Cheval Traiiler with no back doors above ramp

[hackedoff]

I have a lovely new cheval trailer but it doesn’t have back shutters above the ramp. Has anyone found this to be a problem? I am worried pony might try to jump out even though she has made no attempt to! I’m great at stressing needlessly!

 

[ashlingm]

I have an ifor williams trailer with no back doors and never found it a problem. I've travelled a mare & foal and youngsters in it with no issues. I was slightly worried about the foal as I heard stories of some trying to jump out but both of mine just followed the mare in and went to sleep. (I think the ifor williams ramp might come up a bit higher than the cheval ones though?)

I would never travel with the back doors closed anyway as it gets so hot, so quickly inside the trailer. Once the horse is used to travelling and is tied up properly they shouldn't be able to turn around and will stand quietly. I've travelled my horses with and without the partitions and they've never attempted to turn around, they usually just stand a bit diagonally.

My only concern would be, and I'm careful with it on mine, would be the ramp rotting if you left it in prevailing rain and the rain not draining properly. I tend to put the front of my trailer higher than the back of it so any rainwater can drain away easily.

 

[Tiddlypom]

How big is the gap?

Sadly I have known of horses which have turned round in a trailer and jumped out onto the road in transit, it didn't end well. I suspect that they weren't cross tied or travelled with a partition, though. Having said that, I usually leave the top doors open on my Ifor as long as the horse is a good traveller.

Is there an optional CV widget or doors available if you want to close the gap?

 

[JulesRules]

I had a cheap a few years ago and it had a blind to pull down instead of the doors. Does yours not have that?

 

[MotherOfChickens]

my Cheval had a pull down blind-worked fine but I know people had issues with the fastenings weathering etc. Everything, including yearlings that hadnt travelled before, travelled well in it.

 

[D66]

We have an old sinclair trailer without doors over the ramp, its never been a problem. It has a blind made of lorry curtain fabric that keeps out most of the rain.
Tip that might be useful - We liked to travel the horse cross tied without a partition, and found it convenient to have headcollar ropes tied in the trailer permanently, you can set them at the right length and then not have to fiddle each time you load.

 

[hackedoff]

Thank you all. I think I have been worrying too much. I filmed pony at the weekend and she looks happy enough traveling in it and literally loaded herself. It does have a back blind but as you can see from the clip it’s actually quite see through with light behind it. I have blocked out the long side windows as I don’t think she liked seeing traffic go all the way past. I’m waiting for privacy film to be delivered so I can replace the bin bags with film and be able to open the windows if parked at shows if it’s hot which was a good idea from another thread. I have found this forum invaluable for help about my trailer.apolgies for double post of clip but people posting on this thread might. Not look at my other one.https://youtu.be/AMWJFvDMFLs

 

[JillA]

I had an old one like that years ago, and I did have a foal try to jump out. Got a local engineer to make me a steel bar and some clips to fix it between the top of the ramp and the roof.

 

[hackedoff]

Hi JillA thank you, as I have decided to keep the trailer I will look at this idea for peace of mind. Pony did climb over my ifor’s breast bar and ended up facing backwards, hence my concern! She doesn’t like traveling backwards and has been fine since I started traveling her with no partitions. Fortunately for I have relatives who do engineering work. I just need to sort out a non rattling way of fixing a bar on. Back doors above the ramp are not an option due to design of trailer. A dealership suggested swapping for a cheval trailer with barn doors but that would be at least another £1k on top of the £5k I paid for this. Also I am a bit dubious about ramp doors staying open in high windows which as I keep trailer on the edge of a peak is the norm round here.

 

[JillA]

We used a droplock fastener like this https://www.nationwide-trailer-parts.co.uk/products/drop-lock-fastener-bolt-on bolted onto the rear arch of the trailer and a hole drilled in each end of the bar. Very secure

 

[Tiddlypom]

That's a big gap at the rear, isn't it, as the rear ramp is quite short. The rear roll down flap is see through, is it? I'd defo want that gap closed up a bit. I've seen older trailers adapted as per JillA's suggestion, and it seemed to work ok.

