Just an observation: the only time I have seen a truck and gooseneck here in the UK, everyone stood around to watch it attempting to get through the gate onto the showground. It was just too long and too wide for our small scale infrastructure in a very small nation.
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@Natalie my V6 4Runner of yore towed 5000# handily, and my V8 does 7500#, and they’re very reliable!
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There’s that! Both my European trailers have been noticeably narrower than US counterparts, whose bodies sit between the wheels versus above the wheels on EU ones. Even here in the US I trailer with friends often and see them struggle to keep the trailer wheels between the lines at times, on the road.
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I think it depends on the horse and how the space is used. I got to watch my horse being towed in a large straight trailer and a stephex van. He is very near 18h. There was a fair bit of scrambling in both, especially the van bc it doesn’t have a chest bar. He just wedged himself on the side of the van for balance, which didn’t look very pleasant.
In the boeckmann, his body is snugger but he has tons of room in front of the chest bar and can stretch his head and neck down to blow out. In the straight load, range of motion for his neck was more limited by the chains on both sides of the halter. I was initially really suspicious of the snugger European stalls but at least for my horse, it seems like having his body supported and his neck free is the most comfortable.
I had planned to ship him in a box for longer hauls across country and now I’m not sure. Maybe on air suspension and straight roads he would lie down.
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So you are comparing not tied in one trailer to tied in another and saying because they are tied in the other the trailer itself is not as good?
Or am I reading that wrong?
I’m saying that having the body stabilized really helps. And that the notion that the german trailers are tiny is maybe not totally true as many of them have a good amount of room for the head and neck.
In the commercial trailers, he has a lot of room in the stall yes. And bc it’s head to head, they have room in front of the chest bars as well but it is limited somewhat by the chains. I like that in the Boeckmann, his body movement is limited and he has lots of room for his head and neck despite being tied at the side.
Agreed - my EquiTrek is chest bar to butt wall: 79", chest bar to wall in front: 37", height: 90", width 79" - for a 2 horse straight load (rear facing) that’s a lot of space, by anyone’s standards, and my 87" blanket wearing 17.1 1/2 WB feels very comfy in there.
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Indeed. When in Rome look to see what other people are using and then follow their example (absent REALLY good reasons not to 
).
In Europe you look to more time than distance for travel as distances are shorter than in most of the U.S., average speeds are lower, population density is higher, and costs of private vehicle ownership are astronomical (as opposed to merely outrageous).
For example, Paris to Berlin is 655 miles. NYC to Chicago is 790 and Houston to El Paso is 748 miles. Paris to Moscow is 1760 miles; Paris, ME to Moscow, TX is 1923. Paris, ME to Paris, TX is 1923 miles; it’s 2665 from Berlin, NY to Berlin, NV.
None means the Eurotrailers are bad; nor that the American trailers are bad. It does mean that each type is geared to the geography where it will operate. The Euro units can work well, here, in some circumstances. The U.S. units are far less likely to be successful in the Eurozone.
G.
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I don’t know where this idea that speeds are slower in Europe came from. I just got back from Europe to look at horses and while a lot of the driving is on one and two lane highways, they are not driving any slower, just a heck of a lot more efficiently and politely.
I asked one of the dealers of a major sales barn who competes on the GCT tour what their average drive time is for competitions and he said the range is enormous, can be next door, they can be going to the country next door 4 to 5 hours away to the really long-haul for the big competitions. They don’t associate the longer hauls necessarily with needing the big lorries, more so the equipment needs or the needs for a grooms to have lodging.
I really think you should make more suitable comparisons if you expect to be taken seriously.
Having experience on both continents I would probably use a smaller trailer in Europe because it’s easier to negotiate, given the environment/conditions $$$ etc. But given the choice, based on comfort for all, I would chose the NA setup
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I’m sure that drive times will vary widely because show venues can vary widely in location, meaning distances can vary as can the time it takes to cover that distance based upon geography, road type, the time of day you’re traveling.
