Why? Trailers and leaving the front door open?

[silvershadow81]

Keep seeing more and more people leaving the front of their trailer open as they travel?

Today passed one on the M1, horses head right out the front of the trailer, lorries passing/ overtaking within feet of it.

Just wondered why people decide its better to leave open?? Surely it has hazards of things flying off the road and into the trailer, would also catch more of a side wind and I remember when I was a kid sticking my head out the window at 30mph and finding it heard to breath!

Just wondered really, I'm not ever going to try it myself!

 

[chaser81]

I would never do this as I'd be worried about my horse getting something in their eye or spooked by a fast passing vehicle. Keeping them shut in is safer in my book.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I would never, ever travel with the top front door open! It just seems like insanity to me!

 

[PorkChop]

I also would never, ever do this, extremely foolish imho.

 

[SuperH]

I wouldn't do this either. I drove past one earlier in the summer and the horse had it's head right out across the road into the oncoming traffic, the road was quite narrow and I was worried he would hit his head on my trailer as we passed.

 

[Princess Rosie]

I think this is a dreadful idea. If you think about the damage a large stone can do to your windscreen especially on the motorway, you've nothing to stop it hitting your beloved horse, implications are too awful to think about.

Also, many years ago I had a tyre shredded on my car from a scaffolding bracket that bounced off a scaffold wagon when I was in the inside lane and bounced down the motorway and fortunately went through my tyre and not through my windscreen and fortunately I wasn't towing at the time, I dread to think of something like this bouncing down the motorway and hitting my horse, a one in a million chance maybe but I wouldn't be taking the chance. When I go on motorways I always shut the top front door.

 

[Landcruiser]

Beggars belief, doesn't it? I followed someone on an A road towing a 505 at 70 (!!!) for miles and miles with the horse on the right with its head out most of the time. Any little particle, and insect or a bit of grit, hitting at 70mph...well, it's not rocket science.

 

[silvershadow81]

So I'm not alone in this then!! I also see people leaving shows with it open and sometimes wonder if they have just forgotten to close it! I stop myself from pointing it out, as I am sure people must do it for (a very strange) reason! Just scary and my doors are staying shut whilst moving!

 

[silvershadow81]

Maybe ill ask them next time I spot someone leaving a show with the door open?!

 

[Capriole]

Maybe ill ask them next time I spot someone leaving a show with the door open?!

I stopped some people once to tell them they were driving with their jockey door open and flapping about, I just got a blank faced stare off them, not even a word in reply. Okaaay then...


Open top doors do make me cringe too, so dangerous Was going along a narrow tree-lined country lane behind a trailer with the horses head poking out of the front and it was pure luck the horse didnt have an eye put out. Toe curling viewing.

 

[Bantry]

Not something I would ever do but I've heard people say before "I have to leave the door open or he/she panics!" Well to me its like seatbelts in a car, you either wear the seatbelt or you don't travel, you travel with the front door shut or not at all. I've also heard of people leaving them open to reduce the towing drag and improve the airodynamics which is fine if the trailer is empty. Not sure if that actually works...

 

[el_Snowflakes]

don't fancy that much.Mine doesn't even have a top door at the front!

 

[Tiddlypom]

It's getting more and more common round here. Makes me cringe every time I see it.

 

[RunToEarth]

I did ask someone, apparently the horse travelled a lot better with it open, didn't panic etc. Each to their own but it's not for me. It's why I'm such a fan of lorries, I can open the windows for air without fear of any horses being decapitated on the M1.

 

[Capriole]

I can see it being useful for horses like that but I'd have to have some sort of screen made, so the horse can see out but not get it's head out and risk decapitation, an eye out, or high speed insects or other projectiles to the face.

 

[Apercrumbie]

There was a very heated thread about it on here a few months ago. Personally I think it's absolute madness and something I wouldn't do. On that thread there were one or two people who had modified their trailer to avoid the horse panicking, eg. a clear plastic top door.

