# Straight load question?



## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

You can take it out--Thats what its for-- Its good to take it out if your horse stumbles in the trailer too.


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

toto said:


> You can take it out--Thats what its for-- Its good to take it out if your horse stumbles in the trailer too.


How would ya tie her?


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Not thread jacking here, but I just bought a straight load too, and want to pull out my divider, because I only have one horse. However, the butt bars are attached to the divider and swing over and attach to the wall. If your butt bars are attached to your divider you might want to get them welded on differently inside the trailer, as I'm questioning the safety of trailering a horse in a straight load without the butt bar up.


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

It depends how she rides in a trailer. If she stands quietly go ahead and take it out to give her more space. If she is nervous and wiggles keep it in to prevent her from falling and getting hurt. Leaving it in also allows you easy access to get in without worrying about being stepped on or squished.

I would opt out of using a chain to tie though, dangerous if you ask me. I always use a thick bungee with panic release snaps. Bungee allows them to lower their heads enough yo blow dust and debris out but keeps them from getting tangled.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

Muppetgirl said:


> Not thread jacking here, but I just bought a straight load too, and want to pull out my divider, because I only have one horse. However, the butt bars are attached to the divider and swing over and attach to the wall. If your butt bars are attached to your divider you might want to get them welded on differently inside the trailer, as I'm questioning the safety of trailering a horse in a straight load without the butt bar up.


I DIDNT THINK OF THAT!!!WELL THAT PLANS SCRATCHED!!!


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## morganandme (Feb 11, 2013)

The chain is long enough


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

morganandme said:


> How would ya tie her?


Just tie to one side. And a chain has no give. Should something happen youll have trouble should you need to cut it or remove the horse quickly. Just m.i.o.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

morganandme said:


> How would ya tie her?



http://www.jefferspet.com/images/265/11283.jpg
^ with a bungee tie.

I would clip the bungee onto the original place for it. If the horse moves around a lil its fine.


-- i wouldnt worry about the butt bar or chain-- Not needed in that situation. Id only really be concerned if it were still in 'straight load' mode. The way your horse will be tied she will be slanted. Removing the divider basically turns your straight load into a slant.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

If it's a multi-horse trailer, you tie the horse on the driver's side.

I have one cross-tie with panic clip in the trailer - effectively the same thing as "trailer ties" except it was cheaper at my tack shop for some reason. 

I have 2h bumper pull, but I leave the divider in.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

toto said:


> http://www.jefferspet.com/images/265/11283.jpg
> ^ with a bungee tie.
> 
> I would clip the bungee onto the original place for it. If the horse moves around a lil its fine.
> ...


I always thought a butt bar was necessary if they can get their butt up to the door, and even if she or I remove the divider, they could still set back if the wanted and hit that back door, they only need to swing their butt over and stand as they would in a straight load and then set back..........I'm getting my husband to reweld them....I think you need more between the horses butt and that back door IMO.


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

Muppetgirl said:


> I always thought a butt bar was necessary if they can get their butt up to the door, and even if she or I remove the divider, they could still set back if the wanted and hit that back door, they only need to swing their butt over and stand as they would in a straight load and then set back..........I'm getting my husband to reweld them....I think you need more between the horses butt and that back door IMO.


I'm not arguing you or saying youre wrong or anything, lol. 

Its just personal preference-- stock trailers dont even come with chains or butt bars. ive always been told its 'just in case' when i asked 'just in case what' i was told a story about a woman that forgot to shut her doors properly and didnt have the chains latched and her mules backed right into the busy intersection, lol. -- dont worry they were fine and she got them back efficiently and safely. 

That and ive literally seen a horse try to back out as soon as he heard the horse next to him unloading, and his big fat butt couldnt push the trailer door opened-- he was about 15.2hh and 1500 pound quarter horse gelding. If my trailer doors cant hold a horse back why have em- right? :lol:


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

Muppetgirl said:


> I always thought a butt bar was necessary if they can get their butt up to the door, and even if she or I remove the divider, they could still set back if the wanted and hit that back door, they only need to swing their butt over and stand as they would in a straight load and then set back..........I'm getting my husband to reweld them....I think you need more between the horses butt and that back door IMO.


I have to agree with this, just for peace of mind. Course, I'm the type of person who bungee cords my already-safe door latches just because I'm paranoid lol.

