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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
   
Location: North Dakota | Does anyone do it? And if so, what's your tricks?
My biggest concern is what I would do with my horse in case I can't get a stall at the race. I don't have any portable panels for the trailer. I could jimmy-rig a little pen with some small posts and wire or string, but honestly I'd be scared he would walk through it because it wouldn't be electrified. I feel really bad just leaving him tied to the trailer overnight because he would not be able to lay down, or I guess I could put him inside the trailer. He'd still have to be tied because I have a slant load and I wouldn't want him to get "stuck" trying to turn around, or panic.
Ideas?
For myself, I can try to find a hotel room for the night ... but I would only do that if I got a stall for him. I'd never leave him tied to the trailer with me not there. I can throw an air mattress in the gooseneck of my dressing room. And then just "redneck it" (that means no shower!!).
So just curious if anyone else has gone to a 2-day barrel race without a living quarters and what you did.
Edited by r_beau 2014-05-14 2:30 PM
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 Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
Location: southeast Texas | I slept in back seat of truck.
You could sweep out trailer and put a cot back there.
Plan on finding a portable elec fence charger. If your horse knows about that, and rig up a pen. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| There is nothing wrong with tying your horse to the trailer over night. There is also nothing wrong with not showering for 24 hours. Shower in the morning before you leave, shower when you get home.
I've gone to 3 day races without a shower because of the cold! No way I was getting my booty and head wet in 39 degree temps in a trailer! You can bet it was the first thing I did when I got home, but everyone else was dirty too. Who really cares? I'm out to barrel race, not win a smell good beauty contest.
We used to take a tent. Now we have a matress in our gooseneck, it has no living quarters, but we use a bale in a bag as a couch, and have a dorm fridge and microwave from walmart. We also have a cupboard. Like going from the Super 8 to the Comfort Inn! One day I'm going to move to the "Hilton" with real live living quarters! |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Nateracer - 2014-05-14 2:40 PM Now we have a matress in our gooseneck, it has no living quarters, but we use a bale in a bag as a couch, and have a dorm fridge and microwave from walmart.
What did you do to get electrical in your trailer for the dorm fridge and microwave?
I can certainly live off foods that don't need to be refridgerated or heated for 48 hours, so it wouldn't be a necessity. Only thing that would be nice is to have a freezer of some sort because I do like to use ice boots on my horse after a run (that I normally keep in a cooler). Not sure if I could get them to "re-freeze" by just dumping new ice into a cooler (if it's really hot out) although he could go without for one day.
Any recommendations on a portable electric fence? (or at least the source, I can get the wire and posts myself) He is used to electric fence and respects it so that wouldn't be a problem. I would just really like to give him the option to lay down .... although who knows, he might not lay down anyway.
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| We took it to a trailer dealership, I think it was actually a camper place and had them install a breaker box and a couple of sets of plugs as well as the air conditioner. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | I either sleep in the back of the cab...or put a blow up mattress in the neck with lots of blankets and pillows....only because I have to sleep with a million pillows LOL (no seriously). And I'll take a shower on the arena grounds (if they have any in the bathrooms) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 832
Location: Kansas (but Great Lakes member since 1978) | Traveled for a long time by roughing it. My horses were use to being tied to the trailer and they even lay down to rest but be sure to get them use to that at home and not when you are away. We got into the "baby powder" kick cause you smell fine and don't feel dirty. Had living quarters for a long time now but we still have some very fond memories of our "old days".... lots of laughs from back then. |
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | There are a bazillion rodeo's with no stalls for the horses. They stay tied to the trailer and actually do just fine. Hang a hay bag, keep it full and hang a water bucket from a tie ring or the bars on the trailer window. If you feel better having him in the trailer, just remove the dividers so he has the whole trailer and bed it with shavings really good. He'll be comfortable and well rested. We've done it for years. |
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 Vodka for Lunch
Location: Lala Land | We are looking into an affordable camper. |
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| i've been wanting to hang a hammock in my slant of my bumper pull trailer for this... seems like an easy solution to me!! and then i wouldn't be squished to were i couldn't strech out in truck back seat |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 832
Location: Kansas (but Great Lakes member since 1978) | Here are a few tricks we use to do when we use to rodeo "roughing it style".
5 gallon water jug, paint it black and set it in the sun.... makes for a nice warm bath. We would get two big buckets and soap up in one and then rinse off in the other. We later got a little RV water pump and would put the hose of it in the jug and made a "cowboy shower". It was way better than cold.
I already mentioned the baby powder.
Make sure your trailer doesn't have any leaks over your bed area.... I use to caulk my old trailer but the new "spray on stuff" you see on TV and can get at Wally World actually works great and you can get it in clear so it doesn't look bad if you happen to spray it over the edge some.
An ice chest with goodies.
Take some extra shaving in case it rains and your horse happens to be living in a mud hole.... won't dry it up but will help make it less of a mess.
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Veteran
Posts: 113
| Tie out or.. I used step-in posts and some rope as a pen. But my horses don't test fence very readily.
I've slept on the dressing room flow of my trailer a few times.
