People with BIG horses and trailers...HELP

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lucym

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I have an IW 505 and a 16.2 horse.
We travel him on the drivers side, yet he then struggles to get out of the front ramp as the angle is too sharp for him to turn.
Is travelling him on the passenger side an option? As unloading would then be easier, as the partition could be swung across. Technically they say horses should be drivers side, what difference does it make to driving the car, if the horse was on the outside?
Or maybe travel him with no partition, how do people find this works? any suggestions welcome...
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Thank you, sorry for all the questions
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, oh and getting a bigger trailer unfortunately isnt an option
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I would continue to travel him on the drivers side as this is safer given the camber (sp?) of the roads imho. Can you not just back him out of it if he has trouble turning through?
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I used to travel mine with no partition and it made things a whole lot easier. I think the horse should be on the right side due to cambers in the road but could be wrong.
 
I have a 17hh who goes very happily in my IW 510. He always travels on the drivers side & when I unload him I swing the front part of the partition across & make him take a step to his left so he doesnt catch his hip on the way out. Have you tried this? I know the 505's are pretty tight & have a rather narrow front ramp.

Other options could be to back him out or take out the partition & put in one of those long breast bars if you only have to travel one.

Personally I wouldnt travel a single horse on the left side of trailer as this will unbalance it (the trailer not the horse) with the camber of the road.
Hope this helps.
 
yes we could try backing him out i suppose, have to give it a go
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yes, i have read that travelling on the right is safer and correct due to the cambre of the road, just wondered of anyone had travelled on the left, and what difference it makes to the handling of the vehicle
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joss- yes i always swing the front partition across and try and get him to step to the left, but he cant get the hang of it! he bashed his stifle on sunday, hence why im posting. he seemingly cant wiggle his body around enough, and just falls off the front ramp. it is very tight for room in the 505
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do you mean without?
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i have never travelled a horse wthout a partition, some people say, go for it-the horses are happier balancing themselves, and others seem to think its not a good idea
 
he seems to fit in fine! not squashed in! its just getting out...
i would love a bigger trailer, but its really not an option, as my dad works in the housing industry...
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I had a mare that was frantic if you travelled with a partition and yet was very happy when travelled without - interestingly as soon as she heard the ramp going up she would shuffle her quarters over to the left of the trailer, think she was just more comfortable.

Just depens on the horse IMO
 
I travelled my 17hh in and IW505 for a while. For the same reasons you put in your post I travelled him in the left hand side and I didn't find it too much of a problem. However he is a very good traveller and doesn't move around once he is in there.
 
My 16.3hh used to travel on the right (drivers side) but he always jumped around if a tractor or wagon came past, I swapped him to the other side and he is fine, the theory about the road camber is somewhat outdated now as trailers are better balanced and we tow with much larger vehicles. Try him in the other side.
 
Mine travels fine in our 505, and hes nearly 17hh!
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I swing the partition over, push him right over to the left then get out his way and let him find his own way out! He never bashes himself.
As for no partition it depends on the horse, I know a highland pony that goes down in the trailer if it travels with a partition, it always had to travel without. Made it quite tricky when they had to take two horses somewhere!
 
My 16.3 TB travels in an old Rice trailer. She did not like it when the central partition was in the trailer, so I took it out and use a breast bar. She is clipped onto a bungee type rope on the near side of the trailer, she stands across the trailer and pushes her bottom into the off side corner. She stands nice and still and is happy to walk in and out the front ramp.

If you travel one horse, he MUST travel on the off-side (drivers-side) of the trailer. This is because of the camber on the road, you risk the trailer tipping if you travel him alone on the near side (kerb side). You should lower your front ramp and release the central partition and swing it over to give him more room if he finds it hard to wiggle out.
 
I have a 14.3hh and a IW 505 and he still catches himself every time coming out the front ramp no matter how careful I am. I always back him out now. I have seen so many horses charge out the front, tear rugs and get bashed using front ramps.

Best always to travel a single horse/or the heavier horse on the right to compensate for the camber of the road and backdraft from hgv's etc. and better to travel with centre partion in place, this is because a horse allowed that much movement can easily pick up enough momentum to turn a trailer should it decide to throw itself around or lose balance. There are of course horses that simply won't/cant travel on the right or with a partition, but I wouldn't risk it for the sake of being able to unload out the front.