OP - I have a 2 horse straight haul too and usually only haul one horse in it. I prefer to take the divider out whenever I can. In a month though I'm hauling halfways cross the country and am leaving it in because I might be buying another horse. I'm tying the back of the divider to the side of the trailer to give her more room, and putting an additional piece of chain from one butt chain to the other so that I still have a butt chain in place.


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## rmax (May 10, 2012)

Just be careful going side to side with a longer chain,my guy backed onto it and must of felt it move upward because he squatted down a bit got it up on his butt and backed out under it. Burned/skinned his withers as he went under. Thankfully i had pvc on the chain or it would have tore him up bad. Scared the life out of me. I now have a double chain setup (hi and lower) and it works great.


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

rmax said:


> Just be careful going side to side with a longer chain,my guy backed onto it and must of felt it move upward because he squatted down a bit got it up on his butt and backed out under it. Burned/skinned his withers as he went under. Thankfully i had pvc on the chain or it would have tore him up bad. Scared the life out of me. I now have a double chain setup (hi and lower) and it works great.


Ah good thought!! Didn't cross my mind... I'll see what else I can rig up


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

It is important that your trailer is balanced. Roads are graded to be high in the middle in order for rain to sheeth towards the shoulders. If you put her on the _right_ side of the trailer (US, where the driver sits on the left), you will unbalance the trailer. If you cannot easily remove the divider, leave it in and secure everything as if the trailer was fully loaded with horses. Always tie bc you'll spook your horse if he/she puts the head down while in transport and gets it stuck. Yes, I've seen it happen.
Spend time training your horse to load forward and unload backing at the stable. I often talk to my horses and tell them when they will step down, with "and...Down" as the command. They pay attention, and yours will, too, with repetition. I will thrilled to see a program with Lynn Palm and discovered that she does the same thing.


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## Glenknock (Feb 27, 2013)

I have front facing horse box (ireland) i would leave the partition in if the horse is anyway spooky or nervous traveller it'll give you peace of mind they cant move about, i have two ponies go to shows regularly and bring one horse for a friend if any of my two are off for any reason, anyway there is a point lol the horse i bring is a divil for leaning on the partition and jumps around i left the partition in last week when bringing her jumping because i was afraid she'd turn herself upside down which i wouldn't put past her. Any of my ponies with our without there fine
P.S for safety i always check my back ramp if i'm away from box before we head off in case anyone has been at it or its not done corectly just a habit i've got into.
And i've there ropes tied to baling twine in case of emergencies it'll break easily which Heidi tested last week she flipped and reversed out the door the baling twine snapped no problem she stood on the ramp looking at me as if to say "what are you doing all the way up there looking at me" going i didn't do any thing !


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

Just wanted to say... I trailered my mare the other day with the divider in and the butt chain up. I opened the trailer door and unloaded the other horse first and my mare actually managed to get under the butt chain even WITH the divider in and came out underneath it, ripping some of her mane out in the process. Thank god she didn't get hurt! Definitely putting in an extra lower chain for the shorties like my mare.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

SnowCowgirl said:


> Just wanted to say... I trailered my mare the other day with the divider in and the butt chain up. I opened the trailer door and unloaded the other horse first and my mare actually managed to get under the butt chain even WITH the divider in and came out underneath it, ripping some of her mane out in the process. Thank god she didn't get hurt! Definitely putting in an extra lower chain for the shorties like my mare.


Oh gee, that must've been scary!!! How tall is your mare???


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

My slant load dividers are solid metal, and I'm very happy with that. I took out the front one bc my 16'3hh gelding rides in front better with more room.


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

Muppetgirl said:


> Oh gee, that must've been scary!!! How tall is your mare???


It was! She's around 14.2hh


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

SnowCowgirl said:


> It was! She's around 14.2hh


Oh! Little turkey decided she could slide right under there!!!!


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## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

Corporal said:


> It is important that your *trailer is balanced*. Roads are graded to be high in the middle in order for rain to sheeth towards the shoulders. *If you put her on the right side of the trailer (US, where the driver sits on the left), you will unbalance the trailer. *If you cannot easily remove the divider, leave it in and secure everything as if the trailer was fully loaded with horses. Always tie bc you'll spook your horse if he/she puts the head down while in transport and gets it stuck. Yes, I've seen it happen.
> Spend time training your horse to load forward and unload backing at the stable. I often talk to my horses and tell them when they will step down, with "and...Down" as the command. They pay attention, and yours will, too, with repetition. I will thrilled to see a program with Lynn Palm and discovered that she does the same thing.


