Which side of the trailer

[GG80]

Hi All,

Apologies for the possibly daft question... but.. what side of the trailer should I travel my girl on? In the past we have had much narrower/smaller trailers so have had to remove the central partition, always been a rear onload/offload as well. Recently bought a larger trailer with left side front offload... we will have to leave the central partition up otherwise it will be too roomy, so because of the left side offload she would have to go on the left... but having done some research it seems as though single travelling horses should go on the right hand side to counteract the road camber/be a smoother journey because of the drains etc. So am I right in thinking we have no choice but to travel her on the left?

 

[blitznbobs]

The one behind the driver is the safest due to the cambre of the road

 

[SOS]

Once both breech bars are down the partitions normally move to the side. Therefore travelling your horse on the right with left side unload is actual ideal as gives her more room to turn.

Roughly explained. Black is partitions normally. Blue is both breech bars down and yellow is routes horse can take. We normally travel our biggest horse on the opposite side of unloading as it’s less tight for him to turn to get out. This is presuming the partition moves.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

The one behind the driver is the safest due to the cambre of the road

This is what I was told when travelling one horse. When I have both of them on board I always travel the heaviest behind me.

 

[Cortez]

You don't have to have partitions, the horse won't have "too much" room. Horses will normally put themselves across the space diagonally if given the chance and that is a much easier way for them to balance. If you must use partitions, then the best place is on the right, behind the driver and on the crest of the road camber. It is obviously perfectly possible to front unload from the right - how else would you get two horses out otherwise?

 

[Hanno Verian]

Not a daft question at all, only daft if you don't ask it!

Right hand side for single horse/biggest horse, I once followed a trailer that went over on a particularly tight bend with a stiff camber after driver took the bend too fast with a horse loaded on the left.
Not pleasant !!

 

[HeyMich]

It actually depends on the make and model of the trailer, as I have recently found out.

Normally you travel a single horse, or the heaviest out of a pair on the RHS, behind the driver, as people mention above. However, I have an Equitrek and as the side-loading ramp is on the RHS, the advice from the manufacturer is to travel the single/heaviest horse on the LHS to counter the extra weight of the ramp.

In your case though, with a rear load and LHS front off load ramp, I would put your horse on the right.