Hello everyone.  I am new here, but I am not sure who to ask about this, so I'm giving you a try!

I just bought a 16' stock trailer...what I wanted was a slant load horse trailer, but my budget said no. :P  So, I have heard of people moving the center gate forward to make a tack room in the front portion of the trailer, and loading horses at a slant in the back portion.  This is what I would like to do.

Moving the gate should be no problem, with the help of my father in law and his shop tools. :)  My question is this:  I'd like to close off the area above the gate and the slats in the sides of the trailer, just in that front "tack room" area.  What methods or materials can you recommend?

I considered some light weight sheet metal, possibly wood, or even plexiglass, but I'm not sure how to go about it or which material would be best.

Any advice you can give would be good!

Thanks,  Christa

Lexan would be my choice for closing the gaps. It is alot like plexiglass, however it will not shatter like plexiglass will. You can find both here: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/me/plexiglas.html. You will need to install rails or a channel to hold it in, but the manufacturer of your trailer should be able to help there. You might also be able to screw it directly to the sides, however this would not look as clean. If you decide to screw it in, make sure to caulk around all of the screw holes.

Caution: mechanical engineering STUDENT these statements should be evaluated by someone more qualified than I am.

Before you get too far into this project...

Are you saying that you are going to create the separators for the horses?...or are you just going to load them loose?

Because if you are going to create stalls, you are about to embark on a very interesting journey...

If your barriers are NOT up to the task, you may end up with injured horses...

How do you plan on water-proofing your created tack area?

Lexan flexes...so the cement you use to seal seams will have to handle the flex...

Finally, if you are really honest and keep track of your materials and labor hours...I think you are going to be suprised on how expensive your conversion effort will be...

Before you get too far into this project...

Are you saying that you are going to create the separators for the horses?...or are you just going to load them loose?

Because if you are going to create stalls, you are about to embark on a very interesting journey...

If your barriers are NOT up to the task, you may end up with injured horses...

How do you plan on water-proofing your created tack area?

Lexan flexes...so the cement you use to seal seams will have to handle the flex...

Finally, if you are really honest and keep track of your materials and labor hours...I think you are going to be suprised on how expensive your conversion effort will be...

No, I'm not going that far.  I want a fairly weatherproof area for tack, but I don't plan on putting dividers in for the horses.  MOST of the time I only haul one at a time, so he can stand stright or slanted if he likes.  Ocasionally I may haul two, but it is always my own, so they stand next to each to each other in the trailer without messing with each other, so no real need for a divider between them.

How does hight make a difference in how they ride?  The horse I am usually hauling is a 16.1 hand, roughly 1250 lb gelding.  I used to haul him in a two horse straight load that was 6'2" tall...talk about a tight fit!  I just figured I'd tie him to the side with enough room that he can decide how he wants to stand - straight like he's used to or at a slant.

I bought a bigger trailer so that in an emergency I could load up all three of my horses and get them out of here if I HAD to...most of the time I won't have more than one horse in the trailer.

CB

You might want to reconsider your choice of window materials, and not include lexan. Last year we purchased many 1/4" 4'x8' sheets and they cost $268 each. You will need three for an 18" box. Lexan is an extremely strong and durable product. It is easy to machine using standard wood working tools. To close off the slat areas, acrylic panels could be substituted at a far more nominal cost. Acrylic is also more readily available at most hardware and big box stores. With a little more care, the same tools can be used to a good effect.

We had a stock combo that consisted of two stall dividers and a steel forward bulkhead that separated the dressing area from the stall area. It was hinged and could be opened to allow the full length of the trailer to be utilized. It could also be removed if this area was in constant need.

I would think that this bulkhead could be reproduced using wood products. Two sheets of pressure treated 3/4" plywood and some framing could easily be used to fabricate a rigid wall.

The top of my divider was open above the area of the walls. It was straight across from side to side and did not include the curvature of the roof. There was no need to have the arch area enclosed.

I would also recommend the inclusion of a plywood liner below the slat area on the butt side wall. My trailer had a single skinned wall, and was damaged from the inside out by the kicking of the horses. After installing the wood, I had no further problems. I was going to install a rubber liner over the wood and never had a need to do so.

Bol  gard