Trailer shopping for horse that sits on butt bar--suggestions?

[LuvMyTB]

Currently have a 2 horse Merhow straight load, extra tall but not extra long. My mare sits HARD on the butt bar/leans on the ramp & rear doors, to the point that she poops UP the doors and UP her butt. There is some concern that she will start to warp or break things, so I’m considering buying a new trailer. Wondering if she would be better off in a slant load so she isn’t leaning on the back of the trailer? I know slants are not often recommended for bigger horses (she is around 16.2 and long), but was thinking I could remove the divider and haul her in a big space…however, that wouldn’t give her anything to lean on at all. I could go for a longer straight load, but I would assume she’d just sit back on the bars no matter what. Maybe a stock combo?

She has hauled in a friend’s VERY large 4-horse head to head–rode backwards–and in that one, she braced on the wall so hard she pooped up into the nose of the trailer.

Other than that–she is a good loader, she travels well and has not ever seemed stressed regardless of what type of trailer she’s been in.

Things to consider: hauling with a F150 short bed, so length and weight of trailer is important. I have a strong preference for ramps. There is not room in my current trailer to move the butt bar up to keep her off the doors without squeezing her against the chest bar.

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

[lorilu]

a friend had a full-alum trailer , even the butt bars and their links to the wall were alum. Horse sat on them EVERY TIME, and broke them more than once. PIA getting it re-welded.

[Mango20]

I have a slightly smaller butt bar sitter. My Hawk steel butt bars have held up just fine (trailer is aluminum skin on steel frame and butt bars are steel)

[cutter99]

I would go with a stock trailer. I have a 16’ gooseneck stock trailer that is great for hauling horses. It basically makes two 7’ X 8’ box stalls.

I usually only haul one horse at a time, and they do haul very comfortably. I tie their head just like you would in a slant, with a hay bag tied next to their head. They can move their back end around freely.

My trailer is a step up, and I have never had a horse refuse to load in it. I was even able to load a totally feral horse in it twice in the last year or so. I don’t think we could have gotten him loaded in a slant or straight load.

[goodhors]

Curious if trailers she hauls in full or half dividers? We have half dividers. Ours like to “spread out” their feet while hauling, so they don’t have to depend on the walls to hold them up. We did get an older horse who ONLY rode well on the right side. She fought like a tiger on the left, putting her rump on the tail bar, putting hooves on the left wall and kicking the whole time! We always wondered what bad trailer experience she had to make her like that.

Our straight load stalls are quite long, 7ft 6in, which I strongly suggest in a new trailer. We haul 17h, full bodied horses. They wear 84in blankets, need big stall to stay happy. Maybe a bit wider stall too, so she can move a bit within the stall area. Husband made our butt bars front 3" steel pipe, not going to cut into the rump if they sit on them. They gave heavy U link links on one end, one U on the bar, another on the plate on the divider to form a hinge to let the bar hang down to let horse out. There is a drop pin latch on the other end. He cut the corners off a piece of wood and then hammer-fit the wood into the pipe to prevent pipe bending, before finishing the bar ends.

I do not think a slant will help, they are actually less room than a straight stall has, plus nothing flat to lean back on.

I realize mare is older, but perhaps trying some behavior modification might help. Have you tried just loading her in the trailer with some hay, letting her eat for a while without going anyplace? Then unload and put her away or go for a ride. Done multiple times, she MAAAY just stop bracing so hard, start relaxing in there. Having that bigger stall in width and length, should be more comfortable to.

And last, has anyone ever critiqued your trailer driving? The ride back in the trailer is NOT anything like humans get in the tow vehicle!! Have you ever ridden in a 2-horse trailer rattling down a country road? People think they are being so careful, but everything the horse experiences is magnified, sound, bumpy roads, halting and acceleration! People teach their horses that trailers are not fun because they are too small, have poor towing skills.

The COTH recommendation of taking your outfit for a “country drive” horseless, with a big cup or glass of water on the dashboard, is a great tool for testing your skill in trailer towing. Drink HAS to be on the dash, no cupholders, no lid on it. Not paying attention, sudden start, quick turns, fast braking, will get you baptized!

[Janet]

I also had good results with my butt-bar-sitter in a Hawk straight load “bumper pull”. I had them use extra strong weld on the butt bar mountings. No problems. With my previous trailer, a Gore, she bent the butt bars, and once broke the mounting,

[SusanO]

I have one of those. My trailer is extra long, extra wide, extra tall. She still sits on the butt bar and puts her head UNDER the chest bar. The divider is a half divider. She is about 16:2 and is a wide load. She just doesn’t balance as well as her shorter legged girl friend.

I have been hauling for almost 50 years and I am a very careful driver. And I slow down from my normal slow speed when this one is in the trailer. None of my other horses have done this. She is not neuro - just her own special snowflake. She has not been hauled as much as my other horses so maybe she will get better with more mileage. If I did not have this trailer I probably should have bought an extra wide and tall stock trailer for her. This is not financially possible unless I win the lottery.

I don’t know why she does this but so far she has not been able to damage my horse trailer.

