Load for Stability

The better you distribute the weight of different-sized horses, the more stable your trailer will be.

PHOTO BY CLIXPHOTO.COM

Load up Right

Here’s how to load your trailer for optimal stability.

• Two-horse tag-along. How to load: With a straight-load trailer, place the heavier horse (or a single horse) on the driver’s side, since most roads are crowned in the center.

• Three-horse tag-along. How to load: Avoid loading the heavier horses in the back and middle and the lightest one up front, which could lighten the tongue weight. If you’re trailering only two horses, load them into the front and middle stalls to maintain a good tongue weight, but make sure the frame-mounted hitch ratings can handle it.

• Two-horse gooseneck. How to load: Load horses the same way as you would a two-horse tagalong.

• Three-horse gooseneck. How to load: For a straight-load gooseneck, load horses the same way as you would a two-horse gooseneck, as long as there’s a third horse. If you’re carrying only two horses, there’s enough tongue weight to allow for flexibility in your placement. If you aren’t using the front stall area for tack and hay, it’s best to have one horse in the front. To balance a slant-load gooseneck, load the heavier horses in the front two stalls for a heavier tongue weight. You might have to remove a divider. If so, keep the horse forward of the axles.

• Four-horse gooseneck. How to load: With two horses, carry one in the rear on the roadside and one in the front on the driver’s side. With three horses, it depends on your tow vehicle’s capacity. It’s best to load two horses in the front, but if you have two in the rear, the trailer won’t be unstable or unsafe. To balance a slant-load model with two horses, load them in the second and third stalls. For three horses, the front three stalls would be best. — Tom Scheve and Neva Kittrell