Trailering in 2 horse BP with divider removed

[ala359]

I’m going to be moving my PSSM2/MFM mare to a new barn next week and am dreading trailering her. The ride is only about 30 min. but I know it’ll be hard for her muscles and since becoming symptomatic she has become difficult to load.

I have heard and read that horses prefer slant loads, facing backwards, or shipping in box stalls. I have a two horse bumper pull so am considering removing the divider and shipping her loose so that she can stand how she feels most comfortable, and hopefully will be easier to load (although I will be giving her Ace as well). Just wondering if this is safe to do?! I know horses ship in box stalls in larger trailers but is a two-horse size adequate?

[SusanO]

One thing to think about - how are you going to fasten the butt bar if you don’t have a divider? I don’t think you want her sitting on the door. Does not sound safe.

[ala359]

Good point, I hadn’t thought of that!

[mmeqcenter]

People haul with the divider removed all the time. The last slant in a slant load doesn’t always have a butt bar, and I’ve had several straight loads that didn’t have a butt bar, just a butt rope, that wouldn’t have done jack ish to stop the horse leaning on the door.

[Alterwho]

I haul loose in my slant load with the divider removed and have been doing so for over a decade. My trailer doesn’t have a butt bar but it does have a wide, heavy-duty strap that goes across the back. I duct taped a pool noodle to it to make it more visible. Every horse I’ve hauled this way has always stood facing the rear of the trailer while being hauled

[fivestrideline]

Do you have chest bars? Escape doors?

You don’t want her getting stuck under chest bars or around/in front of the center support pole if it doesn’t come out. If it all comes out, how will you keep her off the escape doors? Those latches aren’t meant to hold any weight, just to keep the door shut (and they don’t always do that super well). I have hung plywood from the chest bars and zip tied to the center post to block off the front of the trailer and restrict access to the escape doors.

You can get full length butt straps from Logan Coach and some other supply stores, or even a chain (put a pool noodle or two on to reduce rattle). That will hopefully keep her off the back and also keep her from shooting out of the box when you open the door - even more important if the main part of your “door” is the ramp like mine.

ETA I wouldn’t haul loose if you have mangers - too many great spots to climb up or get caught.

[Texarkana]

I have a tiny slant load and have to remove my divider or else most large horses won’t fit.

[Weezer]

If she’s loose, I worry that she might get herself jammed trying to turn around. If the divider isn’t solid to the floor, keeping it in may provide her with a prop to lean on, while also being able to splay her legs a bit for balance. I think you are the best judge of the situation since you know how she generally moves in the trailer. Good luck!

[Highflyer1]

Can you just slide the divider over to make the back of the stall bigger similar to a slant load? I had a horse that rode much better that way. I was able to use a stall chain as a temporary butt bar. I’m not crazy about hauling a full sized horse in a 2 horse loose because often they just aren’t well designed for it.

[ThreeWishes]

Never loose but with the divider slid over and horse tied.
Eventually bought a rear facing trailer but this is how I used my old trailer for a few months while I was waiting for the new one to arrive.

[Snowdenfarm]

Besides the dangers mentioned, weight distribution is a huge issue for safety with.a bumper pull. You need more weight in front of the axles on the tongue to keep it from swaying. You also need even weight side to side, or more weight on the driver’s side (high side of the road).

[ala359]

This is exactly the feedback I was looking for, thank you all for your input! I think I will just slide the divider over and figure out a way to secure it.

[DMK]

I agree about the weight distribution, it’s a good chunk of the front end of the horse is behind the axles, that won’t be a lot of fun even with sway bars.

But like others, I used to push the divider all the way to the other side. I made a custom length lead rope with snaps on both sides (used a lead rope and an extra set of hardware) and added a pool noodle to it just to remind them to keep off the ramp.

These days I have a really wide trailer and a sliding divider with 2 sets of butt bars, normal and 66"/30". That’s not a cheap solution but something you could do if this is a long term problem and you want some flexibility. Also if you can remove the divider you might want too invest in a full length butt bar. Although with both of these solutions you can’t easily deal with a horse who rushes out since life becomes more complicated if they bar is longer than the height, since it can’t drop fully. Fortunately not my problem and I’ll just use the regular split of it ever becomes an issue, but it’s definitely a know your horse moment!

