Inside Your Horse Trailer

with enough room to shift their weight to balance but also let them move forward enough to posture in case they have to relieve themselves. Most horses will not urinate unless they can stretch their hind legs out a bit so if they cant do this they are more likely to hold it which can be uncomfortable at best but can also lead to serious health implications.
For the draft crowd whose horses can easily reach 19hands and weigh a ton or more dont bother looking at anything with less than eight feet of clearance from floor to ceiling. Our heavyhorsey friends also need stall lengths of ten feet or more which usually means a straighthaul trailer designed with open headroom in front of each stall. The increased weight means your trailer must be equipped with heavier axles and tires rated for more weight per square inch. A good rule of thumb is to look at bolt patterns if youre looking at a fourhorse trailer those wheels better have an eightbolt pattern or youre walking away. Check the manufacturers weight rating very carefully. Take a moment to do the math.
These figures are general and may not be applicable in all cases. One of my regular clients has a 17hand Thoroughbred for whom I must move my dividers to where they would normally accommodate an 18hand horse. This fellow needs the extra length because of his long back and he also likes to travel with his head down low to the floor. So its not always size that will dictate how big a trailer must be its comfort and safety as well. Sure you can make that coasttocoast trip in a subcompact but wouldnt you rather do it in a fullsized car?
I meet lots of folks who expound on how well their 17 3hand warmblood loads into their Quarter Horsesized wagon. I just nod politely and make a point of asking how comfortable they would be on a long trip with no leg or headroom. Most of them poohpooh that idea and merrily go back to shoving that big horse into that little trailer. Ive often thought about asking some of them if theyd try to do the same thing when fitting a saddle. Truth is a lot of horses are so goodnatured they will squeeze themselves into almost any space we ask them to. A comfortable horse is one who is