 |
| Current trailer...not totally level here sinec I hadnt gotten a drop hitch yet. |
Interestingly enough, she doesnt do it AT ALL in my friends trailer...Its really wide and roomy so I think Tillie can spread out more to balance.
She does do it a bit in Emma's particularly after being stopped at a light for a while, but not as bad as she does in mine.
So...after talking it over with Emma and how happy she was with where she got hers, I got to thinking- well crap, I can afford that!
So I guess I am not sure if my reasoning for a new one is truly valid...AND I need opinions of which route to go.
Options:
- 2-Horse straight (extra wide) -Price $$$
- 2-horse straight- Price $$
- 2-Horse slant - Price $
- 2-Horse slant - Price $$
#1 is the most expensive and I would likely wait to put more money down on it...Its a trailer I am used to seeing so I like it, but after viewing others just not sure that additional money for it is reallllly needed for my purposes. It does fully enclose which is nice, but rarely do we ever do that unless its really raining or really cold.
#2 and #4 are comparable price wise...I just am not sure if #2 is really wide enough to solve the issue of scrambling. BUT I think it may be ok, just dont want to purchase it only to have the same issue. Both can fully enclose, one is just straight load vs slant.
#3 is the least expensive and my only dislike is that it isnt fully able to be closed up from the elements if needed.
So really my conversation point is more or less slant load or straight load? I really want to go see them all in person...but for now just still window shopping until I have more questions answered and waiting to make sure winter lessons dont drop off TOO much.
I have read slant loads are good for horses like Tillie that scramble...but I know can be a bit of a pain when showing with more then one horse. I have always had straight loads so a bit hesitant to make the jump.
Hmm, never heard that about scrambling horses being more comfortable in a slant. Does it hold them in place better? I've always heard that slants aren't as good as straight loads because it angles the horse uncomfortably while traveling. I've only had any of my horses in one once, and even though it was only an hour trip, he came off a hot mess and he's normally a gem to trailer.
ReplyDeleteI have zero proof for this but I don't like slant loads. My thought process for this is all based off of humans and airports so feel free to ignore my crack pot theory. When I ride on the trains at airports I find myself to be much more off balance if I'm standing sideways to the motion than when I am facing forward. I think this is similar to being in a slant load and therefore don't like them.
ReplyDeleteI've had experience almost exclusively with slant loads and like them a lot. I've never had a horse scramble like that, weird. Is there anything you can do with the interior (mats/shavings/etc) to make it a little easier for her to stabilize herself? It sounds like the safest option is to try to find a trailer exactly like the one trailer of your friends' that she likes. It'd be too bad to try something new and realize that she hates that too. Maybe you can find something that you can try out for a few rides?
ReplyDeleteI have a student who trailers her horse loose in her trailer (a 2h slant load- but they tie back the divider) and the horse travels facing backwards. I've heard a lot of horses are more comfortable backwards. Not sure how that helps your situation though. But it'd be interesting to see what Tillie's natural preference is and then make a decision based off of that.
Ideally Id love that! I dont know anyone with a slant load though so will have to ask around...I have tried putting more shavings in my trainer, taking them almost all out (just enough to soak up pee or poo dampness to prevent slipping from that), and tried her on both driver side and non driver side. I have started using shipping boots its so bad...shell clip herself and come off with small cuts and stuff otherwise :/
DeleteKen might actually be willing to let you test a slant load out (esp if he has anything used on the lot), but i'm not sure. it's probably worth asking tho before settling on one.
ReplyDeletethe only serious downside about slants that i can think of for our purposes is that you have to take off both horses if you want to get to the one in front, whereas in a straight load you can take off whichever one you prefer. this obviously isn't the end of the world, and wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker if Tillie decided she preferred slants... but all other things being equal for a 2 horse trailer, i'd go for the straight load
(this coming from the person considering a 3 horse slant tho so.. ya know, whatever lol).
oh - another thing maybe worth trying is swinging your divider all the way to one side when Tillie is in there by herself, so you can see if she puts herself in a more slanted position or not...
DeleteHmm true!! And yes im trying the divider thing tomorrow :) so that should give some answers maybe. I definitely gravitate towards to straight load, just need to make sure its wide enough...
DeleteInteresting - I wonder if you could test out a friend's slant load to see how she does.
ReplyDeleteThis is all valuable info for me! I hope to be trailer shopping soon :) Excited to hear about what you decide
ReplyDelete