Posted 2008-05-19 12:15 AM (#84188) Subject: Drop down window safety
Veteran
Posts: 134
Now that summer is almost upon us once again, I will voice my favorite pet peeve. Please do not let your horses travel with their heads hanging out of the drop down windows on hot days. Every summer I see this happening. I know of one horse that lost an eye from this and another that lost his life. My horses ride with their jail bars up plus screens. Pretty cheap insurance to safe guard your horse from injury.
Posted 2008-05-19 7:33 AM (#84198 - in reply to #84188) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Member
Posts: 31 Location: Alpine, AL
I so do AGREE!!!!! How would someone like to be driving down the road at 50 miles per hour and have a bug fly in thier eye. That is cruel! Even more cruel than them getting a little warm.
Posted 2008-05-19 7:48 AM (#84200 - in reply to #84188) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Location: Central Arkansas
I am also in agreement here. I had problems with a trailer that "flexed" too much going down the road - dropping a head door and opening the mudroom door. We could bungie shut the mudroom door but we were at the mercy of the drop down head door. I was lucky, that the horses survived the trip without injury. But, the what ifs caused a stress headache.
Posted 2008-05-19 8:14 AM (#84204 - in reply to #84200) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
I drive with my drop downs open all the time. But I always leave the jail bars up. The only time I ever open the jail bars is to add feed or pet the horses through the windows. My jail bars also have a cordura mesh fabric over them.
Posted 2008-05-19 3:35 PM (#84236 - in reply to #84231) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Location: Tuttle, OK
Originally written by canchaser1587 on 2008-05-19 3:20 PM
I agree with the OP. Mine ride with the bars up and fly masks on to protect their eyes.
That's probably best.
If you ever take a ride in the horse area with the screens closed (I have), you would be amazed and how much air they deflect and keep from entering the trailer. Open the screen on a window while driving and the air flow inside the trailer increases dramatically.
My opinion - no screen, bars up, and fly masks. I even started opening the screens on the butt side after one of my rides....
Posted 2008-05-19 3:58 PM (#84238 - in reply to #84236) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Veteran
Posts: 129 Location: Northwest Ohio
If you ever take a ride in the horse area with the screens closed (I have), you would be amazed and how much air they deflect and keep from entering the trailer. Open the screen on a window while driving and the air flow inside the trailer increases dramatically.
Mr. T, Can you please clarify. Screens closed?? Do you mean the window? I don't have the jail bars.....so my drop down is all the way open or all the closed. We do have screens on the small windows in the drop-down. Last fall, we bought the screens that can be attached inside the opening if we drive with drop-downs open, but I can't see using them unless we're traveling when it's REALLY hot outside.
Posted 2008-05-19 5:09 PM (#84244 - in reply to #84238) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Expert
Posts: 2615
I think he means with the window screens,not windows with slider/screens.If you have those,then,you have no choice,it's either windows down with screens inside,or windows up and open.
If I were you,I'd travel with my windows down and screens over even it if wasn't "really" hot.You would be surprised how hot it can get inside an aluminum or steel trailer for that matter,with little air flow from the windows being closed.Horses generate a tremendous amount of body heat and moisture from their breath,and it doesn't take much to heat up inside a trailer.a 75-80 degree day will do it in a hurry.
Posted 2008-05-19 6:51 PM (#84246 - in reply to #84244) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
Some trailers come with screens attached to the Bar in instead of the small insect screens behind the sliding window.
The ones for my trailer have corner pockets that slip over the Jail Bars and basically screen off the entire opening. They are made out of a Cordura fabric and pretty tought vs the nylon mesh screens behind the glass.
Posted 2008-05-20 7:48 AM (#84309 - in reply to #84244) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Veteran
Posts: 129 Location: Northwest Ohio
Thank you CRG for the clarification. I will admit I haven't ever ridden in the horse part of the trailer yet, but I do believe it could warm up quickly. Here is Northwest Ohio, we have a very seasonal climate so we pretty much ride only spring and fall but I will definitely heed your advice if we do run into some hot weather. We always travel with the roof vents open and the butt side bus windows open too. I always make a point to check and see if the horses are sweating when we stop for a break and when we unload at our destination.
Posted 2008-05-20 8:22 AM (#84311 - in reply to #84188) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Veteran
Posts: 235 Location: Bucksport, Maine
Sidetracking for a minute...
Can you believe I recently met a woman who owns a 2h BP steel stock trailer, dark brown, with permanently installed plexi on the sides (it's riveted on) and just two small butterfly vents in the front, and she had been told by a friend NOT to open the butterfly vents b/c A BEE MIGHT FLY IN?
The horse doesn't like to get on the trailer and is all sweaty when she reaches her destination, and she can't figure out why. I told her to drill out the rivets to remove the plexi and either make it removable OR just haul blanketed in the winter.
On her way home that day she just opened the butterfly vents and GEE, the horse was a lot less sweaty when they got home!
Posted 2008-05-22 7:47 PM (#84504 - in reply to #84188) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Charter Member
Posts: 251 Location: Holland, Tx
Its a pet peeve of mine as well.
My old trailer only has the screens, but I still use fly masks in addition. My new trailer has the bars and I use the fly masks in there too. I think they are a lot cooler in the trailer with the bars and fly masks than in the trailer with the screens and fly masks. Both trailers have slats on the hip-side and the roof vents are always open. I think we assume air circulates a lot better than it really does.
Posted 2008-05-22 9:47 PM (#84519 - in reply to #84504) Subject: RE: Drop down window safety
Expert
Posts: 2615
I have screens over the windows in my 2H and I see no need to use fly masks in that case.I only use them when I use the drop down windows and the bars.The screens over my windows cover the opening ,so,no need for masks .
Drop down window safety
I told her to drill out the rivets to remove the plexi and either make it removable OR just haul blanketed in the winter. 
