Re Awful story on H&H about trailer ramp opening.

[BigBird146]

H&H news article
It asks if anyone has had a similar problem but doesn't state the make of the trailer? Does anybody know?
I've had a door 'pop open' on mine with Amercian doors and just wondered if I should contact them, but it says 'ramp' not 'doors'.
What an awful story though, makes me go cold as luckily mine popped open on the side behind the empty stall and I didn't notice until I'd got where I was going (luckily only a few miles). I've made my own safety device now so it can't happen again but it's worrying so if anyone has a Bateson with American doors make sure you put a peg or clip of some sort to pin the back doors together (through the brackets with holes in made for padlocking it up).

[Dee O'Dorant]

Hmmm - if it was "anti luce" catches I have had them come open but only on a muck trailer. We always put a carabiner through the top part now so they can't come undone.

Horrid thing to happen though - and sympathies to all involved.

[Kenzo]

How terrible, must of been so awful for them and the owners and of course the poor lorry driver.

[Gonetofrance]

It nearly happened to me when I borrowed a trailer to go to a dressage clinic. The car behind us started to come past us flashing lights and pointing at the trailer. We pulled in asap, luckily were on a dual-carriageway, and ran round to the back to see that one of the supporting attachments for the pins had come clean away, and the ramp was twisted and open at one side, with my horse sitting on it. He was fine, but it only a matter of time before the other pin would have gone.
I've had nightmares about trailers ever since.

Poor poor girl, she must have been devastated, my heart goes out to her.

[cefyl]

I have seen people with Ifor Williams trailers just rely on the ramp latch and not bother with the lynch pin that keeps the latch from springing open, or even not replace the lynch pin at all if it breaks off. One person actually was in so much haste they slammed the ramp shut, flicked the latches across on both side and turned around and the ramp slammed back down on them knocking them out.

And I have lost count of the number of times I have stopped people at a competition when they have not secured the ramp (boxes and trailers) correctly - only one side secure/latch not through the slot/ ramps literally bouncing open only held in place by luck.

The old Rice trailer ramp pins did used to bounce out at times.

Very sorry for the people involved on all sides, and poor horse, and horrific death.

[daisycrazy]

I can hardly walk past a trailer without going cold. Seeing anybody standing behind one makes my stomach flip.

In 1999 I was walking behind our Ifor Williams 505R when the ramp (all done up) came flying out and hit me on the head. Seems most likely it was the unshod 12.2hh pony gave it one kick and the catches just bent, catapulting the ramp on to me. My horse sat down in panic. My mum was driving (thankfully just coming out slowly through our gate - could so easily have happened on the road) and wasn't aware anything had happened. I was waving at her frantically to get her to stop before my horse panicked even more. Once she stopped (and I sat down with blood pouring down my face) he stood up under the breaching bar and all the metal work bent and hung over them in a twisted mess.

I feel sick just thinking about it.

[wishfulthinking]

Oh the poor lady, how terrible. I have heard of this happening in Ifor Williams hunter boxes before though.

[baeloclaudia]

BigBird I've had the same thing happen as you - with the American style doors on my Bateson. I now have clips on the fastenings front and back as they were prone to bumping undone on a bumpy lane - and wherever you go with a horse there's nearly always a bumpy lane!

Horrible story.

[squirtlysmum]

This is just so sad and makes me feel so sick what an awful accident.
I have an Ifor and I will certainly be getting something to ensure the clips can't come undone.
Just awful!

[suzysparkle]

It's for this reason that I say if you travel without a partition (as I do) you should use a full length breech bar as well as a breast bar. Some Horses (mine being one of them) like to lean on their bum....better on a breech bar than the ramp. I have an older 510....both the breech bar and the ramp fastenings are really solid. Why anyone wouldn't use the pins is beyond me.

What a horrible accident.