall by 7wide. You can see the 16h chestnut, 1200lbs, size 84" blanket—long body TB, in double stall has more than a usual box stall—he can turn right around easily/effortlessly. The big arthritic old mare can also turn herself right about in the double stall too. I definitely like 7’6" high—I had a 7’ trailer before this one and horses occasionally bumped their heads—not enough to get hurt, and they took it remarkably well when it did happen…doh! Ow! Never did it again but…who needs that right? I had one stallion that would fire up start hooting to the ladies and forget—boom, hit his head. He would make a total Homer Simpson DOH! Dammit! face every time LOL.
