What makes a trailer safe?

Story and Photos By Tom Scheve

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. Get ting 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

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 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 possibil ity 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.

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 in

Full doors with ramp, fully open

Full height doors, step up

Ramp with storm doors

Continued

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increased the number of rear collisions. Full height doors solve this problem, and since they are hinged to both sides of the trailer, tough, heavy constructed doors can be easily opened and shut. If a handler stands away from the door while closing it, most likely, it will just fly out of a handler’s hand if kicked.

With the doors doing the job of rear protection, a ramp can be installed behind the doors that can be light weight (easy to lift), and if low angle, safely assists horses stepping in and out of the trailer. But the other primary safety benefit is that the risk of handlers getting kicked is eliminated since the doors have to be closed before the ramp can be raised or lowered – a failsafe system since no thought is required. (see Full Doors with Ramp, top photo, previous page)

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS ON LOADING Full Doors With Assist Ramp

1. Load the road side (driver’s side) horse while stand ing on the ramp towards the ditch side (passenger side) behind the open door. When the horse is inside the trailer, stay behind the ditch side door, swing the divider over to the middle, then lift the butt bar into place. Reach over and release the latching pin that locks the butt bar in place. Step back down from the ramp, release the road side door from the tie back, walk the door to the center latch staying well away from the door in case it’s kicked. 2. Load the horse on the ditch side while standing behind the closed road side door. When the horse is inside, raise the butt bar, then reach over and drop the pin in place while staying behind the closed road side door. 3. With both doors secured, you can take your time to raise the ramp and latch it in place without worries of you or the ramp getting kicked.

This configuration works most efficiently with butt bars that easily slip into the latches and are designed to prevent horses from backing out before they are fully secured.

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