Our first two horse strait load is just about ready to roll and I am wondering this^^ . What if I want to travel with just one horse?? My mare is over 1500 lbs and 17.2hh, :shock:, can I travel with her (alone) safely and does it matter which side??
Or trailer is extra tall, extra wide.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

If you have a 2 horse side by side, always load a single horse on the drivers side of the trailer. I would never remove the center divider. I don't want the horse to shift her weight thus putting the trailer in a possible fishtail situation. I like knowing if my horse loses balance there is a nice padded divider they can lean on to right themself.


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## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

Vidaloco said:


> If you have a 2 horse side by side, always load a single horse on the drivers side of the trailer. I would never remove the center divider. I don't want the horse to shift her weight thus putting the trailer in a possible fishtail situation. I like knowing if my horse loses balance there is a nice padded divider they can lean on to right themself.


Thank you!!!


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

nvr2many, One horse in a 2 horse straight load trailer should travel on the left side. If you have a slant load trailer, you load one horse in the very front for balance.


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## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

Corporal said:


> nvr2many, One horse in a 2 horse straight load trailer should travel on the left side. If you have a slant load trailer, you load one horse in the very front for balance.


Thank you!


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## rmax (May 10, 2012)

SnowCowgirl said:


> Just wanted to say... I trailered my mare the other day with the divider in and the butt chain up. I opened the trailer door and unloaded the other horse first and my mare actually managed to get under the butt chain even WITH the divider in and came out underneath it, ripping some of her mane out in the process. Thank god she didn't get hurt! Definitely putting in an extra lower chain for the shorties like my mare.


Ya you really only need to see that backward limbo once.


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## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

:::and to add. Wow, can I not spell straight, OMG! I am so embarrassed! Emphasis on the A$$, lol.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I personally would leave it in. It will keep the horse from moving around and support them on corners. I have heard of horses moving around and causing the trailer to fishtail and cause an accidents from the weight shifting.
I would NEVER use a bungee tie, they will stretch and break and take out an eye in a heart beat if something happens and the horse pulls hard.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Nope. I have had two different horses pull back and break them. They didn't do anything but stretch, break and fall. I still don't like them and I am replacing them.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

SnowCowgirl said:


> Just wanted to say... I trailered my mare the other day with the divider in and the butt chain up. I opened the trailer door and unloaded the other horse first and my mare actually managed to get under the butt chain even WITH the divider in and came out underneath it, ripping some of her mane out in the process. Thank god she didn't get hurt! Definitely putting in an extra lower chain for the shorties like my mare.


only the door should have been open up the horse you were unloading I would be worried a lower chain might cause a different kind of accident
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Personally, I leave the divider in, and I have bum BARS instead of chains, as they are more sturdy than chains.
The reason I will only ever use thick steel bum bars is that if I was to get into an accident where the float was to roll or tip over on to it's side, the bars are more likely to hold up without moving, whereas the chains, will either pull tight, or break, which will mean any horse(s) inside will be more prone to further injury, or being squashed by the other horse. A friend of mine had an accident not long ago where the tow vehicle ended up over the edge of a bank, and the float was rolled onto its side with two ponies inside the straight load float. It had bum chains, and as the float rolled over, the chain pulled tight and snapped, letting the divider fall on to the bottom pony with the other one on top. 

The other reason I leave the divider in is that my horse anticipates corners... Here in NZ the biggest, or only horse, is loaded in to the right hand side, as thats the side closest to the center of the road. The day we bought Mitch home we opened the (borrowed) 2-horse straight load, to find that the divider wasn't there, we loaded him up anyway and started the drive home, only to find that he knew this amazing game... It was called "corners" and he would see the corner, step to that side of the float, and lean. And when I say lean I don't just mean a little bit, i really do mean LEAN. Like unbalance the float before we get to the corner lean. So he is now condemned to divided floats so he can only lean in one spot :lol:


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## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

My divider is not held in my the chains. It has Pin bolts.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

nvr2many said:


> My divider is not held in my the chains. It has Pin bolts.


Mine does too, I wouldn't change them for anything.
We did however, have to modify the divider itself because Mitch panicked one day, lent on the divider and somehow managed to unhook the front of it, leaving it swinging and hitting him in the shoulders until we pulled over like 2 seconds later. If it had just been chains in there, the divider would have fallen and probably caused more of an issue. So we modified the divider in a way to which it now can't be pulled out at the front until the bolts are undone.