The point, however, is well illustrated by Willesdon.
G.
Living in the UK, few reasons regarding the tiny “barely adequate” trailers. Roundabouts and tiny lanes are a nightmare for trailer towing, many people opt for a 3.5t horsebox, or bigger if you need LQ and space. Plus if you have a horsebox you’re only paying the fuel on it when you use it vs. driving the pickup all the time.
We don’t do the “camp at the shows” thing. It’s mostly one day affairs unless you’re competing internationally, so generally if you need the space for gear you get an HGV grade horsebox and that’s for professionals rather than “the average person”. There’s also no minimum mileage rules as far as I’m aware of, so you’re not stuck with one island of horse activity for 2-6 weeks between affiliated shows. (It’s also why horses are cheaper to produce in Europe and why it can be more economical even with shipping to buy here. US breeders are making huge strides and there’s lots of nice American bred ones coming up, but I think there’s an economic balance with producing a competition horse where they’re going to price people out of the market for “made” horses. I remember paying upwards of $1200 for a weekend in the amateur division, whereas here I get 5-6 affiliated shows for the same money.)
I do wonder, how do people in Europe handle similar situations? I understand the “backyard stable” isn’t quite as common as it is here, but there are still plenty of farms. Are there just better delivery services?
I completely agree that in the US, owning a horse farm without a truck is cumbersome. While you certainly can do it, having a truck just makes life easier.
You’d be amazed at the number of horse owners who have little backyard stables and paddocks and still drive a vw golf. You can get the farmer up the lane to deliver your hay, and hire transport via horsebox for just a day or by the week/month. You can hack on the street to the livery that has the all weather arena. They’re a bit more resourceful than the typical US rider, learned a lot from these people how to DIY on a shoestring.
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I mean no disrespect, but I’m not sure I understand your point. I’m comparing 3 things and I’ll rank them in order of least constriction of the horse’s body to most:
- Stephex van with the horse in stallion stalls, tied to the side, with no breast bar
- Commercial 4 horse head to head trailer, with a larger stall area for the horse 6-10 inches on either side of the horse, and importantly, a breast bar. With chain ties on both sides of the horse
- European trailer where the horse is actually quite snug in the stall, tied on one side, with a lot of room to put his head down and blow out.
If you asked my horse which seemed more comfortable based on camera footage and how he comes off the van, I believe these would be ranked from least comfortable to most.
All I’m saying is that based on what I’ve observed looking at the video, my horse is more comfortable having his body supported and his head and neck more free. I do not understand how this is an unsuitable comparison. I think if he were in the head to head trailer with no chains, he would still prefer the support he gets from the European trailer.
Of course, I’m sure other horses prefer more room to balance from a wider stall. Slant load trailers are extremely popular here. To each his own, I’m just saying I don’t think the European trailers are poorly suited to the US markets. I’m really happy to have one and I know my horse is too. To me, it’s very well suited to a showing family here in Los Angeles.
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You made no comparison to the most commonly used trailer in the USA. They are the most widely used because they are more suitable to the US market. Not many regular horse owners use Stephex vans or commercial head to heads.
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ok
The most widely used horse trailers I see at the shows here in California are the slant loads. In watching my horse in that, he 1) doesn’t really fit 2) doesn’t seem as stable super stable on roads with turns, he would often sort of mash his face into the side on turns.
Lots of folks on here feel strongly that slant loads are not a good fit for a horse over 16h or so, which is why I didn’t mention it. Is this the configuration you are referring to above?
I haven’t watched him get hauled in a two horse straight load. But I think it’s comparable to a 4 horse head to head in that there’s more room in the stall and lots of room in front of the chest bars, unless you have mangers. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the only difference in a plain 2 horse straight load might be less space in front of the chest bar and chains on both sides of the halter instead of a simple tie on the side. If I’m wrong about this, please tell me. I’m genuinely on here to learn.
