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Veteran
Posts: 112
Location: Columbus, Ohio | Hello- Any feedback on experiences with slant load useability/safety? Am replacing my older Merhow Verylite and like the idea of a stock/combo such as offered by 4-Star (the manuf. I'm leaning towards). Like the idea of using it as a box stall but then slant when I occasionally haul my 2 horses. I have a lighter breed 15.2 horse who has mutilated the wood divider in the Merhow with kicking. The other one is a 2 year old draft cross who is quiet but STRONG and will mature to around 16.2 (not too drafty- more t/b but BIG). Are horses comfortable in slants? Is there enough room? How difficult is loading the second horse? Are these built to use as box stall as far as strength to withstand moving around/kicking/leaning? Am also very tired of slippery ramps and like the step in, turn around and step out theory of a stock/slant load. Finally- read about WERM flooring as in 4-Star and wondering if these hold up against alum. corrosion? Have avoided alum. floors due to pitting stories and was leaning toward rumber as offered by Hawk (my choice if go with another straight load ramp- ramp is not steep as in Merhow). Rumber seems like an excellent alternative to wood for maintenance and strength -don't mind the extra weight. UGH- so many choices- please tell me what your experiences have been and what trailer manuf. focus on safety/strength!!!! THANK YOU!! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 455
Location: Texas | I cannot comment on the WERM vs. Rumber, but I can comment on straight vs. slant. I currently have a CM slant. It is the 6'-8" wide model, not the more common 6' wide model. I haul three fairly large QHs, and they seem to be comfortable in that particular trailer. But a friend has a 2000 (or so) Kiefer with mangers, and one of the three doesn't even fit, and the other two are very cramped. She used to have a 1996 Exiss without mangers, but it was no better than the Kiefer. The thing I like about the slant, is the ease of loading and unloading horses. One horse at a time and just slam the divider. With the straight load I had before, it was harder. And, with the slant, there is a lot more room. I back my horses out of the trailer. With my previous straight-load, it just always seemed kind of dangerous. You see people going in straight load trailers beside or between horses, and it just doesn't look safe.
I think you will have to check out different brands and bring a tape measure along. I think your draft would need a bigger trailer than my CM, but 4-Star's are bigger, I believe. Also, my CM is like a stock-combo. I do not have a rear tack, which I like. One thing I do not like about the stock style trailers is not having the drop-down windows. The plexi-glas is a pain in the swimsuit area to take out, put in, and store.
Also, I do not know about using it like a box stall. I have never done that. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 648
Location: Coconut Creek, FL | Slant vs straight load I started out with a straight load and after 1 year switched to slant for the following reasons: ability to have a DR and rear tack (I camp and needed the storage space) have been told horses ride better in a slant I am happy with the slant, have had some issues with new horses unloading from the back stall as it's really tight to fit in there with the horse (don't recomend it) Rumber vs Werm Both my trailers have had the rumber floor and I love it! My current trailer is a '97 2H (which I bought new) is used 2-4 times a month and the floor shows no wear. It's super easy to wash out, no matts needed, and has a lifetime warranty. The trailer frame is aluminum so no worries about it rusting. I got my truck bed sprayed with Rhino liner and I'm thinking this is similar to WERM - very nice substance, but the rumber is alot thicker. I have also seen some trailers with the rhino sprayed on the underside of the GN and that is a great idea. I haven't actually seen a WERM floor so I can't comment on it, but it sure sounds better than wood or alum with heavy mats you have to remove. I also have ABS on the walls which is very easy to clean and if a horse kicks the wall, it might mark it a bit, but no gouges of the material like you get with rubber. Also since their feet kinda slide off the wall, it discourages them from kicking. You will get lots of opinions, so be ready to wade through the responses.
