Ok guys and gals.This will be the first horse trailer my wife and I have owened.Is there any real difference between straight bload or slant ? We will be hauling 2 horses.
Posted 2006-09-06 1:43 PM (#47975 - in reply to #47973) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
Expert
Posts: 1723 Location: michigan
Aside from the obvious ( straight loads - horses are straight...slant- horses stand on a angle) I guess it depends. Most horses are very comfortable in a slant load while bigger critters need more room. Some horses will not load in a straight while most will ( I think this is more of a general loading problem not so much the trailer configuration) A slant configuration will allow for a rear tack compartment. I prefer a slant. There are those who have straights and nothing else will do. So it really depends on what trailer you have in mind and for what purpose. Do you need a rear tack? GN or BP?
Posted 2006-09-06 1:49 PM (#47977 - in reply to #47973) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
Expert
Posts: 2689
Originally written by Freebird on 2006-09-06 1:12 PM
Ok guys and gals.This will be the first horse trailer my wife and I have owened.Is there any real difference between straight bload or slant ? We will be hauling 2 horses.
Hi and Welcome to the Forum.
Please search for other threads in which this topic has been discussed - ad nauseum.
It really IS faster for you to find the old threads than for us to re-type the content.
The only thing I would add since the last go around on this is that it would make some amount of sense for the manufacturers to offer trailers that could be converted to/from slant/straight. With the right design the additional cost might be limited to a small number of additional holes for dividers to snap into. Such a design would probably save enough on inventories and WIP to justify it's cost.
Posted 2006-09-06 2:54 PM (#47982 - in reply to #47977) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
Veteran
Posts: 144 Location: Hickory Hills, IL
Reg-
Funny you mention that, as I have a BIG horse and a brand new Featherlite STL trailer I thought about doing this. After all the tack room wall and all 3 dividers are already removable, as is the saddle rack. Started off by thinking I could weld some new brackets in to move the saddle rack as I'm not fond of where it is... Then I got thinking.... Remove the front tack wall or just add some new brackets to get it about one foot farther ahead... then i got thinking I could do the box stall in front and two slants in back= 3 horse trailer that will actually hold my big draft and two "normal" horses.
Just need to get some steel tubing to fabricate some brackets and a can of silver paint to match.
Posted 2006-09-07 7:33 AM (#48022 - in reply to #47973) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 648 Location: Coconut Creek, FL
Since your'e still deciding on the config - do yourself a favor and be sure to get a DR - you will need storage for tack, chairs, hay, etc and belive me once you get a trailer, you will want to travel and be glad you have storage.
I made the mistake of getting one without and within a year bought another trailer with a DR.
I have a slant w/ DR and rear tack and both are heavily used.
Posted 2006-09-10 9:24 AM (#48225 - in reply to #47973) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
New User
Posts: 2
Location: Pacific, MO
I have owned both over the years and slant load is the way to go. Horses load much easier in a slant load and definitely unload easier in a slant load. Most horses have never loaded in a straight load and are scared. Second your re-sale is much better.
Posted 2006-09-10 1:25 PM (#48237 - in reply to #48225) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
Expert
Posts: 2689
Originally written by missalli on 2006-09-10 9:24 AM
I have owned both over the years and slant load is the way to go. Horses load much easier in a slant load and definitely unload easier in a slant load. Most horses have never loaded in a straight load and are scared. Second your re-sale is much better.
One of my straight load trailers has center ramps, I really don't see how ANY Horse would load easier than straight into the middle - as long as they'll back up into a stall. Both trailers have dividers that swing to one side, so when I do load from the rear the first horse gets use of the full width of the ramp. The second horse in will always load easily once it sees another horse is in there. Unloading is easier in the head to head trailer, every horse can walk out forwards. I don't like the idea of turning a horse around in a slant just so (s)he can walk out forwards.
I've seen people do it at shows, I've seen it go terribly wrong when the horse decides to turn left and bolt out of the trailer a lot quicker than the owner is ready for.
If the horses are THAT scared to back out you (/your horses) have a training issue.
Posted 2006-09-10 2:44 PM (#48240 - in reply to #47973) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 316 Location: Illinois
It's a matter of preference for you really. From all the studies I've read they are pretty inconclusive. It seems some horses are happy to ride at a slant, others prefer to face forwards and others prefer to ride backwards. So basically, but something that will make you happy and take turns very slow.
About the only horses slant loads don't work well for are big/long ones.
Otherwise, have fun discovering new trails with your wife and horses.
Posted 2006-09-11 2:44 PM (#48319 - in reply to #47973) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
New User
Posts: 3
Location: San Diego,Ca.
Thanks for all the information know all I have to do is talk my boss into a 2 horse gooseneck and a new pickup to pull it. Thanks again for all the help. See you around Montana.
Posted 2006-09-12 12:11 AM (#48362 - in reply to #47973) Subject: RE: Slant load or straight load ?
New User
Posts: 4
May I add that either is good, but please be sure of other options which can be unsafe. I have seen both str. and slant where the horses have reared up slightly and got caught in the mangers. Once at a camp site I saw a really messy accident in a trailer as result of this (it was a three horse slant with removable mangers). Any trailer with enough head room for a horse to pop upward can result in this. I would forget the mangers and hay bags in a trailer altogether.
ADVANTAGE: Straight load (if only a 2 horse) is nice because you can see your horse's faces thru the front windows in the rearview mirror. I find that comforting on a fairly long haul!
Slant load or straight load ?
