Safe Trailers = Safe Trailering Story and Photos By Tom Scheve
What makes a trailer safe? The answer is: “a design that naturally reduces, and often eliminates injuries to horses and their handlers.” As a consumer, you need to find evidence to confirm this ideal.
If trailer companies say their trailers are safe, I believe they should explain why and how. Through the years, Neva and I have identified and implemented many safety features and designs that should be standard on trailers, many of which, by their very function, help keep handlers and horses out of harm’s way. Over the next issues, I will introduce you to those designs and features, some of which we feel are critical enough to demand an entire article, such as this one about rear entrances. Getting large, powerful animals to walk into a box on wheels is by description, an accident waiting to happen. Of course, well-trained horses, especially those taught to lead correctly, reduce the risk of accidents when loading. But with horses, it’s wise to expect the unexpected, and a well-designed rear entrance is a plus.
THE REAR ENTRANCE
TRAINING & Showing
Forty years ago, there were two basic rear entrance configurations: The Step Up, which is two full doors that close behind the horses. Ramp with Upper Storm Doors, which has a lower ramp with two doors above it. Variations of these existed, such as eliminating the storm doors above the ramp, a StepUp with half height doors instead of full and a version that had two middle doors added to the lower ramp/upper door configuration called a five piece Dutch Door. Back then, the doors over the ramp and the full height doors latched to a rear center post placed in the center of the stalls that was a dangerous obstacle for horses entering or exiting the trailer. But over the years, it was replaced by a swinging center divider supported by the front center post and held in place by the rear 66
butt bars. By swinging the divider to the side, the stall area was opened up, making it look less threatening and safer for horses to enter. At the time, the ramp with upper storm doors was the safer of the two because it eliminated the possibility of horses slipping under the traler when stepping back and down from the trailer. I’ve seen the aftermath of this accident, and the outcome is never good. But ramps had faults. The construction had to be strong enough to withstand impact, so they were heavy to lift. If a horse kicked a ramp while it was being raised or lowered, a handler could be seriously hurt. And someone stooping over to lift the ramp from the side risked getting kicked in the head.
Full doors with ramp, fully open
Full height doors, step up
The two rear configurations, (ramp with tail doors and the full height doors) remain the primary rear entrance designs in use today. Most Straight Loads (horses facing front to back) use the ramp with upper storm doors, and slant Load trailers typically have full height doors without a ramp (step-ups). In our continuing quest over the years to improve trailer safety, we took a hard look at the pros and cons of each configuration and realized that combining the two was the answer As I stated earlier, a substantial structure is needed in the rear of the trailer to protect the horses from rear impact, especially in this day an age where driver distractions have inwww.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
Ramp with storm doors
Continued
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