# A question about livestock trailers & horses



## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

Actually- a few questions. This trailer is supposedly a 4h stock. Has a divider in the middle of the trailer. 

I was planning on using the front half of the trailer as a dressing room and kinda convert it and use the back half to haul the horses. Is this completely unreasonable? My only worry is that if I haul multiple horses who aren't familiar with eachother they may try kicking at eachother being tied next to one another without any dividers at all. Also the trailers roughly 6 foot wide and 6 1/2 tall. Is that small for horses? I don't want anything too cramped.








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## loveduffy (Dec 22, 2011)

I think that is small 6 1/2 tall and I think that if the horses do kick at each other that could be a big problem, you could still use it but I would keep the front for the horse that dose not get along with others


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

6'6" sounds short. But I can't say I've measured the inside height of my stock trailer. I am going to build my wall for a tack room tomorrow or Sunday, I'll post pics of the build. We haul without dividers. Have had our whole herd and friends horse all mixed in there w/o issue.
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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

Usually horses are busy enough dealing with the 'problem' of being hauled that they don't try to cause too much trouble with each other. There are exceptions, of course.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

No, not unreasonable. We had an old Charmac GN stock trailer that we put a wall in just behind the escape door to make a tack room. Basicaly the divider/cut gate could be used as a stud wall. If I had a strange horse not used to be hauled with mine they get put on the back step, not in the middle of everyone else.
As far as 6.5' tall trailer, I have never had an issue and I have hauled some big draft cross ranch ponies. The only time the height of the trailer has been an issue I have noticed is when horses are backed out to un load rather than turned around and walked out. If the horse is hesitant to step down when backed out they usually raise their head up to try to see behind and down causing them to bang their head on the the cross member. And after they bqng their heads the more nervous they get about unloading by backing out. Usually when stepping out forwards they will lower their head to look where to step down to. However I never let them jump out, they are to step down. I have been told that if they get in the habit of jumping out and slip they can stifle themselves.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Actually, I wouldn't attempt something like that with a bumper pull trailer. If you only load horses in the back, then it overloads the back of the trailer without enough weight in the front to counter it. As a result, it will use the wheels as a fulcrum and will lift up the back of your pickup...causing an accident.

I know a guy here in town who has totaled 2 pickups and 2 trailers by loading a bull in the back of a bumper pull and then going down the road.


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

smrobs said:


> Actually, I wouldn't attempt something like that with a bumper pull trailer. If you only load horses in the back, then it overloads the back of the trailer without enough weight in the front to counter it. As a result, it will use the wheels as a fulcrum and will lift up the back of your pickup...causing an accident.
> 
> I know a guy here in town who has totaled 2 pickups and 2 trailers by loading a bull in the back of a bumper pull and then going down the road.


What?! He didn't learn the first time??


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL, unfortunately, this fella is seriously lacking in the brains department. Thankfully, both the bulls involved in the accidents only had minor injuries.

But, as far as I know, he's not done it again since that last time :rofl:.


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## JeepnGirl (Jan 15, 2013)

I have a trailer very much like that one. 
Do not load your horses only in the back, leaving the front half empty. The axles are not far back enough to balance the load, making the tongue light, lifting the back of your truck. This causes the trailer's rear to be heavy, making it easier for it to fish tail on you. 

A girl friend of mine had a long trailer like mine. She was baby sitting another friends two german shepherd dogs and kept them in the trailer while she was at my place to ride with me. She didn't want to bother taking them both out, loading our horses, and then putting them in the very back of the trailer (The dogs were a couple of untrained ding-dong goofs). So we just put the horses in the back half. The trailer was very unstable and it also made it harder to slow down the truck it's self. Luckily we only had to go a mile down a quiet road...

Danielle


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