Second, has anyone heard that a slant load puts more stress and strain on the right front leg and that a straight load might ultimately be easier on the horse?? And how about the built in mangers. Isn't that a bad idea because the horse can't get his head down?
I've heard these two points. ?I believe they originated in the book by Tom and Neva Scheve, "The Complete Guide to Buying, Maintaining and Servicing a Horse Trailer". ?
They make both these points. ?They own EquiSpirit Horse Trailers, and this is how they designed their trailers -- straight loads, low-angled ramp with no built-in manger. ?Their comment on the reason everyone started making slant loads allow a smaller trailer for the same number of horses, so you could add in a dressing room, or have 3 and 4 horses in a trailer that wasn't as big as the equivalent straight load. ?As for their view on the stress and strain - they feel that the right front and left hind take more of the stress in a slant load.
I don't know of other trailer designers who have published the opposite point of view. ?I also don't know if there have been any actual, unbiased studies which showed which is better for the horse: slant vs straight load. ?Same for the type of manger / non-manger. ? Ditto for ramp vs. step-up.