From what I’ve read here on COTH, the mangers can cause a lot of problems with horses climbing them. Also what I read in that good book Complete Guide to Buying Maintaining and Servicing a trailer, that the horse really benefits from being able to put its head down and blow out on a trailer.
So again, I"m not saying there aren’t horses that prefer a slant, or traditional US straight load. It’s just in my observations of different load configurations, my horse likes having his body supported and space for his head and neck. And I feel he also benefits from the trailers advanced suspension, and I have piece of mind that I can release the breast bars from the outside of the trailer very easily.
For us, it’s a great trailer. I don’t begrudge anyone else their setup if they are a die hard GN with truck lover. I think it’s nice for people considering their options to not just dismiss the European trailers out of hand. For a lot of people, these are a godsend. I feel so much safer having a trailer for emergencies. I do not have room for a dedicated pickup truck and trailer at my house, this is really the only combination that works for me (the vans are just too expensive). I wouldn’t have considered this trailer without some people on here educating me on its benefits. For me, the downsides have been cost and lack of tackroom, but to be able to whisk my horse away in an emergency (fires or otherwise) that’s a fair price to pay.
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It’s just in my observations of different
Often one sees what they want to see
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Well, that’s a bit mean spirited no?
I don’t understand why it is so hard to believe that a trailer that sells extremely well in Europe is going to be so terrible over here. Or that I’m just telling myself that.
What I observe is my horse calmly walking off my trailer, not the least bit sweaty or worried. I see him on the monitor look out the window and use his neck for balance in turns. I observe him load up very happily. And that’s despite my newbie driving.
I have to think a more experienced commercial hauler is going to give a better drive experience. But when I drove with the commercial hauler in the head to head trailer and looked at the monitor, my horse is clearly bracing against the side of the wall for balance. Not as badly as in the van, but definitely more so than in my setup. He is sweaty when he gets off the truck and very eager to unload.
The only time I’ve been in the trailer watching as a passenger in a slant was when we picked him up from quarantine. It was probably his first time in a slant and he looked like he got jostled quite a bit especially on our canyon roads. He was in the last stall bc he is so large. I don’t think he would really fit in one of the other stalls. He was drenched when we got to the barn, but again, he was just out of quarantine, so maybe that had an effect. Maybe that’s not a fair comparison, but I still think he’s pretty big for a slant.
So yes. My observations. I would have been happy to pay less for a trailer. I’m sure I could have found a super light US trailer that my husband’s car could have towed. It’s not like I don’t drool over the stunning 4stars I see and wish we had all the space we wanted.
But this is what I decided works best for me. Why am I not entitled to state my experience with these without sneering remarks? I’ve taken the time to educate myself as best I can, I’ve asked questions here, read books, talk to lots of dealers and owners both in the US and abroad. and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well my trailer performs. I want to represent what I think is a reasonable option for some people and some horses. Isn’t that kind of the spirit of these boards?
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If I lived in LA with horses, I’d want a trailer that I can evacuate as many horses as possible and handle the heat/smoke best.
Screw the rest of the arguments.
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Amen to that. My former barn burnt down in the canyon fire two years ago. Thank God our horses all got out but I spent the rest of the week with our photo albums and a suitcase in my car bc we had no idea where the fire was going. The Woolsey fire last year was even more devastating. I feel better for sure with the trailer at home and my horse 5 min away.
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Originally posted by clanter View Post
Often one sees what they want to see
Well, that’s a bit mean spirited no?
actually I was thinking of myself
When we first moved west of the Mississippi we needed to buy a new trailer. All we saw were step ups. We wanted a ramp load.
I tried to explain this to a trailer salesman and he looked bewildered … his response was if a horse can not step into trailer would you feel safe with it on a trail
So we bought a step up, never ever had any of the problems that were expected.
So my comment was that in many cases one will see what they expect or want to see … this is why often in a court the testimony of a witness’s recall of what they saw is challenged
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