Backwards trailer travelling

[littlebranshill]

My friend & I used to travel our horses side by side in a trailer for years although one had to travel on the right as she used to fall over if she travelled on the left. Now the other mare has decided that she can't travel on the left either.

Therefore we can't travel anywhere together anymore. So I wondered if they could travel nose to tail and whether this would solve the problem. Has anyone out there ever done this???

 

[MrsMozart]

Don't know whether one should or not, but we tried it for a two miles the other week when one ned would not load up the normal ramp (three experienced people trying for over an hour, and we tried everything short of tying her up and carrying her on!

).

There are two horse backwards facing horseboxes, so I don't know what the negatives could be for travelling horses backwards in trailers... Will await answers with interest

Out of interest, why has your mare decided she can't travel on the left?

 

[Zebedee]

QR.
My friend had the same problem as you, & had her trailer adapted for rear facing travel (Breast & breach bar fixings moved - IW trailer). Horses travel very well facing backwards, & since doing this she's had no problems.
Equitrek trailers are pupose built for the horses to travel facing backwards.

 

[Cliqmo]

I think the biggest problem would be how you go about loading and unloading horses in different directions

What trailer is it? Do they have seperate breast and tail bars or one solid one? Pics please if you manage it

 

[MagicMelon]

As Zebedee says, you can have your partition changed so the bars are in the right place, then you could travel them facing backwards fine. I'd consider it if I had a problem traveller. As long as you have a front ramp (which I assume all trailers have nowadays) then you just load up the front.

 

[xena_wales]

I've seen discussions about this before, and it was advised that you don't do this in a trailer that's not designed for the job (e.g. an Ifor Williams 505) as the trailers are designed to take the weight of the horse facing forward. Facing the horse backwards would move the centre of gravity of the horse forward substantially and adversely affect the handling, as well as putting weight on bits of the trailer that aren't designed for it.

 

[Tnavas]

I've just had my small horse truck converted to allow the horses to travel facing backwards and the difference in their attitude is amazing. My truck is side loading and the horses used to travel with heads in the Luton, I had a folding wall put in that folds into the living area when the horses are in and folds back up when they are out.

Have you tried a deep bed of straw in the trailer - I've found that they seem to travel better with straw - rubber mats do get slippery if even the slightest bit wet.

 

[littlebranshill]

I sold my trailer when my mare had a bad injury last year and was on 6 months box rest. My friend has an Ivor Williams 505 and does not want it altered in any way. I realise that Equitrek do rear facing trailers but they are expensive. Interesting point xena_wales makes about the way trailers are constructed to take the weight. Will phone and check with them. I want to get something reasonably priced that I could alter rather than get an Equitrex just in case my horses leg doesn't stand up to coming back into work after a slipped achilles tendon. As to why the other mare has suddenly decided not to travel on the left is a mystery. We have tried her on the left in other trailers with the same result. She is absolutely fine on the right and in lorries. She is now 21 - perhaps its something to do with age? who knows.