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I have an old Rice (small) trailer and a big-built 16.3 horse. I have had the partition removed becuse he likes to spread his legs and the partition that came with it was solid to the floor. I got a chap to make me a full width breast bar, a bar that goes lengthways to separate the two horses (at about mid-shoulder height) and give them something to lean on, and that connects to a vertical bar in the centre just inside the back door. Clear as mud?

That way I have no partition as such, but the horse is restricted to one side of the trailer and you can travel two as there is a physical separation between them. I've lost about 150kg in weight as well by scrapping the old heavy partition.
 
The 505's are quite tight. I have a 510 and unless I'm careful my boy will still bash himself - he's not quite learnt how to slither yet! I undo the partition and move it over, stand on his right side and encourage him to step across and then lead him out on the wrong side. Since I've starting leading out from the wrong side he has been fine.
 
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I swapped him to the other side and he is fine, the theory about the road camber is somewhat outdated now as trailers are better balanced and we tow with much larger vehicles. Try him in the other side.

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OH is a livestock haulier & he agrees that woth the modern twin axle trailers & the larger towing vehicles the camber of the road really doesn't affect the stability.
As others have said some prefer a partition, some prefer to have more space & some couldn't care less either way!!
 
i used to travel one of mine on the passenger side on his own , i spoke to ifor who said there was no problem as longs as you drove appropriately , corners etc , never had any problems
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I had exactly your problem with my very little TB mare and our 505. She just wouldnt bend around to get off the ramp and got into the habit of launching and catching her hip!! We now use a feed bucket to get her off. It works because she is very greedy. I push the front of the partition to give her more room and make her step to the left before we start and then go off one step at a time following the bucket. I know some people will say that its not a great habit but because everything is much slower if she gets close to the side she doesnt panic and launch but carefully moves away. Much less stressfull! We also get our big 16.2 in the drivers side of our 505 and she steps carefully off all by herself- horses!!!!
 
I have travelled 16.2hh in 505, i always put them on the near side, and have never had a problem, and so much easier to get them out, swap sides id say.
 
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Dont travel with a partition it un-nerves even the safest of travellers, its just too much space.

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rubbish both my horses will travel quite happily without a partition but they both slip with the partition in.
I have a 505 trailer but I am upgrading it soon
 
I'm a bit slow. I couldn't see what the problem was but I've just remembered IW front ramps are on the wrong side.... Doh
 
Take the partition out. All the partition does is separate 2 Horses. With 1 Horse you don't need it and what they normally do is stand diagonally. I've known plenty Horses travel without none have had a problem. I know 4 Horses that won't travel in a trailer with the partition in. The partition does not help with balancing as many people think. You do need to cross tie them, that ensures they can't try and turn round.

I have a 510 and travel my 16.2hh no partition - with a full length breast and breech bar. Massive advantage as well is that you can tack up in it!!
 
thank you everyone, lots of interesting comments and food for thought
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i know many people have said that using no partition is much easier, so maybe its worth a try, just worry that the horse wouldnt like it.
i have also emailed IW to see what their comments are Re.near side travelling, be interested to hear what they say
 
I used to travel big horses in a 505 and I did what you already do - swung the front of the partition over to give them more room when getting out. It worked for them, but if you're having a problem I would definitely try without the partition.
I know someone else who currently travels a big horse in one and, although he had no problems getting off, his problem was that he was so long his bum rubbed on the breach bar. She took the central partition out and now he's fine. He is a very good traveller.

I would also add that although I now have a lorry, I still travel mine with plenty of room, they seem to prefer it as that way they can choose their angle a bit more. Neither of them use the partitions to lean, they just find their balance. I would say the width I give them to travel is similar to that of a whole trailer without central partition.

If you're at all worried, could you remove it and just try him on a short journey to see how he travels. You'll soon know if it bothers him as he'll be moving about and/or stamping.
 
All these problems, get rid of your Ifors & get a Bateson!
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They take up to 17h horses, have the front ramp on the nearside so you will have no problem unloading your horses & they can travel on the offside of the trailer where they should be as well.
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All mine travel really happily in my IW without a partition. (One at a time obviously!
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They will also travel with the partition if nec, I always travel them on the driver's side and like Ifield I ALWAYS unload standing on the 'wrong' side, putting my hand on their side if needed to guide them roung the side of the trailer.
Imho the rushing out is usually as a result of past knocked hips or stifles.
I hate backing horses out. I'd rather not let them know they can back up if poss as it could lead to trouble in loading some. If alone, as I often am, it'd be very dangerous letting the ramp down, undoing the breeching strap then going back to their head.
 
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