4 Horse Head to Head Trailer: Why the 4 Horse SafeTack Reverse is a Better Option
A 4-horse head to head horse trailer is a popular model that has been around for many years. This trailer design provides a solution to handlers who want to haul more than two horses, while still having access to each horse individually. Despite these attractive features, this trailer design has some major drawbacks.
The 4 horse SafeTack slant load trailer for sale (with forward or rear facing options) from Double D Trailers provides many of the same perks as a classic 4-horse head to head trailer. Plus, it addresses all of the safety issues! Read on to learn why the SafeTack model is a much better option for your horses..
What is a Head to Head Trailer?
In a 4-horse head to head trailer, two horses are loaded from the side doorway, angled into position, and then backed into rear-facing stalls. Then, two more horses are loaded from the rear into straight load stalls. This leaves the horses “head to head” with a small area in the center of the trailer to act as an aisle way.
This is a classic 4-horse head to head trailer from a competitor brand.
Two horses would face forward and two horses would face backward with a center aisle way.
Every single horse can be accessed individually for loading and unloading. This can be an advantage if you are making multiple stops to pick up or drop off a friend’s animals. Plus, any one horse in distress can be off-loaded without having to unload all of the trailer’s occupants.
The 4-horse head to head trailer shown below also has a combination dressing room / tack storage area separate from the horse compartment. This is where you can store your tack, grooming supplies, snacks, and show attire.
Finally, the center aisle of a 4-horse head to head can be used as a “show day stall.” This can be a useful place to tie your horse for tacking and last-minute grooming. Or, you could let your horse loose in the stall to wander free instead of tying them to the outside of the trailer.
Problems with the Head to Head Horse Trailer
There are also several major disadvantages to the head to head horse trailer design.
1. Your Equipment Will Be Dirty and Disorganized
First, let’s look at the human amenities. In a 4 horse head to head trailer, all of your equipment (show day clothing and sweaty tack) needs to be stored in the same forward dressing room. It would be easy for all of your equipment to become jumbled together and for expensive show attire to become stained.
2. Your Horses Will Fight
Next, head to head horse trailers do not promote good interactions between horses. Many models do not have any sort of head dividers to separate unfriendly travel companions. To make things worse, some trailer dealers will suggest that a 4 horse head to head trailer could actually accommodate 5 horses with one horse in the cetner aisle space.
This 4-horse head to head trailer has several safety disadvantages.
In this video, the dealer says, “You’ve got tie rings that you could stand a horse in between there, so technically you could fit five horses in this trailer.”
This is a very poor idea because that center horse would not have any sort of dividers or supports to help him balance while the trailer is in motion. Unlike in a stock horse trailer, the center horse would not have enough space to move around and adjust his balance because he would be surrounded by the heads of the other four horses. If any of the animals don’t get along, you can imagine the biting and kicking that would follow.
3. Dangerous Chest and Butt Bars
Besides the lack of head dividers, this trailer design only has simple chest and butt bars holding each horse in place. A panicky horse can easily rear up and get a leg stuck over one of these bars. This will put your frightened horse at risk for an injury and even more frantic scrambling to get free.
This 4-horse head to head trailer does not have head dividers to separate unfriendly horses.
Plus, butt and chest bars can be dangerous for a panicky horse.
4. More Difficult Loading
Finally, loading the front two horses can be a huge challenge. Those front two horses would need to be walked forward onto the side ramp, angled into position, and then backed into their rear-facing stalls. This much maneuvering for an uneasy loader could be very difficult.
Brad Heath, owner of Double D Trailers, says, “I think this is a dated design, which has been the only solution for handlers needing to haul more than two horses, and needing the ability to access each horse independently.”
He went on to explain that head to head thorse railers are popular with Warmblood or large breed horse owners who are afraid that their animals would feel cramped in a conventional 4-horse slant load trailer.
“The ‘head to head’ trailer was born out of necessity and has remained available over the years for the simple fact that nothing else ‘better’ has been available. Today, the 4 horse SafeTack Reverse trailer provides a much better option!”
Reasons Why the SafeTack Reverse 4 Horse Trailer is a Better Option
The SafeTack Reverse 4-horse trailer from Double D Trailers manages to address every single issue outlined above. In addition, it provides several other benefits that make this gooseneck enclosed trailer design superior in safety and usability.
Check out the Safetack Reverse 4 Horse Slant Load Trailer Here
Just like the head to head horse trailer, the SafeTack Reverse also allows you to…
Access Each Horse Individually
Every trailer from Double D Trailers is custom designed to meet your specific needs. We can easily design a trailer with multiple side entry doors and ramps so that every single horse can be accessed individually for loading and unloading.
Use a Show Day Stall
With one of the horses unloaded, you can swing over the partition to easily create a day stall for tacking up and show prep just like in the head to head design. Read more about show day stalls in our article comparing the 2+1 horse trailer vs. 3 horse SafeTack reverse trailer design.
Transport Large Breed Horses
Our slant load trailers are different from conventional slant load trailers. We can easily customize your trailer with extra width or height to fit large breed horses.
This 4-horse SafeTack Reverse trailer from Double D trailers has individual access to all four horses.
It also has an easy walk-on / walk-off design for safer loading.
The SafeTack Reverse trailer is better than the head to head horse trailer because it has...
