This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > wondering how I will be able to get both the horses and cart to an > event. I have a two horse slant load trailer and am planning on > buying a new trailer as well, but I don't know what to get. For > those of you that drive carts/buggys, could you give me some tips > on what kind of arrangement you have for the rigs and horses? > > Marlene Coffman
I've seen a wide variety of ways to transport carriages. Probably the most popular (at least at the lower levels) is to put the cart or small 4-wheel carriage into the back of a pickup, which then tows the horse trailer. Loading the carriage involves unhooking the truck, then using ramps and often a winch in the truck bed to coax it up there. If the vehicle's wheelbase is wider than the wheel wells of the truck, some sort of temporary platform/ramp is needed so the carriage sits securely on top of the wheel wells. Drawbacks---it's a pain to hitch/unhitch the truck all the time, and this method precludes using a gooseneck trailer. Using a flatbed truck gives a little more flexibility, in terms of the sizes of carriages that can be accomodated; often a 4-wheeled vehicle can be hauled facing cross-wise, which allows it to be loaded from the side, without unhooking from the trailer. Next most popular (common with folks who've gotten "serious" about driving) is to get a stock- or other 4-horse trailer. The carriage usually gets put into the front section of the trailer, with the horses loaded behind the divider. This is convenient for packing up the night before a show, and safer in terms of getting the horses unloaded in an emergency. However, the horses would get a smoother ride (less sway) in the front of the trailer, and it's a pain to roll the carriage all the way in and out each time. I've seen trailers custom built with wide side doors on the front section, where the horses ride, and a ramp on the back section, to make it easy to load the carriage there. Small, light carts sometimes get transported on the roof rack of a horse trailer, or sitting with shafts pointed skyward on the tongue of the trailer. Just watch out for overhanging trees, etc! I've also seen contraptions that allow a cart to be lashed to the back door of a 2-horse trailer, after the horses are loaded. This is a pain to do; it exposes the cart to fender-benders; and it'd be tough to get the horses out fast. However, the lady doing it hadn't yet talked her husband into buying a pickup. The convoy approach is also used, especially for larger events. Something like a camper or motor home (the live-in vehicle) pulls the horse trailer; a more maneuverable vehicle (the errand-running car) pulls the carriage trailer, which can be either flatbed or enclosed, depending on your climate. I've used the cart-in-pickup pulling 2-horse trailer routine in the past. My current tow vehicle is an SUV, and the trailer is a 2-horse slant stock. I put my driving animal (a donkey) in the front stall, then load the cart with its shafts sticking out over the back door of the trailer. If you hear of a driving event in your area, show up early, and watch folks haul in, unload, etc. Then pick their brains about why they like (or dislike) the ways they do it. Marsha Jo Hannah Murphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 15 mi SW of Roseburg, Oregon
