Got a trailer for Muffin!!! YaY *pics*

[IrisGreen]

YaY!!! I am sooo Excited!!!

So, a few months back I found a 2 horse trailer for sale out of town for only $300. Some of you might remember this from a thread on Horse.com. I called up a friend that lives there to go take a look at it for me and tell me what he thinks. Well, he figured it was a good deal and he paid the lady for it (we paid him back) took it back to his house and wanted to fix it up for us.

He put a whole new floor in!!!, Fixed a patch of rust on the front, greased the barrings, fixed the brakes and brought it over today!! :):):)

We didn't know if Muffin would even fit in it! But, I think it's a little wider then most 2 horse trailers. It's not extra tall but I think it is wider because the last 2 horse we put Muffin in he filled it up and he was smaller then.

Anyways, Here are the pics!! I forgot to tie up Muffins tail so he pulled some out getting out of the trailer. I haven't loaded him in a long time (since we don't own a trailer) so he wanted to come half way in then back out a few times before he would get all the way in. Once he was in he was fine. I forget how long his tail is:huh:.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/1stTrailer001.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/1stTrailer002.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/1stTrailer004.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/1stTrailer005.jpg

Um, winter...why is Muffin sweating? It's hot out today!!!
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/1stTrailer007.jpg

I sneaked this one of our friend as he was unhooking the trailer;)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/1stTrailer008.jpg

I thanked him over and over and over again!! I am so appreciative of all the work he did to that trailer and how he helped us out more then he could ever imagine!! What a great guy!! :)

[PoniesRock101]

thats awsome! congrats on the new trailer! looks great and glad muffin fits into it! :D

[mypaintpony]

Congrats on the trailer! It looks fantastic. :)

[PoniesRock101]

oh and i LOVEthe 5th pic! but it makes me jealous of your weather- its below freezing here! BRRRR

[shynbvs]

i like it! i never realized how big muffin was, lol. I really like the bars in the front.

[MyHorseBiggs]

Wow that's a nice trailer. :) Glad you got it and that Muffin fits in it! It'd be horrible if he couldn't even fit in it.. :) Haha

[Nudge_gurl58]

Nice trailer! Glad he fits haha how big is he?

[WashingtonBay]

I really hope it works out for you, but I gotta tell you, I'm skeptical that's it's safe. That's a lot of horse in not very much trailer. He's obviously a good sport and a nice calm guy, but there's a basic problem with the light weight and light construction of those old trailers.

His center of gravity is so high in it, I wonder how stable it's going to be going down the road, and especially around corners. He can't move anything to gain better balance or steady himself. His head's stuck, his feet can't spread out. He's like a sardine. And it wouldn't take much sway to send him over that center divider or much sit back to send him out through the back door.

I dunno. You'll probably be mad at me for saying so, I know it's not what you want to hear, but I don't want to see you have a bad accident with him, especially if I have said nothing. I hope some of the others who have done a lot of hauling will weigh in frankly too.

[vicklynn]

He sure fills it out dosnt he. That was so nice of your friend to help you with the trailer. I bet your so happy, now you can take him places. Id be careful though, Im concerned about weight issues like WB said. Also may want to get a bumper pad for his head, hes topped out there.

[Vacker Hast]

WB,

You are 100% correct and nobody should ever pull a horse as Muffin is shown above. I won't trailer Muffin as he is shown in the pic's above but with a few adjustments he should be fine for maybe the next six months lol (depending on how much more the boy is going to grow and how fast). He has a natural low head-set and he is fine with the roof but he definately needs more room to balance himself.

Sincerely, Stacy

[IrisGreen]

Yeah, You have a good point WB. I thought about that and my friend and I talked over the phone about if Muffin would fit or not. He made it so the divider can slant and lock to the side or it can just be taken out completely. We were just happy Muffin fit in it with that bar in the middle (the one the doors latch too) or I would have to have the whole back doors redone to get ride of that bar.

The pictures I took were just a test fit to see if Muffin would fit between the side and the bar/divider. Now that I know he can fit and get in to the trailer I can put the divider like this:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/1stTrailer009.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/1stTrailer010.jpg

I think that will give him plenty of room to balance himself with not too much room to think he can turn around in. I have loaded him in a small 2 horse before and one with the divider removed so he is good about backing out and not trying to turn around even if the divider is removed. I would tie his head loose anyways and those bars are there to keep his head in the right area.

