I've been reading here for a while now and have used some of what I've learned to fix up my year-old 3horse slant BP.

We're taking it in tomorrow to have a stud divider installed, I thought on the last stall (closest to rear). We haul two horses and throw our hay and a water container in the very back. But today I read that folks use the first stall as storage. First being the one closest to the hitch.

When we moved up to the 3H from a @h straight, I put the horses in the middle and last stalls, but the trailer felt unstable on the road, like it wanted to sway. Next trip, I moved the horses up, and the rig seemed to tow much better.

So, my question is - which stalls should two horses in a 3H occupy for safe trailering?  We do a lot of interstate driving, trips are 100 to 600 miles. I don't have much stuff to store in the third stall; most of it's in the dressing room, and the tack is in the rear tack compartment. I'd haul 2-3 bales and maybe 10 gallons of water plus a few miscellaneous items, nothing really heavy.

This is such an informative site, I'm glad to have found it.

Thanks in advance for any input!

FWIW, Our trailer is a 4H slant that is open (no rear tack) We haul the horses up front and store hay and misc in the back. I just make sure everything is anchored down behind something heavy such as a bale of hay. I've never had any issues with stuff sliding around. Some people are not comfortable with this but it is just common sense packing. You could always have a swinging stud divider put in that you could put on the front or rear divider depending on what you are hauling in the way of equines if it bothers you to have it in there without.

Put the horses where the trailer tows the best. If thats 1st and 2nd stall.  So be it.

The reason for putting hay and stuff int he first stall is that you usually load junk first and put the horses in last.  And you get stuff out as you need it.  If all your stuff is in the last stall, you have to unload all of that Stuff before you can unload the horses.  Also.  in most trailers Pee runs downhill toward the back of the trailer.

Put the horses where the trailer tows the best. If thats 1st and 2nd stall.  So be it.

The reason for putting hay and stuff int he first stall is that you usually load junk first and put the horses in last.  And you get stuff out as you need it.  If all your stuff is in the last stall, you have to unload all of that Stuff before you can unload the horses.  Also.  in most trailers Pee runs downhill toward the back of the trailer.

Ok, I do have to admit I have an advantage as I have a side ramp on my first stall. I moved the telescoping divider to the front of the trailer and I can load two horses after I have packed. I do put the wheelbarrow where I can pull it out and the horses can back out of the rear quite easily around the hay. They can go out the side but I like for them to come out of the back as there is more room. The wheelbarrow makes it really easy to quickly free up the loading space on the right side. Just load your stuff so the divider will swing over it. I use damp sawdust on the floor for the urine. I don't have any problems with it flying around when it's slightly damp.

I used to do a lot of combined driving and I designed this trailer so I could carry two carriages and all of my stuff in the rear of the trailer and load/unload the horse without unloading my stuff. Having no rear tack made it easy to load the carriages and gave me room to pack both of them. Later, I figured out that the telescoping divider allowed me to load 2 horses in the front and stuff in the back. Works great.

Every rig, trailer and load pulls a little differently than someone else's similar rig. With some easy testing, you can determine how to best load your trailer, for your tow vehicle and your load.

You will need an hour or so of time, a patient pair of horses and a good piece of road for testing. The best road will involve a decent turn, and the ability to travel at highway speeds. When you first pulled your trailer home empty, how did it behave? Did it track well? Did it follow you through the corners without weaving or fishtailing? If it did, your trailer is well set up with a minimal amount of tongue weight.

The best test of tracking is to approach a curve and while turning, apply the brakes. As you exit the turn, apply the throttle and wiggle the steering wheel. Did the trailer again track well? As you accelerate to highway speeds, is it still stable or does it start to weave at higher speeds? If it behaved, half the battle is over. If it didn't, ballast or auxiliary devices will be needed to fix the problem.

The first step after you have determined that your trailer is pulling properly empty, is to load a singular horse. Load it in your center stall and drive your course. At the end, move your horse to the front stall and repeat the course. Which did you like better? Was the towing vehicle more loaded with the horse in the front stall? Did you notice any better or poorer handling of one position over another? This is the way you can determine which is best for your circumstances.

Now you are going to do the same thing with two horses. The first trial will involve loading your heaviest horse in the front stall, and the second lighter horse in the rear stall, with nothing in the center. Again, drive your course and pay particular attention to the trailer handling in braking, in and out of the turns and its stability at speed. Return to your starting point, and move the rearward horse to the center position.

At this point you should carefully inspect your rig before you drive the course. Check the ride height of your hitch, the weight on and the profile of your tires, and the remaining suspension travel of your vehicle. You will now have a great deal of weight on the trailer's tongue and may exceed the towing weight of the vehicle. If all looks well, try your course again and determine which loading configuration feels the best. I suspect it will be the initial testing, with a horse in the front and rear stalls.

When I loaded my trailer, a single horse went into the center stall. With two horses, the heaviest was placed in the forward stall, the lightest in the rear. With three horses, the heaviest was placed in the center stall, the next heaviest was in the forward position and the lightest loaded in the back.

I towed the trailer with three different vehicles, and never needed any aids for load control or directional stability. Your results may be different, but at least by trying these tests, you can determine what is the best for your needs, by the expenditure of only a little time.

Buy what you need to correct any faults only after you determine any problems. A two horse BP is a completely different trailer than the three, and trying to make loading comparisons between them is superfluous. Don't solely rely on another person's results that doesn't share your rig, load and accessories.

Best of luck   Gard

Tammy,

I am hoping my 2 wheel carriage (that I don't have yet) will fit in the rear of my 3horse. I have seen some custom brackets on the back of the trailer for carts. Any suggestions for accomplishing this would be appreciated. I will be getting a cart similar to a Meadowbrook for my Friesion cross

Lots of the posts you see mentioning people loading the first stall of three with stuff are gooseneck trailers.  Goosenecks don't have the load distribution issues that bumper pulls do.