Horses with their behind to the left, if facing forward or backwards, remember, roads are crowned, the left being higher, those horses are riding downhill all the time, adding to the stress on their front end.
When you have loose horses, if facing forwards or backwards, they always stand at a slight slant with their front on the left side.
Maybe to them that little difference matters?
And he’s assuming that most people who get the 2+1 regularly haul a 3rd horse in the front box which I don’t think actually happens all that often. Most people I know who have a 2+1 use the box for storage and to have the option to walk their horse off the side ramp; or to tack up in at shows when showing from the trailer. Also, you can add extra length to a 2+1 so that you don’t have a shortened box up front. Lots of versatility there.
Reverse slant or not, you’re still going to have the issue with bigger horses getting butt rubs, not being able to put their heads down and not being able to get to the horse in the middle without moving one of the horses on either side.
My “dream” trailer someday is to have a reverse slant load trailer. Per that type of design, it does work best with a ramp b/c they will have to load on the side, but I only like the big wide ramps that extend PAST the door so it is less likely for them to step off the edge. My dream trailer would also include air ride for the horses. :yes:
My current “real life” 
trailer is 3-horse forward slant. The horses seem comfortable in it and they are used to my trailer and we don’t seem to have a problem.
??? I’m confused.
In a slant load, whether it is a forward slant or a backward slant, the horse’s head is always on the driver’s side which is the higher part (center) of the road. So they are NOT riding downhill.
You are in the US, right Bluey? The pictures in that link all have the horse’s heads on the driver side (for the slants anyway).
This is fascinating to me. Both of my horses, when hauled loose in my trailer, are ALWAYS facing backwards on a slight slant with their front end on the right side.
I knew things were different out here on the west coast!! :lol:
That was my point.
I was responding to the post I quoted.
In that link, I think the bottom drawings had some horse’s behinds on the driver’s side?
Should have made that clear, sorry.
I misspoke, mean on the high side, not the left side, as the context of my post was.
Today is a bad day, had to apologize twice now.
Love all the different info for different trailers. I guess I am just trying to find a trailer an Ottb would prefer best. I know you can train them to get into everything but just curious what people’s experiences are with bringing home their Ottbs?
We raced our TBs and QHs in different tracks and trained from home.
We hauled mostly in a simple old plain two horse trailer our barn won by being #1 one year.
It had lettering to that effect painted all over it, which at times was a bit embarassing.
If we had more than two, we hauled in our regular 16’ stock trailer.
If we were busy, we had more horses than we could haul ourselves, the distances were great, we used commercial haulers, those being mostly vans, not trailers pulled by a pickup.
They would stop by on their way hauling other horses, to pick up or drop some for us. Mostly we used Hubbard for that, especially with broodmares and the longer trips.
I think that, if you are buying a horse off a track or any other place, maybe you could start by asking the seller if the horse has a preference?
Then work with that in mind.
I used a straight load for a long time with no problems. When I went to a 4 horse stock I find my horses like to haul on a slight slant and facing the back of the trailer.
My preferences (like many) are colored by past experiences. I like ramps as long as they have good footing. Watched as one nervous unloader scraped his rear shin stepping down on a step up and that foot slid under, causing the horse to pop up and hit his head and then scrape the other leg! If the horse cant turn around and come out facing front, I much prefer ramps. Of course you still have to train the horse not to step off the edge! I did board with one woman who had the slipperiest ramp in creation! Watched her horse skating up and down and then getting difficult about loading (any wonder?) New trailer - she had to get after the company to get a different covering on the ramp.
I loved my ramp straight load but my horse HATED it. I could not solve her trailering issues no matter what I tried (I could write a book, and yes she fell off the ramp multiple times), until I just bought a step up slant. Presto all solved. But she is 14.2. And the horse who rides in the front is a 12.2 pony. So plenty of room for everyone in there. One thing I really like about the slant Is you can walk the horse off, no backing off.
^^^^ Ha - with your little ones, you can turn them around if you can move the back little divider , but larger horses need to back off - but they do fine in my cases. The front one has turned round, but had to become a pretzel to do it.
I prefer a stock trailer with a ramp. My current trailer that I inherited is a 1989 Featherlite that was custom for the original owner. It is a 20’ on the floor gooseneck with unequal stalls. The front section is around 10.5 feet and has a removable divider that can split it into two slant stalls, the front one being huge. The back section is around 9.5 feet and has a removable partition with chest bars and butt bars to use it a a 2 horse straight load.