If you don't have a freezer, forgo the ice boots and just cold hose instead.
Pack PBJ's, cold cut sandwiches, granola bars, fruit... you'll be fine for a couple of days. Eat at the concession stand.
If you want to shower, shower on the grounds if they have them. Or buy one of those bag camp showers and hang it in the back of your trailer.
:) It can be done. And is done every weekend by tons of cowgirls.
Edited by runaround 2014-05-14 3:42 PM
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | goldcard - 2014-05-14 3:35 PM Here are a few tricks we use to do when we use to rodeo "roughing it style". 5 gallon water jug, paint it black and set it in the sun.... makes for a nice warm bath. We would get two big buckets and soap up in one and then rinse off in the other. We later got a little RV water pump and would put the hose of it in the jug and made a "cowboy shower". It was way better than cold. I already mentioned the baby powder. Make sure your trailer doesn't have any leaks over your bed area.... I use to caulk my old trailer but the new "spray on stuff" you see on TV and can get at Wally World actually works great and you can get it in clear so it doesn't look bad if you happen to spray it over the edge some. An ice chest with goodies. Take some extra shaving in case it rains and your horse happens to be living in a mud hole.... won't dry it up but will help make it less of a mess.
Love these tips. Thanks!!
Anyone else?
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | goldcard - 2014-05-14 3:35 PM Here are a few tricks we use to do when we use to rodeo "roughing it style". 5 gallon water jug, paint it black and set it in the sun.... makes for a nice warm bath. We would get two big buckets and soap up in one and then rinse off in the other. We later got a little RV water pump and would put the hose of it in the jug and made a "cowboy shower". It was way better than cold. I already mentioned the baby powder. Make sure your trailer doesn't have any leaks over your bed area.... I use to caulk my old trailer but the new "spray on stuff" you see on TV and can get at Wally World actually works great and you can get it in clear so it doesn't look bad if you happen to spray it over the edge some. An ice chest with goodies. Take some extra shaving in case it rains and your horse happens to be living in a mud hole.... won't dry it up but will help make it less of a mess.
The bags of pellet shavings work awesome for drying up mudholes. Just stomp them in to the mud put a regular bag over them if you want. In an hour or so the ground will be almost dry. |
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 Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | Nateracer - 2014-05-14 2:40 PM There is nothing wrong with tying your horse to the trailer over night. There is also nothing wrong with not showering for 24 hours. Shower in the morning before you leave, shower when you get home.
I've gone to 3 day races without a shower because of the cold! No way I was getting my booty and head wet in 39 degree temps in a trailer! You can bet it was the first thing I did when I got home, but everyone else was dirty too. Who really cares? I'm out to barrel race, not win a smell good beauty contest.
We used to take a tent. Now we have a matress in our gooseneck, it has no living quarters, but we use a bale in a bag as a couch, and have a dorm fridge and microwave from walmart. We also have a cupboard. Like going from the Super 8 to the Comfort Inn! One day I'm going to move to the "Hilton" with real live living quarters!
We could haul together! Back in the day, none of us had living quarters. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I do it in a 2 horse bumper pull. I have a dressing room, but there's no ventilation and that concerns me, fumes from other campers/generators and it just gets stuffy in general.
So I sleep in the horse portion. I pick the poop and wet spots out, spread the shavings evenly but pull them away from the walls, then I lay a tarp down and lay landscape timbers along the edge to hold it down (helps prevent dust and shavings blowing around at night because my AC is the drop downs and open slats on the trailer!) Sometimes I'll spray a little water out of my water tank on them if they are the real dusty kind, I do that prior to hauling anyway for the sake of the pony.
Then I have a twin size memory foam mattress topper that we kept when we upgraded to a bigger bed, I lay that down, and then a sleeping bag on top. I keep telling myself to buy a cot, but I don't stay overnight much so this works for now. Luckily I've only had to do this at facilities with showers and such, but baby wipes and powder work just fine in my book - it's a rodeo not a fashion show! I stayed 2 nights like this at Lincoln for Bonus race and it worked out well, I figured I'd hurt like heck by the end of the weekend but I was actually very comfortable. We also installed a sliding latch up high on the back trailer doors so I could lock myself in since I travel alone. Pretty cozy little set up.
We have some pens that ride on the big trailer that are PVC and slide over step in posts, those are real nice. But most of the rodeo girls us electric tape and step in posts with a charger, or just tie their horses. Ours usually won't lay down in unfamiliar places, at least that's been my experience, and they don't seem any worse for wear if they don't. We tie them a little long so they can rest their heads lower, but not so long that they could sniff out a place to lay down or get a leg over the rope. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| Look up a Zodi Portable shower if thats a priority. I had one for years before the LQ. They use those little camping sized propane bottles and make INSTANT hot hot hot water!!!! I sold my LQ and LOVE roughing it again. |
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| If the ground has wash stocks for the horses you can put a pair of shorts on and wash there. rinse your body the best you can with soap and the hose and wash your hair. I always felt better if I could at least have my head washed. I would take t-post and make a make-shift pen for my horses. i used regular rope (but they were so gentle you could put lawn chairs in front of them and they wouldn't walk over them) if you are worried about the fence with rope you can also put the fence wrap (the orange stuff you see at some construction sites) on the outside of the make-shift pen. But really the pen is only good if the horse is calm and used to being hauled like that. As for me I would either sleep in the front of the slant or when I was pulling the bumper pull I would take a tent and sleep in it. i would buy the cheap dollar store mattress floats and blow them up and put my sleeping bag on top of it. better than sleeping on the ground. |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I only have a bumper pull. Ive slept in my truck and ive slept under the topper on an air mattress.