Do you think this is better suited? I think he will be fine with the trailer set up like this for trips to the vet and around town. I drive slow..really slow. lol

[WashingtonBay]

Show me a little relieved! :) Are you going to remove the divider completely then, or just take out the part that goes to the floor?

On edit... ooops - I cross-posted with the followup pictures... more in a minute.

[WashingtonBay]

Any real reason for the divider to be there at all? Including the bars in the front? The more centered you can get him the better, but your total width is still quite narrow and his center of gravity is still very high in it. I'll draw some pics in a minute here.

[Vacker Hast]

I have to admit as I was talking to Erin on the phone and looking at the pic's I was laughing at how big Muffin is now. When you see him all the time it's no big thing but when you see him fill up a trailer like that then you really realize ummmm the boy needs to stop growing lol.

I think it would be best to take the divider out too. The more safe you can make Muffin in there the better and he is definately top heavy in the trailer but he should do fine that way for the time being and with a very safe driver. Just for short trips for now and keep on the search for a new slant or stock trailer lol!!!

Sincerely, Stacy

[WashingtonBay]

Here's my pic of the CG problem. He's a very unbalanced load in there. He probably weighs as much, if not more, than the whole trailer. Close enough to be a worry. And with him off center and high up, on a narrow wheelbase, he's a tipping and sway hazard.

The circles represent the center of gravity. The little one, with the trailer empty... the big one, with Muffin in it. The higher that is, the more tipping motion you'll have when you go around corners. The further left it is, the less weight is on the right hand tire holding it down around those corners. I'd try to get him as centered over those wheels as you can.

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=911&d=1227054559

It would be better the more centered you can get him. I think I'd cut the bars out and give him the whole space. He won't turn around if he's tied, but he'll be a lot more comfortable to have more head room.

Sway bars on the trailer might be a good idea too.

[Annasmom]

woooooooo!

muffin is so adorable

[IrisGreen]

Also may want to get a bumper pad for his head, hes topped out there.

Don't worry Vicklynn! I got him a hat :p

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/DesignersPet/MuffinAntler002.jpg
Ok, So it's not a bumper hat!! heehee :hysterical: But, I am going to get him a bumper pad hat for his head. I know the ones you are talking about and will get one ordered.

Look what I did last night to his pen!! I let his water overflow :trout:. We got back late from my Birthday Dinner and I forgot to turn it off. Luckily it's at the front of his pen and ran over to the orchard.It's going to be hot for the next few days so it's already starting to dry out. But, I sure didn't need or want his pen wet!! grrrr

[Vacker Hast]

Poor, poor Muffin lol!!!

[IrisGreen]

Nice picture WB!! Yeah, I get what your saying. I was hoping by slanting the divider that would help but he still seems top heavy. I don't know why he seems more top heavy then a normal horse that would be in that trailer? He's only a little over 15 hands..I think.. I haven't measured him in a while :huh:. His but is up in the air again so he is getting even taller.

I can take the divider out but I can't take the bars out from the feeder section unless I wanted to have them cut out.

Maybe all this trailer talk and Muffin needing a stalk trailer will get the Hubby convinced we need a loan ;) You know you can make payments on a stalk trailer right..honny...heehee:)

We were going to use this trailer for a little while then sell it to put a down payment on a new trailer that suits Muffin better. I wonder what we could sell this trailer for.....? That's why our friend helped fix it up so it would be good to sell when Muffin out grew it.

[lisakaye]

Oh he is just adorable. I do agree about the trailer. I think it is too small for him and if you do trailer him be very careful and don't do the long distance thing just to be safe..

[WP~Paint]

YAY!!! Congrats! It's a nice looken trailer...and of course Muffin is a cutie. Also, looks like he fits nicely! Great find!

[Gliderider]

Congrats on your trailer..I know how great it is to get your own and be able to haul your horsie around. Now Muffin no more growing. :)

[WashingtonBay]

Your friend that did the other work on it can probably cut the bars out too.... and it wouldn't take much to put them back if/when you go to sell it. With the divider out it would be in the way.