Edited by Dunoir 2006-09-28 11:29 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 112
Location: Columbus, Ohio | Sure appreciate all comments~! Brings up another question regarding the rear tack- isn't it hard to back a horse around that and then have them step down? Was planning on not getting that so the horses could walk out head first but extra storage is always welcome as the dressing rooms on most of the slants looks quite small. Sounds like I'd need something around 7 feet wide? What is ABS on walls? Had always written off slants as a way for manufucturer to get more $ with less space .. again, appreciate the input!! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 455
Location: Texas | I do not think the rear tack is hard to back a horse around. The problem I see with it is the horse in the rear-most spot has to back out on their own. There really isn't a lot of room to go in and back the horse out by the lead rope.
I mentioned it before, but I prefer to back horses out even if there is room for them to turn. It just seems safer to me. They always seem to want to jump out when led out forwards. Maybe others feel otherwise. |
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Veteran
Posts: 192
Location: Kentucky | The horses will adjust to backing out of the slant load. My horse that is usually in the 3rd stall knows to back out on her own. I make all of mine back out of the slant load. They have to be taught but a lead rope on both sides of the halter and you can stand behind and guide them out easily until they catch on. |
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Veteran
Posts: 282
Location: southcentral pennsylvania | Greetings, The slant/straight load debate has been discussed extensively on this forum before, and can be probably be found in the archives. For an excellent, straight forward explanation of the pros and cons of this debate, take a look at "The Complete Guide to Horse Trailering" by Tom and Neva Scheve. Tom was the original "Mr. Trailer" on this forum. Without going into the pros and cons, I can tell you from personal experience that I haul straight load, step up, and have since 1970. I have also hauled from Colorado to the East Coast with a straight load and happy horses. The trailer is 7'6" tall and extra wide. My 16/2 hand horse travelled in a too short slant for over 1000 miles getting from Canada to Colorado and had his tail rubbed raw. Be careful of your length/width dimensions. As for loading and unloading, I take the time, patience, and John Lyons trailer loading methods, and have horses that run to the fence when they see the rig being hooked up, and love to "go." They step right on, and carefully back off with the word "back." Just my 2 cents! Brenda |
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Member
Posts: 40
Location: Richmond, VA | A slant will be too small for your draft X. Never heard of WERM or Rumber. Whatever trailer you buy, do your horses a favor and get one w/a ramp. Also, remember that if the wheel wells aren't out, they're in and that does NOT give the horse more useable room.
Edited by chevalnoir 2006-09-29 8:48 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 282
Location: southcentral pennsylvania | It is interesting that you feel you are doing your horses a favor getting a ramp. I agree if your trailer is one with a high ground clearance. However, if you have a low ground clearance trailer, it is not an issue. Good loaders can do a set-up or ramp fine. I have seen horses get scraped when balking and going off the side of the ramp. Of course, they can also manage to hurt themselves if being difficult with a step up. Just my 2 cents. Brenda |
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Regular
Posts: 90
Location: louisiana | Just my two cents, but I am on my second slant load after having a 2 horse straight and I wouldnt go back for nothing. I have had more room with MY slants and find my horses ride better and load better. Also got a ramp on both the slants and the only problem was a horse that had never loaded with a ramp and it took us about 15 minutes of patience and training. In my current slant, I do not think I would having a problem hauling a draft the size of yours being as my quarter is 16- 16 1/2 and weighs in at 1200-1300 lbs and has room left in the stalls when divider is shut. And I actually took 2 inches off my two back stalls to add 4 inches to the rear tack. Many of my friends pull slants and I have not heard any mention of problems with horses not fitting but my quarter gelding is considerably larger than all theirs....the call him the clydsdale!!!!!! hope this helps |
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 Expert
Posts: 1871
Location: NY | just my two cent but i agree that ramp can have trouble so i have tw ramp one in back for load in and one on the side for unloading .I have a stright load and my draft fit great I found the slant to be not the size that they said it was.good luck |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 648
Location: Coconut Creek, FL | The ABS in my trailer is a hard black plastic in sheets that is screwed into the walls of the trailer. Many trailers have rubber which can get gouged if a horse kicks it. Nothing happens to the ABS. I will try to take some pics this weekend and post em. My trailer is warmblood size and I've had numerous drafts and warmbloods in it and they've had plenty of space. The trailer is 7'9" tall and I think it's 7'6" wide - will need to measure. The rear stall is the longest. I have a ramp and prefer it, but have no problem with step-ups either. |
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Veteran
Posts: 112
Location: Columbus, Ohio | This is an incredibly useful site! My concerns are safety/comfort of the horse firstoff, ease of use and longevity second. Both my horses, even the 2 year old self load and haul well with the exception of disgruntled systematic kicking from the smaller one and leaning from the big one. Sound like measuring for the slant load is a must. As far as a ramp, if there is no rear tack couldn't the rear horse walk out face first? I just spent $500 rebuilding my ramp and that would be one less maintenance issue! As far as the WERM- this is a process where the "mats" are adhered to the alum. floor and supposed to keep any moisture from penetrating the alum. from above (urine) thus elim. pitting/corrosion Any favorite trailer brands people have experiences with? Thanks again all!! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 455
Location: Texas | Originally written by rider3 on 2006-09-29 2:12 PM
if there is no rear tack couldn't the rear horse walk out face first?
