Would you please take a moment to describe how you haul your horse(s) and carriage?

[Reynard_Ridge]

A brief three sentences will do - I already manage the Wee Spotted and his easy entry cart with some small degree of aplomb. :lol: (In case anyone cares, Coco is 11.3h, so he goes “upfront” in the people door area in my gooseneck. The easy entry cart goes in the stalls where the horses usually go)

I am working on the second installment of the $700 Pony series (two makes a series, right??) and for the sake of verisimilitude and am looking for a few different descriptions of how people who drive convey their conveyances.

Thanks! Ellen

[Renae]

In the bed of a pickup with a bumber pull horse trailer.

On the roof of the horse trailer if it is a 5th wheel and the carriages are light enough to get on top, and small enough to fit under underpasses once on top.

In the back of a stock trailer or head-to-head triler with the horses in the front stalls.

On their own trailer being pulled by a seperate vehicle.

[Reynard_Ridge]

@Renae;2649303

In the bed of a pickup with a bumber pull horse trailer.

Which necessitates unhitching to retrieve the conveyance, one assumes? (Fabulous and perfect answer by the way - thanks, Renae!)

[gothedistance]

In a “open floorplan” stock gooseneck with the pair in the front in portable stalls, facing the rear of the trailer, and the carriage in the back of the trailer with the pole underneath the carriage.

Carriage is loaded (in the back of the trailer) via two car ramps which are then placed under the carriage during transport.

Very efficient, very simple.

Trailer has both an escape door on one side, and a ramp on the other, plus the big swinging door in the back, so the loading/unloading of either ponies or carriage are a separate affair and don’t conflict with each other.

(We got rid of the bumper pull trailer about the time we were getting sick and tired of lifting a huge, heavy carriage into the pick up.)

[goodhors]

We have seen some other unique and special ways of hauling vehicles over the years, beyond Renae’s most commonly used methods.

These would include the trailer with a towing receiver under the back door floor. Horse was loaded, then platform or hook set-up is inserted into reciever and cart is loaded with shafts straight up, on the back-end of trailer. These carts could be very light show carts like Jeralds or large two-wheel Meadowbrook or Road Carts. I think size loaded would be governed by shaft lenth. Large horse or draft shafts would be too tall above roof, catch on stuff. Best used by a strong person, since cart needs to be lifted, then tied firmly to trailer.

A couple trailers had the horse stalls on the front of long floor frame. Stalls were stock sided behind bumper hitch, with open platform behind over axles, for carriages. Horses walked up ramp, down the open section of plank floor, into stallls. Then vehicles were loaded and tied down behind horses. Saw it with several CDE Pairs, Commercial horses for Weddings, Drafts. They had hauled for great distances, everything fit well, no problems. Trailer was a lighter load with no high sides or roof for better milage.

One very tall trailer had “stacked” carriages to manage space. They had a winch to hoist the upper carriage on frame, which locked into brackets for hauling. It worked, just scary to watch going in. Both were 4-wheeler vehicles.

We have done the “Gypsy Look” ourselves. Squashing 2 four-wheel carriages, all our stuff, on behind two horses in tie stalls, a narrow stock trailer. It was “really different” as one observer put it. They were the originators of the Gypsy label as well.

Need breeds creativity, working with what truck and trailer you have. Can make for some different methods of getting to the show or activity.

[Sithly]

I was eyeballing my friend’s trailer yesterday and wondering how in the heck one would get a carriage up there. How do you guys do it? Ramps? Winches? Good old-fashioned heave-ho?

[War_Admiral]

Wouldn’t you just know HRH Avery and his accoutrements must be chauffeured in royal style? :rolleyes:

To get it all to a show in one trip, we hire a six-horse head-to-head pulled by a stonkin’ big dually truck.

HRH, who is 17.2 and not by any means as light of bone as the initials “TB” might imply, gets 2 of the front stalls, facing backward. Next to HRH go HRH’s three tack trunks, HRH’s bedding, and HRH’s hay. The 3 back stalls have moving dividers, which we remove. We then roll HRH’s Two-Wheeled Traveling Snack Bar (as he prefers to think of it, given the propensity of cookies and karotten to pop out of the spares kit at pleasing and convenient times) up the back ramp and into the trailer backwards, with the shafts poking out the back windows. Tie it all down tight & we’re good to go.

I’ve tried moving it all in smaller rigs but you HAVE to make two trips. Or even three, if you’re trying to move it all with a two-horse.

[SLW]

Equine #1, stands 35" tall and goes in the first slant of my 2 horse slant load GN. Removeable rear tack is, well removed, so that #1’s cart can go in that space (propped up against the divider) and Equine #2, all 32" of him, gets the eeny teeny bit of space left against the rump wall. His cart, with proportionally shorter shafts, goes in the bed of the truck, well, what space is left once the GN is hooked up.

I’ve often said if I could find the air valve and un-inflate the mini’s they could fit in the glove box, under the duct tape and assorted other jewels in there.

[Trakehner]

Best way…horse goes in the van, the carriages are put on a flatbed trailer behind. Makes for a long and slow wagon train and you don’t make too many friends going down the road.