Those old trailers were cramped even in the day when they were new, with full sized horses in them. But they still have value if they're in good shape, particularly with llama and pony people. :) For full sized horses and drafts, trailer design has come a long way in the last 20 years.

You can also get a mat for it that runs all the way across, the smaller mats that are in there tend to shift around with him in the middle and he can get a foot under and between them which can cause upset going down the road.

With the divider out and him in there, I'd be careful you only open one door, not both when you ask him to back out.

[IrisGreen]

He lives out of town, the friend that fixed up the trailer. I could get my neighbor to do it I'm sure. He has the equipment and can weld too. I agree it wouldn't be too much to cut it out. This trailer has been modified for mini horses. I think it had the top back doors and they took those off and welded the piece on top of the back doors just so nothing could jump out. I'm sure they needed more air in the summers around here. It gets HOT! They also welded a hinge to the divider so you can mount it to the back bottom of the trailer and use it as a ramp to load up sheep, goats and mini horses. They also made the window on the front that opens and latches shut to put feed in and undo the trailer tie to the horse. I think the feed divider was put in by someone too. lol

Thankx everyone that commented!! I'm just excited to get our first trailer!! We really needed one to take Muffin to his vet appointment. They charge me an outrages ranch call just to give check ups or shots. He is due for his next appointment so I hope this trailer will work to get him there and back at least. I pay a year in advance for all his vet care and they will charge me on top of that a ranch fee if I can't bring him in. This is his last appointment this year so if we can get this trailer to work that would be great. Then we can figure out what to do with it after that.

[HeartofSteel]

I just want to say something on the subject of WBay's suggestion to cut out the middle grid thing at the front. That piece is acting as a support to the roof, you can see it in the pictures. If you cut that away i'm afraid if you an accident did happen the top could be very easily bent in to the head space because there isn't anything blocking it. And hopefully that would never happen but that is my concern.

[WashingtonBay]

Good point, and it might very well be that if it's removed, some other support or roll bar should be added. There's not a lot of structure up there.

[Country Girl 43]

oh...yippee for you!!! It's always nice to get your own trailer and be mobile!!! Congrats!!

[farmers_wife]

Congrats. Dolly would never go in that small of a trailer. Heck I can barley get her to go into my 3 horse slant load.

[cloedoll]

Congratulations, it looks vury nice, I'm sure Muffin loves it. xD

[IrisGreen]

Thankx Everyone :)

I never really thought about *if* he would go in, I was more concerned with *if* he would fit. lol I new he would try for me. He is very willing to try for me and I take it easy with him and let him get used to new things. I don't think he would get in that trailer for anyone else though. lol

Like the antler hat. I don't think he would have just let anyone walk out there and put that on his head. He was lose so he coud have walked away. That was the first time he has seen it but he trusts me. So, I let him sniff it then he was fine with me putting it on.

I think I am really lucky he is so bonded to me and willing to try. Plus, he is very food motivated and thinks trailers have a never ending supply of cubes! hahah:)

[ProvenPaint]

It'll work for now...but what if Muffin continues to grow?! lol Congrats on getting a trailer of your own; hope it works well for you!

[shewasmyshadow]

You could probably leave the head divider in. When farmers_wife hauled her draft cross in a two-horse straight load she would take out the middle divider. She tied the mare's head on one side of the feed divider and then Dolly would swing her body/butt cross ways across the trailer. So, it worked just fine and, I assume, evened out her weight. When farmers was ready to unload her she sneaked in, pushed Dolly's butt over and backed her straight out one of the door on the side where Dolly was tied. It seemed to work fine.

Oh, and by the way, that's a nice trailer!! It's in GOOD shape. :) My riding teacher used to haul us to shows in a trailer like that. It was BRIGHT teal blue. Good memories...

[Equine_Woman]

I think with the divider to the side it'll be fine, but that's just me. We haul Mack in a 2 horse trailer that is extra tall but it's extra thin. . . and we swing the divider over so he can balance and he seems fine. Trailer has never felt tippey before. Most horses will slant themselves in the trailer anyways so even if you removed the center divider Muffin would likely keep his front on the left and his rear on the right. . . (Mack is 17 hands, about 1350 maybe more. . ) I can remove my divider but i never do because I use it for 2 horses all the time.Your trailer is a double axel so it'll distribute the weight better. At least that's what I've always thought.

