Trailer rear top doors open

M&M&G

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I'm sure I've read on here that it is not a good idea to travel with top rear doors open for safety reasons but can't seem to find this in a search. I am concerned about ventilation and over-heating in this weather as my horse gets hot travelling. What are your views and experiences please?
 

hobo

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I always travels with top doors open unless I am going down one road which is so narrow with high hedges I shut the top door on that side so not to rip it off. You are right to be concerned about over heating and should be fine with them open in a normal front facing trailer.
 

pennyturner

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Took my top doors off years ago.

Wouldn't travel wild ponies without on safety grounds, but for 'normal' ponies, it's just easier and better ventilated without, and removes the risk of open doors coming loose and flapping about, which is something that has happened to me in the past.
 

JillA

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The only time I closed mine was the offside one if I was going on the motorway, so following and overtaking large vehicles wouldn't spook him. Kept the nearside one open even then
 

JFTDWS

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There are many posts on here about the dangers of travelling with the front top door open. I've never seen one about not opening the rear doors - I too would be very concerned about over-heating with them shut.
 

dixie

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I usually travel with the near side top rear door shut to buffer against the traffic. I started doing this after a horse I had didn't like heavier traffic coming up behind or overtaking and I've continued doing it. I wouldn't like both shut due to lack of ventilation but I guess it's no worse than being in a lorry.
 

EventingMum

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Only time I've closed mine is travelling a mare and foal in case the foal launches at the gap or I've closed one on the side a single horse is on if the weather is really awful. However, I never travel with the top front door open to prevent anything flying in near the horse's face/eyes.
 

M&M&G

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Thank you for your replies, much appreciated and there is definitely a consensus! I wonder whether it was the front top door that was in my mind as JFTD suggested.
 

Akkalia1

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Just to throw a different result in there, I travel my mare with the top back doors shut. When I picked her up the guy said he tended to travel all the exracehorses with the back doors shut as they're used to lorries, so I kind of just stuck with that. She was more on edge when I tried travelling her with them open. Not had an issue with it getting too hot, it always seems pretty cool in there. It's a Bateson Ascot trailer.

Suspect in terms of for safety reasons it may have been meaning the top front door.
 

OldNag

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Just to throw a different result in there, I travel my mare with the top back doors shut. When I picked her up the guy said he tended to travel all the exracehorses with the back doors shut as they're used to lorries, so I kind of just stuck with that. She was more on edge when I tried travelling her with them open. Not had an issue with it getting too hot, it always seems pretty cool in there. It's a Bateson Ascot trailer.

Suspect in terms of for safety reasons it may have been meaning the top front door.

With the Ascot even if you put the back door up there is still quite a gap for ventilation, so I can see it would not be too hot - plus the white paint is heat reflective and designed to stay cool (or is yours one with the barn doors option).

I think with an Ifor etc having back doors shut would be different.
 

Akkalia1

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With the Ascot even if you put the back door up there is still quite a gap for ventilation, so I can see it would not be too hot - plus the white paint is heat reflective and designed to stay cool (or is yours one with the barn doors option).

I think with an Ifor etc having back doors shut would be different.

No, it's not the one with barn doors, so yes there is a little gap at the top. Which must be what helps to keep it nice and cool along with the reflective paint. I love my trailer.

You're right, thinking back to when I had an Ifor, it might have been a different story with that.
 

southerncomfort

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I'm lucky to have a Fautras with sliding vents at the top of the barn doors.

If I had a trailer with top doors I'd shut the one directly behind the horse and leave the other one open.
 

honetpot

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I have near had the luxury of rear doors on a trailer, so everything from foals, young stock , kids ponies, large horses travels without.
I think how you drive the trailer makes all the difference to how they travel and I used to do short journeys field hopping when we first start out with a youngster.
 

Follysmum

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Experienced travellers open, young inexperienced always shut. Witnessed an awful incident where a young horse managed to get loose panicked and went over the back door. Heard of another quite recently that did the same and was hit by car.
 

M&M&G

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Experienced travellers open, young inexperienced always shut. Witnessed an awful incident where a young horse managed to get loose panicked and went over the back door. Heard of another quite recently that did the same and was hit by car.

This is the sort of experience that gives me the eebie jeebies and sticks with me. My horse is fairly experienced and not had any trouble travelling (reaching for the wood!) so I guess on balance the risk of over-heating is much higher. I have an IW so no options other than open/closed but maybe one open / one closed to buffer against traffic a bit is an idea. Less of an escape risk too!
 

irishdraft

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A friend did tell me it is illegal to travel.on a motorway with rear back doors open . I have never heard this before and haven't adhered to it with my experienced travellers. My mare does not like lorries coming up behind her so I always close her side of the trailer to give her a bit of protection.
 

Tiddlypom

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I think that travelling with top doors shut is safer, after all it's no different to traveling in a small horsebox. I have also known of horses getting loose and jumping out of the back, like follysmum describes. My 510 classic has sliding windows in the front as well as the roof ventilator, so there's a pretty good through draught when moving.

That said, I travel my bombproof horses with the rear top doors open, but shut them for the nervous traveller. The nervous one hates it when a big lorry sits behind us a few feet from her tail, so she's better enclosed.
 

Toby_Zaphod

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When I had a trailer I always traveled with the front doors closed & the rear doors open. I believe that it affords good ventilation & there is also a lessened risk of particles getting in the eyes of the horses
 
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