This is a little long, and hopefully I can get an attachment to work...but need your input.

I am looking for a 2H bumper pull and came up with this idea for a trailer design.  Since I know many people here have WAY more experience with this, I would love your input.

I would use the trailer mostly alone, with one and sometimes two horses, for show and trails.  It needs to be easy and safe to load/unload each horse separately.  Also, Murphy’s law says a sunny day will inevitably turn into a torrential downpour when I am trying to get ready…so would really like the option, especially if I only have one horse, to have a pass-thru and be able to open the trailer (tie a partition back) for room to get horse/myself ready without getting drenched. 

So attached (hopefully) is the idea….the front partition telescopes and hooks against the dressing room wall, the rear partition hooks against the roadside wall. What I like: the first stall would feel more ‘open’ than most slant loads (open slat head dividers), I can open doors/ramps alone, especially with just one horse in the front stall, without a horse on top of me possibly overly eager to exit.  I can leave the front partition up and use the pass-thru door without a horse in the way, yet still have a 'box' type stall beyond in the event of bad weather.  Each horse can exit separately and walk off forward.  Possible cons, for the front horse to exit out the side ramp, the turn might be a bit tight…

Your thoughts appreciated!

Largest horse is 16.1 and about 8.5 ft nose to tail.  Diagonal (longest) measure of first stall is about 9.8 ft, wall to wall about 8.5 ft. and each stall is about 45 inches wide.

Quote... "the front partition telescopes and hooks against the dressing room wall, the rear partition hooks against the roadside wall".

When you say "hooks" , do you mean latches or hinges?

Looks good to me, but I'm a little partial to a straight load with the side ramp. That way we could unload either one without disturbing the other and either back them off or walk them out the front. A straight load would make the trailer a tad bit longer though.

I bet "Hawk" would build you one like that drawing!!!

Hi retento,

By hooks I mean latches... just some way to swing the partition against the wall and keep it out of the way.

I really like the straight loads with side ramp too...just can't move the partitions out of the way 'on-the-fly' so to speak. 

..and Yes, Hawk can make this trailer for me...with Rumbar floors... ;)

Is there a reason you didn't put the side exit ramp directly in front of the front horse instead of on the other side? If you did that the front horse would step straight out on the ramp without having to make a tight turn. And it probably doesn't matter to you which side your enter the dressing room. It seems to me that putting the ramp on the road side would save you space.

As an aside, I too have tried to get horses ready in the rain, and it isn't any picnic in most trailers. I've used stock trailers before, and their wide open space makes it much more convenient and safe. So i can understand why you'd want to find a way to provide some extra space for such things. An other option might be an awning on the trailer. Once your horse was comfortable with it you could use it for grooming in less than ideal weather. And it would provide shade in the hot spells, but you could still be outside.

Hi Cowgirl,

Well, the short answer is there is no specific reason for not having the side exit in front of the front horse.  I don't have specific experience with slant load side ramps, so someone here may be able to chime in.  However, by pure speculation, they seem a little narrow to me, and also, I invision standing below the horse while I lower the ramp, with only a breast bar up in front of the horse, whose chest/front legs are would be at about eyeball height....seems a bit ...um...awkward?.  My own horses are actually good in the trailer, but one is younger and I wouldn't assume he won't have moments of stupidity...and I've seen otherwise good horses do pretty athletic things in moments of excitement in a straight load, over and under butt and breast bars...Nothing is 100% safe, especially with horses, but there is just something about that set-up that seems awkward? 

Not much difference between that and a rear ramp on a straight load.

That corner seems like a lot of dead space. What size are the stalls? Looks like about 50". If that is the case, make the front stall a little larger and go back to a regular slant load with a side ramp at the head. You'll be able to get the larger side ramp that way. Or...add a foot or so to the trailer and go with a straight load with a side ramp and a 4' space in front of the divider to get ready or carry extra stuff...

Hi FlatlandFilly,

Yes, the slant stalls would be a little larger than normal in both width and length, especially the front one.  Also, the horse wouldn't be smooshed up against the dressing room wall, hopefully making the stall at least 'feel' a little bigger.  I actually stood in the front stall of several different traditional slant trailers at a recent Horse Expo and closed the divider...I found it a little claustrophobic myself, and I'm not a horse.  I've also seen a friends horse...an otherwise very quiet, not that big, stock horse who had ridden in slants many times, but never in the front stall...have an absolute freakout after the last horse was loaded into a 3H slant and he was in the front...of course, all the other horses had to be unloaded to get him out...  So, 'theoretically', the somewhat non-traditional configuration of the front slant stall would help alleviate that 'closed-in' feeling... 

For the front horse to get out the side ramp, the front partition would telescope and swing toward the front against the dressing room wall...the horse would then have to turn around to the right-rear to walk out the side ramp...it would be a tight turn for a bigger horse...I suppose i could get another foot or so added to the trailer and alleviate that problem somewhat?

...and yes, there would be lots of windows.  Drop downs at the head, slides in the rear.  Escape door at the front of the front slant stall.

...definitely want the walk-thru also for the same reasons...very convenient.

Thanks!