[joiedevie99]

Do you know anyone with a rear-facing straight load? Or a larger slant? I’d be curious to try the horse in those before a purchase, even if you have to pay a pro to come for two hours and take the horse for a ride.

[LuvMyTB]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! A couple of things: the trailer has a half divider and she is only ever in my trailer by herself. She has also hauled in an XL, XW straight load alone and sat on the butt bar, and in a gigantic, XL everything 4 horse head to head (rear facing) both alone and with other horses. She travels well in all of those, but sits hard on whatever is behind her.

Also, she is not old-she is just now turning 5. She does have weak stifles and I wonder if that does not contribute to the problem-like you mentioned, a wider trailer might give her more room to spread out and be more comfortable.

Finally-I am new to hauling, but I am careful, and I frequently haul with a very good friend of mine who has many many years of experience hauling horses. I trust that if there was anything I was doing wrong, she would tell me, but I’ll ask anyway!

[LuvMyTB]

I’m honestly starting to get more worried about her damaging the curtain doors and ramp latches than the butt bars themselves. She often poops into the window of the curtain doors. If she’s wearing a blanket in the trailer, when she poops, it goes up under the blanket and gets all over the top of her tail. That’s how hard she’s leaning on the back of the trailer/butt bars.

[joiedevie99]

@LuvMyTB

She does have weak stifles and I wonder if that does not contribute to the problem-like you mentioned, a wider trailer might give her more room to spread out and be more comfortable.

FWIW, leaning in the trailer was the first sign of EPM in one of mine. A week into Marquis he stopped doing it entirely. That’s not to scare you, but to say that sometimes (not always) there is a physical reason that they ride the way they do.

[OzarksRider]

A stock or stock combo might work best, depending on your needs. You can order a custom trailer exactly like you want it, with extra height and/or width and a ramp.

I have a 12 ft. bumper pull stock trailer that I tow with a Ford F150. I ordered it with an extra 6 inches in height. Mine doesn’t have a ramp, but my horses have been taught to self load and turn around, so they travel facing backwards and come off head first. I usually tie them on the driver’s side, about the middle of the trailer so they can swing their butts around if they want. And I only haul one horse at a time; if I had to haul both they would have to ride facing forward and back out. My stock trailer is nothing fancy, but it is perfect for my needs.

[Abbie.S]

I realize you are wanting suggestions for trailers…but I’m really struck by your description of how committed she is to leaning.

Has anyone ever ridden in the trailer with her to see when she starts and what she does? Or had a camera on her? I know horses that will lean after being in the trailer for a while, usually from fatigue due to poor driving or fatigue due to arthritis/some other physical issue, but I’ve never heard of a horse doing so for no reason whatsoever.

[grinanride]

Check your PM’s!
Risa

[LuvMyTB]

@Abbie.S No, I haven’t done that. I have owned her for about 18 months; in that time she has been on a LOT of very short (15-30 min) trips in a few different trailers with 2 different drivers, and has never once seemed stressed or uncomfortable in any way. She hops off the trailer and goes right to work if needed (I haul out for lessons). She eats well on the trailer. My trailer has windows in the front, and I can see her head/neck while I’m driving…I have never seen her do anything that looked weird–usually she’s just eating or looking around.

@joiedevie99 No worries. She actually just had an overall physical/lameness exam about a month ago and other than the stifles, she has no issues. Good thought though.

[2DogsFarm]

I have the same stock as @cutter99 in a BP. Mine has a center gate so I can make 2 8’ boxstalls if needed.
I mostly haul my mini - cart goes in front, mini goes in back behind the closed gate.
He gets tied loosely on driver’s side with a haybag & always arrives facing the same way though he could ride backwards if he wanted.
I have hauled my 16h Walker by himself & left the gate pinned open, tied him up front. He also arrived facing the same direction.

I not a fan of ramps.
Both for the weight - had a 2H aluminum BP with hydraulic ramp & it still weighed a ton - and the fact that horses lower their heads to step up, less chance of bonking.
The mini jumps in & out w/o a problem.
I guess to his 35" that step looks too high to step up or down

[Janet]

@Abbie.S

I know horses that will lean after being in the trailer for a while, usually from fatigue due to poor driving or fatigue due to arthritis/some other physical issue, but I’ve never heard of a horse doing so for no reason whatsoever.

My “butt-bar-sitter” was sitting on the butt bar by the time we pulled out of the driveway. Nothing to do with fatigue. With no weight on her hind feet, the trailer mats shifted forward (that is why I went with Rumber in the Hawk). It was NOT a precursor to neurological issues, or significant arthritis.

[endlessclimb]

Crazy idea, but could you move the butt bar forward 6" or so (could use giant D rings and a thick nylon strap) so that she isn’t smooshing her ass against the doors and windows? If she’s back in the stall that far, she probably won’t mind the reduction in room at her chest.

[LuvMyTB]

@endlessclimb Initially I didn’t think there was enough room to do that since the trailer isn’t extra long, but now I’m wondering if that could be an option. I’ll have to get in there and measure sometime this week.

[endlessclimb]

It doesn’t have to be much, just enough to give the poop somewhere to go that isn’t in the window or up her blanket.