The float that I borrowed only to find that the divider had been taken out, is a trailer used to transport race horses, and ****, you know when one of the race horses is in there, all you can here is the horse banging and crashing inside on the way up the road, quite scary. But because of that, the guy had an extra long bum bar made up, so that when he takes the divider out, he just has one long bar at the back so his horses don't rush out.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

:lol: @ HollyBubbles! Good leaning Mitch story


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

churumbeque said:


> only the door should have been open up the horse you were unloading I would be worried a lower chain might cause a different kind of accident
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I have a door that drops down into a ramp - it's not possible to open only one side.


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

I've actually started just taking down both butt chains before I drop the gate... I HATE to let her get into the habit of getting out before I ask, but it's better than her hurting herself I guess. 

I don't tie for that reason too


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

*http://www.horseforum.com/media/graphics/misc/carrot.png*



SnowCowgirl said:


> I've actually started just taking down both butt chains before I drop the gate... I HATE to let her get into the habit of getting out before I ask, but it's better than her hurting herself I guess.
> 
> I don't tie for that reason too


Mitch used to bowl on out of the float, but eventually I got sick of his crap and stuck him in the float, got to my destination, and left him in there. Tied up with the ramp shut. I waited till he had sorted himself out, then untied his head, and let the ramp down, bum bars still up. Then waited till he had sorted himself out again, at which point I opened the bum bars and let him out of the float.

You may be worried about your horse hurting herself, but when 700kg of fatass comes flying at you when your still in the process of opening the ramp, what would you rather? You being flattened, or your horse having a hissy fit and learning from it?  I know what I would rather, even if it comes out with a bit of a vet bill.


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## SnowCowgirl (Jun 3, 2010)

that's true! and I've actually been doing that - leaving her to stand and paw and wiggle around... then once she settles, I drop the ramp (butt chains down though because apparently she can squeeze herself under them....) then I continue talking to her and scratching her butt for at least a minute before finally asking her to back up. She hasn't started rushing out of the trailer yet except for that one incident, thank god... I'm mostly practicing prevention right now!


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Just a tip, I always tie a hay bag up in front of them. That keeps them happy inside the trailer until I'm ready for them to come out. As long as their hay bag is full they will stay in there all day. Even for just a short trip, they get a nummy hay bag. Mine are all piggy wiggys, that may have something to do with it. :wink:


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

With regard to using chains in lieu of butt bars, I have used two techniques for protection. I believe that either a chain or a bar provides extra security on the off chance that a door comes open when travelling and it also prevents a horse from rushing back as soon as the back door is open. 

In the straight load, I slid agricultural hose over the chains and then put on the clips/snaps (one side has a panic snap on it). The hose is black in colour, sturdy and stiff but with some flexion - it acts like a safety shield and consequently there is nothing to scrape the horses. It can be purchased from any agricultural store that deals in hydraulic equipment, etc., or chances are (if you're on a farm) there are clean scrap pieces left over from other projects.

In the slant load, I used pipe insulation and my favourite tool - duct tape plus regular clip on one end and panic snap on the other. Pipe insulation is dark grey in colour, is made from thick foam type material (it's meant to insulate water pipes in houses, etc., to prevent freezing) and much more flexible than the hose. I used that for this one as the chain is a lot longer and it's easier to manage. You need to do a wrap of duct tape at the ends and a couple of places in the centre as the insulation has a seam in it (so it can wrap around a connected pipe) and it would come off otherwise. Once it's taped up, it provides good scrape protection from the chain.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I don't know about your trailer but my divider went to the floor. For a longer horse we (two person job) moved the rear of the divider over to the far wall. This permitted the horse to stand diagonally but not attempt to get sideways.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Vidaloco said:


> Just a tip, I always tie a hay bag up in front of them. That keeps them happy inside the trailer until I'm ready for them to come out. As long as their hay bag is full they will stay in there all day. Even for just a short trip, they get a nummy hay bag. Mine are all piggy wiggys, that may have something to do with it. :wink:


I quit doing that after a very good trainer nearby used haybags on a 2 hour journey to HOY, and got there only to find one of her prized horses had choked to death on it's hay on the way there, after not being able to dislodge the blockage because the chest bar stopped him from putting his head down. So my horses learn the hard way without treats :lol: I will give them a handful of hay at any stops we make, but they aren't allowed to have hay bags while travelling in my float


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Corporal said:


> nvr2many, One horse in a 2 horse straight load trailer should travel on the left side. If you have a slant load trailer, you load one horse in the very front for balance.


I've been told to put a single horse in the middle of a slant load trailer if it's a 3 horse or larger. I've trailed my gelding several times in the middle with no issues.


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