1. Separate Spaces for Tack and Dressing Room
The SafeTack trailer has a fully enclosed tack compartment in the rear corner of the trailer for storing your saddles, bridles, pads, and grooming supplies. The entire compartment swings out like a second door to allow a wide open rear entry way for loading and unloading your horses. This SafeTack storage area will keep your dirty and sweaty tack completely separate from any food or clothing that you choose to store in the forward dressing room area.
2. Forward or Reverse Facing Options
Rather than being constrained by the trailer’s design, the SafeTack Reverse trailer allows you to decide which way your horse travels the best. Design it with either the forward or rear facing layout. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that horses travel in a more natural and stress-free manner when they are in the rear-facing direction. All four horses could travel in the rear-facing direction, or you could load each horse according to his individual preferences.
3. Keep Unfriendly Horses Separate
Tubular head dividers will keep unfriendly neighbors from picking or biting at each other during a drive.
4. Shorter Overall Trailer Length Means Easier Towing
Even if this was designed to be a Warmblood horse trailer with larger stalls, our trailer would be around a 24-foot box length. The minimum length on a head to head horse trailer is around 28 feet. A longer trailer is harder to maneuver while driving.
5. Safer Loading and Unloading with the SafeTack Reverse
This is the biggest advantage of our SafeTack Reverse so read below for more details.
Safer Loading and Unloading with the SafeTack Reverse
The biggest reason why the SafeTack Reverse model works better than the head to head horse trailer has to do with safety during loading and unloading. Our model has a true walk on / walk off configuration so you never need to back your horse!
In the SafeTack Reverse trailer, you can walk your horse onto the trailer through the wide-open rear entryway into a forward-facing stall. When you’re ready to offload, you can simply swing the dividers and walk your horse forward off a side ramp. If you’d prefer to load your horse in a rear-facing orientation, you can load from a side ramp and walk them back into their stall. Then, offload by walking forward off the rear of the trailer.
The trailer interior is designed to be bright and airy with rattling noises minimized. Our goal was to create a friendly and inviting space that would feel safe for nervous travelers. We’ve had many clients tell us that our design helped their problem loaders finally learn to walk calmly onto the trailer.
This slant load horse trailer design also has several advantages over the straight load configuration present in the 4-horse head to head trailer. Straight load horse trailers almost always require horses to back off of a trailer which can be very scary for some.
Plus, straight load trailer stalls only have butt and chest bars to keep the horses in place. Scared animals can easily get a leg stuck over one of these bars. In their struggle to free themselves, they can injure themselves and their travel mates.
Instead, our slant load trailer designhas telescoping Z-Frame dividers with thick padding that quietly lock into place. Even the final horse has a full divider holding them in their stall so you can safely approach their head without fumbling with a butt bar in the “kick zone.”
Additional Safety Features on the Reverse Load Horse Trailer
We’ve written entire articles about the numerous safety features on Double D Trailers. Here is a quick breakdown of the other major perks our design will have over the head to head horse trailer described above.
- Z-Frame Construction – This is a superior building material that is both lightweight and strong. It is much safer than an aluminum horse trailer design.
- Rumber or Lumber Trailer Floors – We wrote an article explaining why we do not recommend the WERM flooring found on the featured head to head trailer.
- SafeBump Roof – Our roofs are designed to protect your horse if they rear while also regulating the temperature of the trailer.
- SafeKick Walls – Thick protective wall coverings designed to take the blunt force of your horse’s kick.
- SafeTack Technology – This patented design includes a fully enclosed tack storage area that swings out like a second door for safer loading and unloading.
- Reverse Load Option – Research suggests that horses haul with less stress in a rear facing position. Choose which orientation works for your horses.
- Large Windows and Ventilation – Maximize your trailer’s light and air flow to help your horse feel safe and comfortable.
- 3M Chemical Bonding – Metal fasteners can cause excess noise while the trailer is in motion. Our 3M chemical bonding system makes for a quieter ride.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a head to head trailer?
A head to head horse trailer is an old design that can be built as either a 4 horse or 6 horse gooseneck trailer. It has 2 or 3 horses at the back of the trailer in forward facing stalls and 2 or 3 horses towards the front of the trailer in rear facing stalls. The center aisle is accessed by 1 or 2 ramps. The modern Safetack Reverse 4 Horse Slant Load trailer is a much safer option.
Are straight load horse trailers safe?
Straight load horse trailers are popular for 2 horse trailers because they are less expensive and easy for loading. But straight load trailers have several features - like chest and butt bars - that can make them unsafe. Slant load trailers with the Safetack layout are a much better option.
How long is a 4 horse head to head trailer?
A minimum length for a 4 horse head to head trailer is around 28 feet, but they can also be longer. Longer trailers are harder to haul and maneuver. A Safetack Reverse Load trailer is shorter at 24 feet in length and has many safety advantages.
Do horses prefer slant load or straight load?
Straight load trailers use dangerous butt and chest bars. Slant load horse trailers are often safer and easier to haul because of their shorter wheelbase. Look for one with a Safetack storage compartment for easier loading and unloading. The type of trailer your horse prefers comes down to individual preference. If you’re looking for help with your buying decision, you can read our highly informative post on Straight Load or Slant Load Horse Trailer: Which is Better?
What is a 2+1 horse trailer?
A 2+1 horse gooseneck trailer is a design that has two straight load stalls towards the rear of the trailer and a single box stall towards the front. This design is becoming more and more popular, but you should also consider the Safetack Reverse 3 horse model for better safety.
If you have any questions about our SafeTack Reverse 4 horse trailer, please reach out to Brad Heath for assistance. He can help you design the perfect horse trailer to fit your horse’s needs.