 

[noodle_]

in the days when we had a trailer - we had one back door/top open for air... never a front top door - ever. just stupid.

 

[silvershadow81]

Yes, I have the back doors open for air, but never the front one.
Our trailer has a clear window at the front for the horses to peak out anyway (511) I think that is sufficient for them to see, they don't need to see everything which is happening out there, im sure if they did it would freak them out more?
Still think its a dangerous thing to do!

 

[Janovich]

I'm with everyone else here on the subject of top front doors being open ..... it gives me goose bumps for all the reasons you've stated.

I also travel with my back doors shut down the motorway (regular user of) as my boy doesn't like all the noise behind him and travels much happier with them shut. Saying that he has both of his windows open at the front so he can, if he wishes,..poke his nose through either of them (he's cross tied when he travels). My trailer also has ventilation holes either side of it built in so he does gets plenty of air flow on our journeys out and about.

 

[millies]

I do t know if I'm being totally stupid here, but do you mean travelling with the jockey door open or the small top bit above it with the rest of the door shut?

I always travel mine with the back bed above the ramp open and the small bit above the jockey door open and always have, with no issues with horses sticking their head out.
Apologies if your on about something totally different though .

 

[Capriole]

The top door above the ramp is the bit that people are talking about being really dangerous and stupid to leave open, not the ones above the back ramp.

 

[twiggy2]

I did ask someone, apparently the horse travelled a lot better with it open, didn't panic etc. Each to their own but it's not for me. It's why I'm such a fan of lorries, I can open the windows for air without fear of any horses being decapitated on the M1.

we have a little mare at work that has thrown the head partition out on the motorway when the window was open, there was no clip to stop her lifting it if she put her head under it, her window stays closed now when she travels but I am told she has done it twice when standing on the lorry at shows-she narrowly missed a passer by with it once. I have suggested more than once that a retainer clip on the head partitions would be a good idea but no it has not been done yet

 

[9tails]

Why IS there a top door at the front? What is the point of it? I don't and wouldn't travel with the top door open.

 

[Capriole]

Why IS there a top door at the front? What is the point of it? I don't and wouldn't travel with the top door open.

I suppose there's an optimum length the ramp needs to be for various reasons, weight would be another factor, a ramp that was full length would be heavier as well. Having the top door is handy when the trailer is parked as well, if your horse likes to l;ook out.

 

[LegOn]

Why IS there a top door at the front? What is the point of it? I don't and wouldn't travel with the top door open.

So you can leave it open when parked I presume so the horse can see out without having to leave down the whole ramp!

Yeah I know someone who did it with their horse - again the reason was, they wouldnt travel without it but she had a metal criss-cross grill made so he couldnt stick his head out, and it worked just as good!

It freaks me out moreso when on a small narrow backroad & horsebox meets fast-moving, lorry driver who goes flying past & horse's head is inches away from passing traffic!!!

 

[Orangehorse]

I have noticed this around here too - I thought it was odd, and risky.

I suppose some horses might like the extra light, but I bought a new trailer and had two side windows put in for this reason. I also like to have the back done up for the same reason as another thread, so the horse isn't aware of large lorries travelling close up behind.

 

[gmw]

Cripes if your horse got injured where would you stand with insurance? Absolute madness in my opinion as has been said earlier so many flying objects narrow roads etc etc

 

[Fides]

There is another recent thread about this and it got quite heated in parts as people who do it couldn't see what the issue was...

 

[millies]

But surely with the breast bar and if the horse is tied correctly there is no way it can get it's head that far forward ? Or not in my trailer anyway as the open bit is too far forward and too high even for my 16.2 to put her head near.

 

[Tiddlypom]

But surely with the breast bar and if the horse is tied correctly there is no way it can get it's head that far forward ? Or not in my trailer anyway as the open bit is too far forward and too high even for my 16.2 to put her head near.

It's usually the older Ifors (the 505/510, without the extra sliding windows), where people travel with the front top door open. Horses most certainly can, and do, stick their heads out.