Small stuff way…using a stock trailer, horse goes in first, close the calf-gate, if it’s a cart, the shafts go out back; if it’s a marathon carriage, it usually fits in with the shafts off. In an emergency, the horse can go through the front door as long as I’ve a stick of butter to grease his sides.

[horseyfolks]

Using the big Gooseneck Trailer to go to a show the horses go up the side ramp and then into rear facing stalls in the nose of the trailer. Two carriages (Marathon and Presentation), and the Honda ATV load sideways into the trailer via the rear ramp. Hay, tack boxes and all the rest load up the side ramp into the middle of the trailer between the ATV and the side ramp. If trail driving 2 horses in the nose, one horse in a portable stall in the rear, and 3 carriages load sideways in the middle of the trailer. If someone else is hauling carriages and gear the trailer has portable stalls to haul eight horses.

Using the 2 horse, slant, bumper pull trailer, the carriage goes up a set of portable ramps into the bed of the truck. The trailer is hitched and the horse goes in the front stall, close the divider and tack and other stuff goes in the rear stall.

                            Don

[Donkaloosa]

The most unusual way I’ve ever seen was the rig that had an open-top, plywood-sided horse trailer with two Haflingers in it. Their cart was loaded above them. It looked rather, uh, redneck, to say the least, but the horses were fine with it.

Donk

[LostFarmer]

In a stock goose neck I put the cart on ramps and the shafts in the over shot. Hay and tack around the cart and the horses in the rear in case they need removed in a hurry. This allows to pack the trailer the night before and the pony the morning we leave. LF

[Drive_NJ]

Many moons ago, we had a 2 Horse Bumper pull, pulled by a HUGE engine Cougar with air load shocks (yes, back in the day when cars pulled trailers). Cart rolls up to vehicle and is lifted onto a sawhorse while wheels are removed. Body of cart slid onto VERY well padded trunk of car, shafts on luggage carriers on roof and wheels strapped on top of vehicle. Could get that sucker onto of off of the car in less than 10 minutes.

We then moved up to a pick-up with rack in front stake holes to keep shafts off roof of truck. Ramps to get cart into truck bed.

Nowadays we have a longer trailer. Horses in back over wheels, cart of small wagonette in front - as per LF to allow easy egress for horses and to pack ahead of time.

[horseyfolks]

Drive NJ I wish you still had a picture of that somewhere! You are living proof that “Where theres a will theres a way!”…

I do remember when cars could pull trailers. I have pictures somewhere of my Mom, Dad, Sister, and I standing next to a turquoise and white, 1955 Buick Roadmaster (a huge car) pulling a 1950s style Camper Trailer in the parking lot of an A&W Root Beer stand somewhere in NJ. The Buick even had fender skirts and wide white walls!

                                         Don

[Reynard_Ridge]

It is almost a shame that all of this terrific fodder is going to compress into two sentences - but I just love the ingenuity. I have always been a fan of driving, have been to a number of driving events, but never gave a second thought to the logistics involved. It does boggle the mind.

[Drive_NJ]

Horseyfolks… And it was MOM’s car So you can imagine how well padded it was.

Forgot to mention the other famous NJ driving to show arrangement - George Millar was famous for his get to show turnout. He had a huge old multi-horse stock trailer that he’d pile his student’s horses in. All the carriages went on a long flatbed carefully fitted in one way and another - not far off a car transport with layers of vehicles and trunks - talk about wild looking.

[horseyfolks]

RR, here is an interesting take on this discussion… The lady who owns this rig lives in Alberta, Canada and drove down to take part in the Gayla Bluegrass CDE near Lexington, Kentucky. I thought her son in law (who built this for her) was pretty resourceful…

http://www.floridafatboy.com/Gayla07/roof_1.jpg

http://www.floridafatboy.com/Gayla07/roof_2.jpg

http://www.floridafatboy.com/Gayla07/roof_3.jpg

http://www.floridafatboy.com/Gayla07/roof_4.jpg

Once again, “Where theres a will theres a way”.

Don

[ZELLA]

I have a 20’ on the floor stock trailer, originally configured as a 4-horse slant w/ dressing room. The front two slant dividers are removed, and the trailer was modified so that the dressing room wall will swing and stay fixed in an open position.

For CDE:
Dressing room door open, 2-wheel cart in front with shafts forward in the gooseneck area.
Marathon carriage in next, back in first with shafts removed, and cocked at a specific angle. (My trailer isn’t wide enough for it to go sideways.)
ATV in next, angled sideways and parallel to last stall’s slant divider.
Pony goes in the back slant stall.
Once we’re at the show, dressing room door can be closed for more private changing of clothes or camping.

For pleasure drive:
Dressing room door closed. Cart goes in facing backwards with shafts resting on ratchet ties near ceiling.
Pony again goes in the back slant stall.

[Drive_NJ]

Sithly - You asked how to get cart/carriage onto back of pick-up. We use ramps and either people power or with winch. We typically used people power. Ramps were 2 x 6 wood with bent metal end that fits onto tailgate / now are aluminum, ladder like that fold in half for storage.

RR added joy of loading into truck is getting in/out to tie down. For short, no longer young types you need a 2-3 step ladder for ease of entry/egress

[Simon_Saddlechariot]

I just pick up the saddlechariot and put it in the back of my Subaru Legacy Estate.
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/saddlechariots/Haulingsaddlechariot
Simon