Maybe I'm not very smart. But I've pulled horses all over Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico for the last 15 years. My trailers have the drop down windows with the window bars behind. In warm weather I drop the windows. The window bars are ALWAYS  up when I'm moving.  But I will let the horse stick his head out at rest stop or gas station. I've never had a problem with anything getting in the horses eyes.  I'm more worried about the wind blowing hay dust from the feed bags or manager inside the trailer than about something blowing in from outside.

At 60-70 mph the wind is blowing stuff straight past the window. My trailers don't have anything outside the window to deflect object inside.  i.e. a rearview mirror by the drivers door where a bee could splat on the mirror and bounce through an open window. I can not begin to count the miles I've driven with my car & truck windows open and I've never had anything come through the window and hit me. Even if my horses had their noses up against the windows bars their eyes would be 8-12" inside the trailer. I just don't see it as a problem. I suspect that if a passing vehicle threw a piece of debris off the road or blew a tire and it hit me while I was driving 70mph, it would tear through any nylon or aluminum mesh insect screen that most trailers have over the openings.

My bigger concern  is the wind swirling in the trailer and blowing hay dust from the manger or shavings off the floor. But the couple times I ridden in the back, I can't say even that was a problem.

Hello

you can go to www.trailerhitchboss.com for custom made screens

Same here....I worry more about the shavings than something from the outside. I use the mask for the same reason. When I stop and there are shaving all over there back you know it has been flying around in there! After an hour or two of 65mph it all blows to where it wants to stay then it is less of a problem till I unload them and redisribute the shaveing then it does it all over again!

I hopped in my 3H and had my husband drive me around- I wanted to see how noisy it was, windy, etc...

At 55 MPH or so there was almost no wind coming in the open windows, yup, very little. Try it. Like Painted Horse said, there's no side mirror there to chew the air up and swirl it around-  I leave our windows open and the bars up pretty much every single time I haul them anywhere.

I put shavings down, and I'll toss a flake of hay on top of the shavings, and I haul mine untied. They can eat, sneeze, etc. I'm telling you, it's not a tornado in there

Good for you kat. Thanks for the experiment which pretty much sums up what I have been thinking-Its not that bad in the trailer. man we can create ALOT of worries!

My trailer has drop down winders but no bars- just little bitty sliding windows with screens. I generally haul with windows open. When I stop I drop down the windows- and even with my  carzy arabs, haven't had a horse try to crawl through. I also haul united. Even if there are shaving and dust, having the ability to lower their heads will keep a horses airway cleared.

1.  To stop the shavings from blowing around, keep a spray bottle with mineral oil in it and spray it lightly on the new shavings as you fluff them around.  It won't dry out like water and keeps them from blowing around until you change them.

2.  It's so hot here that I have drop downs on both sides along with air flow dividers.  I have drop down bars on the head (mainly for resale), and I also have screens to protect my horses eyes.  I prefer screens only, but everyone wants the bars when they buy a trailer.  I never let my horses stick their head out the windows.  I know someone whose horses were killed that way by an oncoming truck.  It's better to be safe than sorry.  If you haul without screens, I would put a fly mask on. 

I'm glad that this issue has come up.  We just purchased a lq trailer.  My one horse has allergies.  His second trip on the trailer ended up with alot of mucus coming from his nose. (stopped after a few seconds once off of the trailer. oh, and  he's doing fine by the way). Although the first trip he didn't have that problem.  But I did use a hay bag that was canvas with a small opening to get hay out on the first ride. Changed to a netted type bag on the second trip, because I found that the horses were turning the canvas bags around and couldn't get access to the hay.  Never had a problem with our bumper pull, straight load.  I'm positive it is from the windows being down thus blowing the hay bag around.  Any suggestions on this? Anyone ever experienced this first hand? What about wetting his hay down before traveling? I've got to have the windows down due to heat. 

I'm open for suggesstions

Thanks

Cindy, where to I get screens to fit my Platinum windows.  If have drop downs on head and butt.

Karen

 My 4 star came with nice screens heavy duty snap clips in all 4 corners.