[Lusoluv]

I personally wouldn’t ship a horse loose in a 2 horse straight for the reasons already mentioned above. If your horse is hard to load, you can certainly swing the divider over to make that process more inviting. Also, if your horse has muscle weakness issues, it would be better if she has “sides” to lean against (side wall, divider, chest bar and butt bar). Imagine if you’ve ever ridden on a subway car standing, you need a good hold on a hand rail with all the lurching and start/stops. I know it’s not exactly the same thing with a horse, but it’s close enough. If you take a turn and she momentarily loses balance, she would might stagger or fall with momentum. If you had a safe stock trailer and she could face backwards to wedge her butt in a corner, then being loose might be ok. It’s a short trip and I’d think having supports around her (like stocks at a vet office) would keep her safer.

[candyappy]

@SusanO

One thing to think about - how are you going to fasten the butt bar if you don’t have a divider? I don’t think you want her sitting on the door. Does not sound safe.

In my old 2 horse BP trailer the butt bars were attached to the side and even when removing the divider the steel center support where you attached the bars ( and latched the doors closed) was still there since it was part of the frame?

Not sure I would haul loose since the divider would provide stability and support ? I hauled one horse w/o the divider but she was loaded front facing and tied.

[FjordBCRF]

I haul my guy in a 2 horse slant with the divider clipped back. He is not loose though, I do tie him.

I have a trailer camera, and can see every time he has to readjust and support himself, around turns in particular. I’d think if your horse has trouble with muscles/balance/pain, I’d be more inclined to use the partition so there is the extra support.

[joiedevie99]

My trailer came with a one-piece butt bar for these kinds of scenarios. I still don’t haul loose because of the risk of them getting stuck or trying to go under the chest bar. However, I will tie them on the looser side in the center so they can swing their butt or step to either side.

That said, I tend to haul problem horses in a normal stall so they can lean on the walls if needed.

[ThreeWishes]

I do think it makes a difference how the horse travels. I had a horse that traveled wonderfully in my two horse straight load Equispirit for years until we had a near miss of an accident and I had to swerve hard and he went down in the trailer. Every single time after that anytime I would try to turn a corner he would scramble and go down, almost throw himself to the floor. I know this because I had a camera. While I was waiting for my new rear facing trailer, I trailered him by sliding the divider over. Granted he’s a big horse 1400 pounds and 16…3. But with him it seemed that what he really needed was to be able to shift position spreads his back legs wide and maintain his own balance, and if he needed to, he would move his butt over and use the slid over divider for balance. The situation wasnt ideal mostly because the butt bars were removed and many trailer manufacturers I talked to told me that over time he would put stress on the back door and the latches that held it shut. That is why I ordered the new trailer but it worked until I solved my problem with the rear facing trailer. By the way, he travels like a saint in the rear, facing trailer with the middle partition intact, and his best friend beside him.

During the interim, even at low speeds, because of whatever issues he had, this would happen, even at 5 miles an hour at corners.

IMG_7503

My point is that when a horse has balance problems sometimes they need room to figure it out.

[lorilu]

I have a SL; it seems horse prefers slant. I moved the divider to the side so it’s angled. Used a leather dog collar to attach it to the butt bar loop there. As to the butt bar, I bought a lead used for round walkers… it is about 6’long, webbing, and covered with a really thick clear plastic tube. I attach it to the butt bar loop on each side. When I load, I send him in, attach the “butt rope”, and raise the ramp, THEN go to his head to clip him in. FOr unloading, I first undo his head “just in case”, then lower the ramp and unclip the rope.
I dont have pics, sorry… I think the lead is made by the local tack store, Tach Shack of Ocala.

[LCDR]

One of my past 2 horse BP trailers (Gore) had a removable center divider. The chest bar center pole and the butt bar center pole were also individually removable, I could remove the divider and still retain functional butt bars with their own center pole, and chest bars with their own center pole.

Removal of the chest bars would leave a horse with ready access to lean on or kick at a side access or rscape door. Those doors were never engineered to withstand a half ton horse.