[Remali]

I agree, that is quite small, and quite low. I wouldn't take it very far, but it may be OK for really short trips just down the road. Are there other doors at the top that close in the rear above the other doors? I have seen horses get their hind legs over the tops of the back doors that are open at the top like that. Even the most quiet of horses.

[IrisGreen]

Yeah, I think I am going to leave the bars in the feeder area. They help with holding the roof up. I think he will be fine if I just slant the divider like I did in the pictures on page 2. I'm only going to the vet and it's all straight road with a max of 4 turns involved to get there. If we take the turns really slow, as we always do I'm sure it will be fine with his slant loaded.

Ramali,
Yeah, I think there were doors at the top too but someone took them off. It's hot here so I think they wanted more air flow. They welded those bars to the top of the back doors to keep any small livestock from jumping out.

I don't think Muffin could get his back hoof over that door. His butt would hit the roof before he ever came close to getting his back feet that high. lol :) He might be able to get one over the divider if he really tryed hard but again I think his butt would hit the roof first. He is pretty quite in the trailer and doesn't buck or try to climb out. So, I'm not really worried about that. It's more taking the corners slow and giving him time to balance himself.

I knew a lady that trailered a percheron in a 2 horse trailer with the divider removed. She did as She Was My Shadow said. She tied her head to one side and the horse would stand slanted. This was a huge percheron that barely fit in that trailer but it was a little longer then the one I have, Not much but when the horse would slant load it gave her a little extra length. She also had to tie her head or she would try to turn around in that trailer!! She would almost sit down like a dog and turn around then get up facing the back!! The lady couldn't figure out how she could turn around in that trailer tell she watched her do it when the trailer was parked.

[WashingtonBay]

OK - I am still very nervous about this, but sometimes we just have to hope for the best.

One thing I would look into, for perhaps not a LOT more cost, is beefing up those back doors, and the main support down the center. I'm thinking adding strength. He's so tall and there is nothing that can be added to keep him from sitting on those doors. Don't be fooled that he couldn't break the latches on those doors , or break the center divider loose from it's welds, or just bust the hinges without even really trying. Something would give if he sat back on it, I just don't know what. Bars or chains across inside wouldn't work I don't think, and would not make it safer. Adding another latch bar high up on the door and all the way across, on the outside, might help a lot. Do you know what I mean?

[mandisue]

I wouldn't worry too much about the trailering if you're not going far. My last employer has a two horse straight aluminum he hauls two belgiums in at a time. Its a bit longer than the one you have but it's not new either, it's a 90? Something. It's an old moritz aluminum.You know what I mean?


Just had a thought, there's is solid doors the whole way up in the back but the old two horse we used to have had a wooden twoxfour, two of them above the bottom doors that bolted in above the bottom doors so no one could get there feet caught or try to jump out. Just an idea.

[Stalknndashadows]

Congrats on the 'new' trailer!!!!

At least muffin fits in yours....

Moon was last measured at 17.2 hands a few years ago...my trailer is 6'5 or so. lmao A new one is not in the budget at the moment but thankfully he is not claustrophobic and tolerates it just fine for the 5 mile trips we make. :)

[Remali]

You would be very surprised how easy it is for a horse to get his legs over the back door.....I've seen it happen, and the top half above the doors were even smaller than your trailer and higher up.......well, just food for thought.

[Miracle Whip]

Yeah I'd invest in a SWAY BAR thats for sure. I was thinking the same thing, you either need a second horse to balance it out or some sort of weight on whatever side Muffin is NOT standing in. FOR short trips you could make it work, but I'd have a good set of heavy tires on that thing and a sway bar and take a lot of short practice trips so Muffin is used to being in motion. CAN YOU TAKE OUT THE DIVIDER?

If it is any consolation, I have a regular Keifer Livestock trailer and my husband's horse is a good solid boy. He gets in, clomps around...man sure wish the roof was higher...TWH have a high headset...tie him up and get the heck on the road because otherwise Whip starts to paw.