Yes. They can even turn around and ride backward if they want. |
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New User
Posts: 1
| Wondering if your trailer is a slant and would you mind telling me what brand it is? I am currently shopping for a new warmblood size slant load, my kid is 17 hands, any suggestions? I've been researching the "Trailswest" warmblood model, Exiss, and Classic Monarch. |
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Expert
Posts: 2689
| Through some combination of lack of training, of the horse and/or the handler, I've seen a few horses take over the unloading of slants at shows.
They turn, see the way out and decide to not wait for the handler to initiate the turn - UGLY.
The other hangups of mine are the right fore / rear hind,
the tight pack, the close and slightly behind one another position, the horse DENSITY (heat)... on and on.
The only thing I've heard negative about WERM flooring is the finish, the texture retains the small scraps of hay, grass, chad, whatever has passed through the horse(s) and it is difficult to hose out.
Personally I find it hard to agree with those that think urine will corrode an aluminum floor - maybe if you use it every week-end and only clean it out once a year, but I clean out after every trip and wash the floors thoroughly. It is SO dilute.
Edited by Reg 2006-09-30 6:38 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 112
Location: Columbus, Ohio | Thank you for the comments, my goal is to find a versatile trailer that can be used as a 'box' stall but also haul 2 horses when necessary. If I pay attention to how big the slant trailer is is should be ok as my mare is small and could be in front. The hang-up with the straight load is backing out of a step up is awkward, ramps are nice EXCEPT when there is any moisture from manure or rain!! My mare is an excellent loader, very careful and now WAITS for me to remove the manure before she backs out by herself- she learned the hard way (and so did I) by sliding/falling to her knees! I'm getting over my fear of alum. flooring after reading about how to make sure the spacing is close on the beams and reading about how draft type horses can crack the wood and how rumber can be slippery. There is the fear of the horse who kicked the rear door open and fell out on the highway! This would lead me back to straight load with butt bars! I really like the 4-star 2 horse slant with no rear tack, bus windows but hate the price and the tiny dressing room. I guess however, the 'built like a tank' construction is more important! Knowledge is power- thank you for your input. |
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Veteran
Posts: 192
Location: Kentucky | "They turn, see the way out and decide to not wait for the handler to initiate the turn - UGLY"
Reg, To me, that is not the fault of a slant load but the handler's issue. |
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Expert
Posts: 2689
| Originally written by arlene21 on 2006-10-01 7:36 AM
"They turn, see the way out and decide to not wait for the handler to initiate the turn - UGLY"
Reg, To me, that is not the fault of a slant load but the handler's issue.
I agree, handler's and/or horse's lack of training.
My point was that I've seen it too many times and the slant load trailer permits/encourages it by design (although perhaps not as a deliberate design feature).
I'm not supporting this, but at shows KIDS are often the unloaders.
