Top doors....open or closed?

When I had my trailer I opened the back doors unless we were on the motorway or if it was raining heavily in which case I would shut the door on the horses side (I only regularly travelled one). I never even thought of the horse trying to jump out the back... I'm glad I've got a lorry now!
 
That must have been terrifying for the owners...

I have and IW trailer & travel with the partition in, front door closed, door directly behind him closed, opposite back door open and sunroof up to assist ventilation in summer.

I dont bother with the sunroof in winter and if the weather is disgusting both back doors are shut.
 
My horse, like a previous poster, has no partition. He has hind leg issues and falls over with a partition. The Bateson I have, has a top rear door that requires a crate to close it and then it is on such a tight spring it shuts with a hell of a bang. However, i will now be trying to find ways to shut it, without panicing the horse inside. Or not going anywhere, or doing the lottery and winning enough money to buy a lorry. very thought provoking.
 
I will always shut the top door from now on.

I borrowed a friend's trailer to bring my horse home from a trainers yard. He'd travelled in a trailer and lorry fine before. There was a partition which had the front bit swung back so he had more head room. He travelled fine for about half an hour when suddenly we felt the trailer move about, looked back and saw his face far too close to the little window in the front..

...and then a hoof at the window!!

...so we pulled over (on M1) and he was over the breastbar and in a flap. Luckily we managed to get the breastbar out from under him and calm him down and somehow he wasn't injured (the trailer came off worst). We set off again but he was still agitated and trying to turn round (was cross-tied). So stopped and closed back door and he was much better after that - still upset but not trying to turn around.

I think that because the last trailer he'd travelled in was a rear facing one, he'd tried to turn around (probably because he thought he had enough room to do so) and got stuck and panicked. I don't know if he would have tried to jump out but I wouldn't put it past him and it's not something I ever hope to find out.
 
I have to travel my horse without the partition but always cross tie her. I always have the back doors open for light and ventilation. She does turn her head to look out of the back but since I had extra windows put in the front of my trailer, this has lessened. I have a camera in the trailer so I can see what she's doing which helps a lot. 99% of trailers I see out on the roads have the back top doors open.
 
At the risk of creating a firestorm..

Surely every person that's commented/seen this thread will now travel with top doors closed (like the last few posters), I can't fathom why you wouldn't? I've travelled in heat nearing 40 degrees Celsius in a closed trailer with all vents and windows open and my horses haven't arrived hot even after 3 hour journeys? If you don't have vents just put them in.. Not much different to a lorry though surely? I wouldn't even consider travelling with back doors open after hearing about tragic accidents like this.
 
You can't collect ponies from the New Forest sales in a vehicle without doors at the back. I presume they know what they're doing. And I would always shut the rear doors on a horse that was travelling for the first time - just in case.
However, I wouldn't normally shut the horse in, there must be animals who are made anxious by being shut in as well as those looking for an escape route.
Always cross tie and be prepared for the unexpected.
 
I always shut the back of mine. Never had one seem upset because they were enclosed. as fuzzy furry says, they are enclosed completely in a wagon.

I mostly have mares/foals or youngsters in, and I dont like to have an obvious inviting escape route for them.
I rarely use partitions, usually it's out because Im travelling mare/foal, and leave it out for a single youngster, end up rarely putting it back in. I do cross tie though.

I have had a horse in the past (not a small horse, a cob) break his rope and rear and turn around *within* his partitioned half and attempt to be over the back.
 
I'll put my head above the parapet...

Mine always travel with the back, left top door open on my 510.

Front top door always shut and for about the last 6 years the back, right top door has always been shut too.

Only time I would shut all doors is when traveling a mare and foal.

My horses are all traveled without a partition and cross tied.
 
Can't quote as on my phone. But I've always done the same as Millitiger. Except my trailer's an HB505. Never had a problem. I did have very hot and stressed horses when I tried shutting it up completely though.
 
I'm the same too. Ifor 510, no partition, cross tied, front doors closed and back doors open. What never ceases to amaze me is the number of people who travel like this but don't use a breech bar at the back. I've read about 2 accidents where Horses have come out the back when no breech bar is used (I know this wasn't the case here).
What a horrible accident to have happened. My heart goes out to the Lady this happened to.
 
Just bumping this as my new trailer doesnt have back top doors anymore and I'm trying to decide whether to try and find a pair/make up a set myself or just leave it as it is. I never shut back doors when travelling, but now I'm wondering if I should! My pony travels brilliantly and I've never had any issues with her fidgeting.
 
Always open unless on a long journey with bad weather where I will shut the one behind the horse if it’s one horse .
I cross tie when the horse is on his own .
 
ive never shut the rear doors, apart from when it was hailing in the trailer. My mare arrived dripping in sweat and wound up, it was really stuffy too (standard 510 with vents open). I can see the danger though, and how a horse panicing could turn round. Perhaps a grill door could be made as a compromise?
 
The ramp is huge, when its up it will be higher than her, but I was thinking I'll put a bar across the remaining gap. I've got some metal that will work. Although now you've said grill thats a really good idea and I will see what i can dig up. It would look quite smart, be light and work in case anything does ever think about jumping out. Genius idea!
 
I’ve always shut the half back door on the right. This is more to deflect the noise of traffic overtaking after having a traffic shy horse and I’ve kept up the practice.
 
Terrifyingly I saw a trailer on the A50 with the ponies head over the back ramp the other week. Had I not been taking the other exit off the roundabout with my own in the box I'd have followed them. I felt sick not being able to warn them.
 
I always leave the back doors open for A road journeys, but would sometimes (not always) close one or both when travelling on the motorway. Until I broke down on the M6 on a day when I hadn't shut the doors, because it was a hot day and the horse travels well.

I got to the layby, but the traffic was flying by so fast and so close there was no way on earth I could have safely got round the side to close the top doors. Horse behaved impeccably but was obviously shaken - I can't help but think she'd have been less rattled if the top doors had been closed, shielding a bit from the traffic wooshing past from behind. Really quite scary for us all.

I always close them now if I'm using the motorway.
 
We always travel ours front door closed, back open.... Front open would be like an accident waiting to happen and very sore eyes I'd imagine (think being on a motorbike without a visor) I'm not sure mine would be very happy with the back door closed but might give it a go over winter to see how they fair.
 
I always travel with the front doors closed, but the rear doors open, I have tried closing one rear door behind my girl but she absolutely freaked out BIG time, so we leave them open now, i would rather have my girl and my trailer in one piece, hasten to add i don't travel on motorways currently, but do use dual carriageways, and she has over time gotten used to the big lorries behind her.
 
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