It works and he has not hurt himself yet, and he can balance himself and his weight is up over the hitch, not the inside of the trailer. That is the difference. I was SHOCKED that you were able to get Muffin inside that trailer. Amazing.

[Miracle Whip]

How often are you taking Muffin to the vet? My vet said I could get by with once a year vaccinations even though I do go to horse shows.. I don't rent stalls - just trailer in and trailer out. So we do the sheath clean, Coggins, and vaccinations. A farm visit here is about $35 but I have not had a farm call in some time so it might be more now. Does the vet sedate Muffin? Do they have a place to keep him until he wakes up? We just throw ours back in the trailer but I was wondering how coordinated he'd be after sedation - my trailer is big and roomy.

[TBgirl]

Congrats on the trailer and I just want to say Muffin is beautiful!!

The height would make me nervous. What if something startled him and he wacked his head and panicked? I'm truly not trying to scare you, or put down the trailer...I'm just really concerned about Muffin's size and the trailer being so low. I've heard horror stories about horses hitting their heads and going down and having major accidents in trailers.

[IrisGreen]

Miracle Whip,
I take Muffin in twice a year for shots, sheath cleaning, dental check up, weight, stool sand/worm check and general health check up. Then I bring in stool samples 2x's in between the visits to test for sand and worms and pick up dewormer. So, 4 treatments a year and two of those are vet visits the other two I just bring in poop and pick up dewormer. I pay a year in advance and he is on a "well horse program" that includes all of the stuff I mentioned above. I think I pay around $350 a year for the package in advance and I get discounts on any dental work that needs to be done. But, it does not include ranch call fees that are over $100 per call just to get the vet to my place.

This is why I would like to trailer him in to save the $100+ ranch call fee and the hassle of fighting with the vet to get her to make an appointment to get out here some time this year...I am not liking my vet and this is the last visit for this year then I am changing vets.

TBGirl,
Yeah, I am going to get Muffin a bumper helmet. He already bumped his head a few times but he did it easy and figured out there is a roof up there. You could see him bumping it up a few times with this look on his face like he was checking it out and kept bumping it lightly while standing still. He knows the roof is up there and isn't alarmed by it. He normally has a low headset and the only time he really bumps his head is when you ask him to back out and he puts his head up and looks back some. He is very smart and knows the roof is up there. He has been in a 2 horse before when he was smaller and bumped his head so he knows what a roof is. He has never done it hard to cause any injury, just poking around and checking it out and bumps it on purpose. But, I do need to get him a bumper hat just in case he does spook and bumps it hard.

I like this trailer because it's pretty smooth on the roof and only has the ribs across the top and there not sharp. Some trailers have bolts that stick down in to the trailer that the horse can scrap it's head on. I'm happy that this trailer is pretty horse friendly and there are no bolts or sharp edges to get cut or poked on the inside of the roof. I think with a bumper hat he sould be fine and he doesnt panic when he bumps his head.

[Miracle Whip]

Well, if he had his teeth done every year it might be worth the $350 otherwise that seems a bit steep to me. In fact, last time Whip had the sheath clean she said he was not that bad and could go every other year versus every year. I know they say the white horses are more cancer prone...but doing the sheath clean yourself is worth it. I can never get Whip to drop but she said he looked good...so even just squirting a garden hose up there helps.

whatever...

[IrisGreen]

Yeah, I can do the sheath cleaning and take in stool samples every so often to a vet and schedual his shots and it think it would be cheaper. Plus, I don't think he needs 4 stool samples a year, dewormer is cheap to buy, I can do sheath cleaning myself, and would only have to pay for shots/checkups.

I don't like this vet so I am changing anyways and won't be on this program anymore. I called a few months back when Muffin was colicing due to a change in his hay (fixed that by feeding cubes) and the vet wouldnt even come out!! They said the only way they would see him is if I trailered him in....Put a horse that keeps trying to roll in a trailer? For all the vet knows Muffin is dead because I never called them back! He needs to get his shots and this is the last appointment that is already paid for so I am going to take him in and be done with this vet.

As for his sheath cleaning. Muffin does get pretty dirty because he lays in the dirt a lot so he does need sheath cleaning every 6 months or so. At least a good hose down and some KY to keep him from gathering smegma. But, I can do that myself.

Edit: and of course check for beans.