Posted 2009-05-30 8:16 PM (#105731) Subject: what is an adequate stall length for the avg horse?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
hi all,
How long should a trailer stall be for comfort? Obviously, longer is better, and of course, different horses may require different sizes, but I'm asking about an averaged sized horse.. My 2 girls are 14 hands, and 14.3 hands.. They both are a little long-bodied, but not excessively so.. My littlest mare wears a 75" blanket (measured from center of her chest to the center of her tail) I want to say she is @ 8 feet nose to tail, and my bigger mare is just a few inches longer.. like 2 or 3. I am now looking at a trailer with a 39" wide stall and 113" long diagonal corner to corner.. the trailer itself is 6'8" wide.. will this be a long enough stall for my horses to ride comfortably, maybe at some point for long distances? This trailer is across country and it would be impossible for me to examine it personally. It is being sold by a dealer who took it in on comission with no bites at a higher price, so it was re-listed at a lower, more do-able price.. I would have to pay to have it shipped... I've talked to the owner/salesman a couple of times and I feel this is legit.. It is a late-model, good brand of trailer that looks to be in almost pristine condition.. I feel the trailer is a good buy, so am not asking advice on that part of it... I am just wondering how much length does a horse NEED to travel comfortably.. How big are ya'lls stalls, and what size horse(s) do you have?.. Thanks for the input
Posted 2009-05-31 12:57 AM (#105742 - in reply to #105731) Subject: RE: what is an adequate stall length for the avg horse?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
No, no mangers... I would love to have them if I could find an affordable trailer with the features I want, but truth is, every time I look at a slant load trailer with mangers, my very first thought is that the remaining space is so small. I don't see how any horse could travel comfortably in there.. i looked at an older-model Hart that was 8 ft wide, had mangers, drops on the head and hip and seemed in fairly good condition, but; it was 15 - 16 years old, and had a fixed rear tack.. I really want a collapsible rear tack for hauling furniture, hay, whatever other stuff I might need to haul. This one I'm thinking about has sliders on the hip (maybe at some point I could replace them with drop windows?.. but it's not life or death if i don't) but it does have a collapsible rear tack and is only a couple of years old. The only thing I'm worried about is the stall length ..actually only for the FIRST stall, because the last stall is going to have more room to the rear door, which is why my bigger mare would ride in the back.. Neither one of my mares are very big, but who knows? maybe someday I'll have a horse that will be quite a bit bigger..
Posted 2009-06-01 11:45 AM (#105785 - in reply to #105731) Subject: RE: what is an adequate stall length for the avg horse?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 714 Location: Minnesota
I have had trailers ranging from 6'6" to my current 8' wide with out mangers. All of my horses are full size quarters no less than 15 hands. The horses have fit in all of them just fine. The angle of the stall is the difference maker. Look at the older two horse straight loads. How many of them did (or do) you see with their tails hanging out the back? My personal feeling is that the more room the horse has to move around, the more trouble they can have. If you think it's a great deal, go for it.
Posted 2009-06-01 12:54 PM (#105789 - in reply to #105787) Subject: RE: what is an adequate stall length for the avg horse?
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
Originally written by ridingarocky on 2009-06-01 12:02 PM
Thanks! I did!... FINALLY!!! After 2 years of searching, I've finally found one I like, have the power to pull and can afford.
HOORAY!
That is great, let's see what you got.... Somehow I did not see this before hand, but the better half has a "little turd" quarterhorse (17.1hh, 1475lbs) and the blanket she bought for him was an 86 and we had a 3 horse S&H that was 6'8" wide and he would fit in the last stall of it but not in the front, but my horse is 15hh and 1350lbs and a blanket size of 78 and he fit with no trouble at all.
Posted 2009-06-01 2:36 PM (#105798 - in reply to #105731) Subject: RE: what is an adequate stall length for the avg horse?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Good... I'm glad to hear that he fit... To tell you the truth I've been sweating the stall length....Like i said, my girls are little, but I wanted to be sure they have enough room.. As glad as I am to be getting rid of my current straightload trailer.. I have to admit that it has pretty roomy stalls.. I just wish it had a big tack room as well and I'd keep it.. It's hard to go camping with your under-mager tack area crammed and your car crammed, and your corrall panels bungied onto the trailer sides, with hay bungied on top of your car!!! Talk about a problem waiting to happen!!! On this new one, I didn't get all the bells and whistles I wanted after all of my looking.. My hubby quashed that very effectively.... HOWEVER, I did get a good, late model trailer for an absolute scream.... He actually went down on the price a little more.. I actually asked the transport company if they did a lot of business with him and was he a good guy.. He does and is according to them......Here it is.. let me know what you think..
Posted 2009-06-01 4:50 PM (#105809 - in reply to #105731) Subject: RE: what is an adequate stall length for the avg horse?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Thanks! I think I will, too.. I've already thought of a bunch of things i can do to it (later)..One thing is that HOSS gridwall storage system that I saw on one of the threads here.. That way I can rearrange and organize all of my stuff to my OCD little heart's content! It should be fun!..
what is an adequate stall length for the avg horse?
