Does anybody haul a mini without a trailer?

[MiniHoofBeats]

I have a smaller Ford Ranger with an extra tall topper that I transport my mini's in! Tallest i've had so far was 32" and the top of the roof is at 43" so she still had plenty of head room. I usually find a hill to back up to and get the mini's on/off by that but if there's no hill I usually get a couple of people and hoist them up, they travel great this way and love having windows to look out!

 

[HGFarm]

Safety for your horse any time you haul is your first concern. We have been in areas in the past, where we came across high winds, and I can tell you, I have seen camper shells and other things ripped right off of vehicles. It is just as easy to hook up and unhook a small trailer, than to put the horse in the back of your pickup. We had 'stock racks' on a truck that we only used on the ranch for the full sized horses, and I HATED it. Any shift in weight effects your driving. I know a mini is much smaller, but I would not haul in the back unless it is something made for horses and really has a SECURE attachment so it is not ripped off in the wind somewhere.

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

my husband built this when we had to deliver two rescue minis to their new home in california and only had a weekend to do it... with the slower speed limit for hauling a trailer, it would have meant not enough time to stop for them to rest often enough and us to still make it home in time to go back to work...

i have to laugh when i look at it, seems kinda like a beverly hillbillies kinda thing to me - but it works great! one thing i really liked was i could see them, unlike in a trailer where you can't. when we pull a trailer, every time we stop i am running from the truck to the trailer to check on everyone...

well here's our mini-hauler-camper-shell...

of course with the minis in there is no "stuff" in the truck bed - just the rubber mat.

you can see the front half lined with plexiglas to cut the wind. with the back gates closed and the tailgate up all is snug.

 

[Margo_C-T]

If I recall the original post correctly, the poster already owns a nice big truck; why not just buy an inexpensive stock combo trailer, which has room for both horse(s) and cart, and will have a decent resale, as it is more versatile than something which can only be used for minis? The hauler pictured will cost as much as, if not more, that such a basic trailer, and likely not hold its resale value as well....

I have a 14' X 5' CM stock combo bumper pull; it pulls and rides (for the horses!)extremely well, and has been VERY servicable and easy to use. The only change I would make would be to get the 6' width. I can carry a driving horse and cart, or even, a pair of horses and a 4 wheeled vehicle-or, if just hauling miniature horses, it can comfortably haul several!

HG makes a VERY good point about safety in hauling. Having an animal of the weight of a miniature horse(one, or more) in the vehicle with you, or even in a pickup bed, is at the very LEAST going to create disconcerting weight shifts-esp. if, as is so often the case in modern day traffic, you have to hit your brakes,or take evasive action, due to the actions of other drivers....also, having the trailer entry doors blocked so that they cannot be opened immediately is IMO very dangerous, as being able to let the horses out immediately could be of prime importance! It is not the best idea to even have the cart loaded behind the horse(s), so that it must be unloaded before they can be accessed...in a stock combo trailer(and most others), you can get one or more 'escape'doors-designed so that you can lead a horse into a trailer and then get out 'up front', it works very well as a way to load/unload miniatures, if needed. Yes, it IS a 'step up'; I don't like ramps-think they can be less safe than a step up--and have loaded/unloaded minis of all sizes MANY times in my stock combo, with nary a bump(and of course, you can use leg wraps if you feel you must.) The best weight distribution is for the horse(s)to be up front(or more precisely, over the axles), but with miniatures in a trailer, this is not nearly as big an issue, and you can load the cart/carriage in front, the horse(s) behind(a stock combo even has a divider gate, so the horses can't get 'tangled up in' the driving vehicle), for safety and immediate access to the horses. BTW, it has been noted that horses will often ride backwards in a trailer, if free to choose. I personally believe that slant loading is HIGHLY overrated, as far as being the best choice for the horses' comfort...backwards, straight front, or even perpendicular to the direction of travel; or even slant--all can work IF the horse has adequate room to brace during travel. It should be remembered that an average adult miniature's poll, in normal stance, will be around 10-12" higher than its withers; having to stand 'hunched' in a pickup cap so as not to bump its head would NOT be very pleasant for the horse. Also, good points to remember about the suspension of most utility trailers NOT being adequate for hauling live weight(animals)...

JMHO, after a good many years of hauling horses....

Margo

 

[Sheryl]

I used to own a stock/horse trailer when I had big horses. I only need to haul one little tiny mini and a cart maybe 4-6 times a year now. I will have no need to haul in bad weather or windstorms... this is for pleasure. I have no need to trailer anything else - I do not have full size horses and I own no other livestock. All other hauling needs are addressed by having a truck bed. I have to pay $35 a month to park a trailer and I cannot park it at home. That is nearly $400 a year just to park and insure it. I am brainstorming on alternatives to having no transportation for him at all. My only other alternative is to negotiate with the barn owner to rent/use her HUGE oversize size 3 horse trailer with full tack when it is available. I did borrow it when I moved him originally, which is part of what inspired me to think of scaled back alternatives that don't cost a fortune. Wow, that was a lot of trailer to haul a 250 pound horse in! I couldn't get the cart out of the truck bed by myself with the trailer attached either... some kind of ramp would help with that.

Safety is important to me, as I indicated in my original post. Having done some trailer hauling myself, I am aware that there are safety concerns with that too. Also a bit harder to park. I actually think that securing a small horse in a truck bed can be a safe alternative, I think the trickiest part is a proper ramp that isn't slippery and is not just strong, but feels nice and solid. My horse weighs 250 pounds and will not be given full run of the whole truck bed, but will be secured in a matted stall like area.... just haven't worked out the details! I don't think that his weight shifting will even be felt. (My husband walks around back there without rocking the boat...ha ha) Yes, it will cost some money to get it set up, but compared to buying and storing a trailer, I think it will be more economical, and suit my needs better. Don't know for sure yet, but all the ideas here have helped me think of alternatives.

I appreciate people bringing up concerns because that is how we all learn but so far I haven't heard any reason why this won't work other then it does have a certain "Jed Clampett" motiff....lol. I will probably not go the regular truck canopy route since bending over like that is too hard on my back. May be tall enough for a mini, but I need a little more clearance!

Anyway, seems like some people wanted to know more of why I was asking about non trailer alternatives, and that pretty much is the reason - I just don't want to deal with owning, licensing and parking a trailer for the few times a year I need one. I have done it and don't want to right now.