I'd like to put in a plug for the "gripyness" (an engineering term) of modern rubber mats when wet. They're no where near as slick as the old ones when wet or slimed with manure. Wood shavings in any case dry out manure and absorb urine, I don't think there is now a case for avoiding rubber covered ramps on the basis of traction (lack of when wet).
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Expert
Posts: 2689
| rider3,
I sometimes use a PLASTIC snow shovel to remove manure from behind a horse before unloading. There is less chance of catching a shoe and it is easier on the rubber mats. With wood shavings (or woodypet) the floor should have good traction and keeping the ramp up when not actually loading will keep the rain off it - it should be up any time a horse is in the trailer anyway.
Yes, 4-Star ARE built like that, so are Jamco and EBY.
As you said, initial purchase price is kinda high.
Bahh, its only money.
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 Regular
Posts: 96
Location: MasonDixon | You are aware that there are slant load trailer's that are 8' wide? Usually this width comes with manager's, but you can have them eliminated. You can also get slant's with 43" wide stall's. It might not be on the dealer's lot, but they can be made any way you want, if you have the patience to wait. WERM flooring is a black substance that is troweled on. It is about 5/8" thick and adhere's to the floor. It has an orange peel like surface and is not slick...even when wet. It you get a gouge in it, it can be repaired. WERM add's about $1,000 to the price of a 4 horse trailer. With WERM, there is no way urine can get to the floor. We always' bed our trailer with pelleted bedding. For the 4 horse, we use about 8 bag's and follow the direction's on the bag. The bedding will absorb urine, eliminate odor and poop can be picked up with a manure fork. We don't strip the trailer, just keep the bedding picked, adding more bedding as needed. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 648
Location: Coconut Creek, FL | Just a comment on the sentence that said "Rumber can be slippery". - I have a '97 (that I bought in Sept '96) that has rumber floor and have never had any issues with slipping. My ramp does have a rubber sheet on it and a couple times when it was raining, the horses slipped on the rubber on the ramp - but never inside the trailer on the rumber. The rumber floor on my trailer is in great condition after 10 years of continual use. It's a great surface for a trailer. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 455
Location: Texas | Originally written by Reg on 2006-09-30 6:35 PM
I find it hard to agree with those that think urine will corrode an aluminum floor - maybe if you use it every week-end and only clean it out once a year You said it. But, that is the problem with most people's mentality when they buy an aluminum trailer. They say, "Oh, it's aluminum; it won't corrode." So then they think they never have to clean it. I have seen what not cleaning an aluminum trailer does to it. |
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Veteran
Posts: 112
Location: Columbus, Ohio | |
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Veteran
Posts: 112
Location: Columbus, Ohio | Ooop, touchy mouse- anyway- could you ellaborate on how you've seen aluminum floors wear? I've read that they hold up well but also read that IF there is a problem they can either not be repaired or are very $$ to repair! This is where I thought the WERM floor would be nice but seems to good to be true! thank you for your input!! |
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Regular
Posts: 96
Location: MasonDixon | Urine will pit aluminum floor's if they're not maintained. Like pulling mat's out every 3-4 month's, washing the floor and mat's and putting the mat's back in. Now, that's not my idea of fun. Those mat's must weigh a ton and they stink! Even after washing. When ordering our trailer, the dealer offered WERM flooring. After looking at a trailer that had it, we were all over it. It added $1000 to the price of a 4 horse. Well worth it. And it is almost too good to be true. Just think, when cleaning out your trailer, sweep it as clean as possible. Take it down to the car wash and wash it out. Cost about $5. Clean fresh smelling trailer.  |
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Regular
Posts: 67
Location: Romulus, Michigan |  Regarding slant load v straight. I had a straight and horse was always sweated up when we arrived. Not so in my slant load - travels more happily.
As for rear tack, some trailers (i.e. Titan) come with a collapsible back tack area and removable saddle rack, so you can have it in the back or in the dressing room. You can load all saddles, etc. in dressing room and then when you get to a show, campsite, etc., you can re-establish the back tack area. Very easy to do. Good Luck! |
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Straight v. Slant and WERM v. Rumber