When I cross tie, I have the lead ropes attached from further forward in the trailer than you do, as I think that it makes it harder for them to turn round. I do the two haynet thing like you have for my less confident travellers though, too, so they have a choice .

 

[Shutterbug]

I have a very very old Rice trailer with the same gap where there used to be a canvas pull down cover. I did enquire about having one made at the time and found there were a few companies who would happily make me one and it wasnt too expensive - I decided not to bother in the end but it is doable. Just make sure you park it somewhere where the back opening will be sheltered - mine was always right up against a wall to make sure the inside wasn't too exposed

 

[hackedoff]

since posting this thread I have bought 2 x lead ropes with the quick release catches instead of clips and plan to fasten these to the front tie rings which are quite far from the breast bar. As an aside I had contacted a number of ifor Williams dealers about my concerns re the back net and had some odd noncommittal comments about it compared to back shutters. I couldn't understand this until I saw the new design ifor Williams trailers that also just have a back screen like my coeval (amongst other similarities!).

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

hackedoff - is this a single (mare and foal) trailer by Cheval Liberte, or a double with the partition taken out? Do I see the side windows have been covered over or blocked out? I just wondered why you have done this?

I don't think you will have a problem with the roll down blind, as it's unlikely a horse would jump through it when you have it down. I travel mine in a double Cheval Liberte with the blind up, I only put it down when it's parked or stored. Now if I was travelling a youngster or a couple of foals in there with no partitions and not tied up I would feel so confident, I am not sure? If I ever have to do this I would prefer to travel them in a lorry fully enclosed so would hire or borrow one.

Your pony looks chilled and relaxed in the video, these trailers do give the horse a super ride, much better than the Ifor Williams bumpy ride I feel.

Whats the camera set up you have installed, it gives a lovely clear picture, I would like to set one up in my trailer but haven't ever got around to it.

 

[hackedoff]

Hi AMP

it is the single trailer, its only 15 inches narrower than a double but much easier to reverse and get through tight spaces when leaving yard down a land past lots of parallel parked cars. It does have the windows all the way down the side.

My pony became increasingly nervous when traveling which I think was a combination of badly retrofitted spare tyre vibrating against the planking and seeing vehicles move all the was down the side of the trailer. I will be replacing the bin bags with privacy plastic so I can open the windows when parked at shows. I am tempted to take it of to see if it was just the spare wheel that was the issue. Its fab to tow and very very quiet.

The jumping though bit comes from her managing to jump a breast bar, turn around and end up facing the wrong way in an ifor Williams with a partition in! She was panicking due to lack of space to balance - hence no partitions for her now.

Camera wise its an apeman go pro which cost all of £40 to buy. Fully charged it lasts for about 3 or 4 hours and can link to a mobile phone but Im too iT illiterate to do that, I just view afterwards for peace of mind.

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Aha - thats why I couldn't work out whether a single or a double, it looks quite spacious in there for one pony. And appreciate it must be a doddle to tow after towing a double. What a shame you aren't able to have the light coming through the windows, but yes being able to open them is probably more beneficial than the light they provide, especially if it makes her nervy. Hhhhmm the spare wheel afterwards seems like it was a major problem, what are the people who sold it to you going to do about this issue? I would perhaps introduce a bit of light from the windows on each trip once you have her travelling calmly, ie from now onwards, and see how it goes? Do it from the back to the front maybe a few inches at a time? See if there's any difference in her?

Did you have the back doors in the Ifor shut when she jumped over the bar and turned round? Amazing she didn't hurt herself doing this!

WOW that's an incredible video, I guess just on a stick on holder inside the trailer? How do you link it to get it online then? Connect by lead to computer then upload/download and put up on here? I'm useless too at that kind of thing! What a handy thing to have, well done I haven't even managed to do that yet! Mind I've not got any travelling issues so it's only a "nosey" point of view seeing what my pony does with her time which intrigues me lol.