There is a 5’ front ramp on the driver’s side (This is steep, but usable) with a door above it and a man door in front on the passenger side as well as a smaller man door over the wheel well on the passenger side to access the back section - this door is in front of the breast bars when the back is set up as a 2 horse. All doors have removable bars to keep horses in even when the door is open.
In addition it has removable plexiglass windows to close up the sides and my mom had a ramp added to the back that is behind the rear doors.
Overall it’s a very versatile design.
If I had the money and were redesigning the trailer the only major changes I would make would be to find a way to make the front ramp less steep and hang the rear 2-horse partition off a removable post instead of the center door and then make the center door able to swing forward. This would allow the rear horses to walk off the front instead of backing off.
For the ramp lovers and for those ramp haters who are afraid of slippery ramps. The solution costs just a few bucks and lasts years. Go to your feed store and buy a bag of ground limestone aka Di-Cal. Note, this is not white lime, or slaked lime, or any of that nasty stuff. It is grey and looks like what it is, ground up rock Keep a bucket of it in your truck and you’ll always be prepared.
Sprinkle a bit on your ramp, especially if it’s raining, and you will not get any slipping. Winter trailering and have to load from an icy spot? Sprinkle ground limestone wherever your horse will or might step. The effect is immediate.
My own trailer is extra everything (big/tall) 2H straight load GN and was raised for the previous owners. That makes my ramp super steep. I have had zero (knock on wood) problems with horses not negotiating it safely. I have zero horses come off stressed.
I searched high and low for the trailer I wanted that I knew my horse would prefer. It would have been easier to buy a slant, but for a little 16 hander, she is long and picky. She will load into anything. She will travel quietly in anything. She will self-load into anything once. She will only refuse to self-load into trailers she doesn’t love - small 2H and slants. She will come off a slant or an old style 2H straight slightly frazzled despite having travelled perfectly quietly. And, although she will be led back on like a little lamb, she will not self-load. “If I have to get back in that thing, you have to get in too!” LoL
Really glad I had the opportunity to beg, borrow and cadge rides for her before I made my decision on what to buy. Super glad that all her friends seem to love it too! So, opinions, I have a lot 
but my actual advice would be that if at all possible, try to find what your horse likes and what you are comfortable with before you buy your trailer.
And yes to GN over BP if possible, unless you’re going to be negotiating impossibly tight yards on the regular.
And ramp over step up. I have seen some scraped shins from horses stepping out onto ground that was soft and slippery 
With a ramp, I am always there to keep remind them where the edge is to keep them centred and not step off sideways like hooligans. Totally personal though. Many people use step ups and will never see an off-loading accident.
Fwiw, the one horse I knew that was always hauled in a stocker always chose to ride backwards with her head on the curb/passenger side. That mare was dreadful to load in a 2H. I wonder if her opinion about loading in a 2H would be different these days with wider, taller, and brighter becoming more the norm .
I’ve tried my mare in almost everything, and the only thing she likes is the stock. In the Straight load she falls, gets cuts, and rubs her hooves (even in only a 10 mins drive) She can’t put her legs out wide enough to balance and her feet rub up against the side.
The slant load was better. But she still came out with cuts on her hip.
In the stock, I give her half the trailer, and she is loose. She trailers perfectly. She prefers to stand on a slight angle and backwards. (nose facing driver’s side rear). My only complaint with the stock, is if we have to trailer another horse. We still trailer them as 2 big box stalls, but there is no way to get the front horse out without removing the back horse. There is an escape door in the front so I can go up there and water, pick feet ect.
We will be trying an extra wide backwards straight load this summer. Hopefully it goes well.
Cannot stand slants - only really small horses seem to fit them (my 16h 74" blanket guy was always cramped and got rubs). I got a rear facing, side ramp trailer from EquiTrek and my 17.1, 87" blanket horse has loads of space and he can walk vs backing down the ramp.
My 17.1 mare fits my extra height slant load just fine.
Really, OP, find out what the horse has travelled in before - it might help you decide. Or find a nice trailer for a good
price that is in safe shape and buy it - your horse will adapt if you drive well.
Goodluck! Everybody has their own opinions, some more rigid than others.
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