I've tied out or I bought 4 portable panels and strapped them to the side of the trailer resting on the bumper. Works great for overnight. Ive also kept my horse in the trailer in rainy weather. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | We rodeo all weekend in a dry gooseneck. Shower before you leave. Pack a cooler with ice. Being a gallon or two of water for brushing teeth, washing face. Sleep in nose of trailer or fold down back seat of truck and sleep there. Horses are fine tied to the trailer. Mine actually DONT stock up tied to trailer but WILL if stalled on concrete. Go out to eat dinner, pack food for breakfast and lunch and snacks. Hats/caps are your friend. We do this every weekend from May to Sept with 3 people. It's as close to camping as I'll ever get. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Love, love all the suggestions.
The shower part isn't a huge issues. I don't care about being stinky, but it's that "sticky" feeling you get when you are dirty. I can live with it though for 2 days. Baby wipes will work great though.
He ties really well. I'll probably just do that overnight. And make sure to walk him frequently throughout the two days to keep the circulation going.
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| Go,to camping world get you a tent that will srrap to your trailer. Get you a cowboy shower or eith make you one in the horse stall, with a pump and a ag tank that you put in back,of truck. I have seen a couple of people that use a tent the kind that unfolds and has screened sides and can sleep in trailer or use a couple bales of have and tarp. Then put your matress toppper on it. Go to,the big shows and look around. I have a lq and let several people use my shower and a lot of places actually have goood,showers. But overnight if you are clean when u leave and go home next day unless it is 100+ degress you can live without a shower.when i was younger i hqd a 2 horse with a dressing roon it was small i slept in that in a sleeping bag a bunch of times. I had long straight hair and no one knew i did not shower. I brought a lot of food bought 1 meal at the concession stand.
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 Ms. Marine
Posts: 4642
Location: Texas | I sleep in the truck and leave the horses tied out to the trailer or in the trailer, depending on the weather. |
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 Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | goldcard - 2014-05-14 3:35 PM Here are a few tricks we use to do when we use to rodeo "roughing it style". 5 gallon water jug, paint it black and set it in the sun.... makes for a nice warm bath. We would get two big buckets and soap up in one and then rinse off in the other. We later got a little RV water pump and would put the hose of it in the jug and made a "cowboy shower". It was way better than cold. I already mentioned the baby powder. Make sure your trailer doesn't have any leaks over your bed area.... I use to caulk my old trailer but the new "spray on stuff" you see on TV and can get at Wally World actually works great and you can get it in clear so it doesn't look bad if you happen to spray it over the edge some. An ice chest with goodies. Take some extra shaving in case it rains and your horse happens to be living in a mud hole.... won't dry it up but will help make it less of a mess.
does anyone know the name of this stuff? |
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| Flex Seal? |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7551
Location: In The Land of Cotton | Kgirl - 2014-05-15 8:18 AM Flex Seal?
Yep - it's in the "as seen on TV" section. I think I also saw it at Dollar General and maybe Lowe's. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | My trailer only has a mattress with a few cabinets/counter. I use the arena showers and stall if possible. or tie out. The horses survive. :)
I do have a propane heater, but no A/C. Battery powered fans are your friend. Also, baby wipes. And a cooler. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Wow, this thread is wesome! I only have a 2 horse slant BP, and I never imagined it would be do-able to stay with at overnight shows... nobody tell my husband.. I'm still hoping for a weekender package someday! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| I stayed in my truck at a 3 day show last month and am going to one this weekend. The only difference is I am staying in my trailer this time. I plan on bringing my panels and keeping my horses on grass this weekend rather then sticking them in stalls. They aren't used to being stalled so being "out" will be better. Luckily the facility has showers. But Ive stayed in a tent before and not been able to shower. The wash rack was my friend :) I bring a cooler and eat at the concession stand too. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I very rarely buy stalls for my horses and the only time all year I get a hotel room is for rodeo finals when you're there for 3 days straight.
My horses are all used to being tied out overnight, but I don't tie them very short. In fact, Chance laid down one night at Lincoln and was completely comfy. That said, I make sure to tie them long at home and hang out to watch what they do and how they react if they step over a lead rope before I do it overnight. Joker and Chance are both old pros and if they step on their lead rope they will stand there and nicker until someone comes to untangle them. It was very nice last summer that I very rarely had to tie out because I was usually within a couple hours of Matt's place and could take them there after rodeos so they were turned out in a familiar place.
I try to take each of them for several walks and I always give them the opportunity to roll, whether that is in a warmup pen or another dirt spot that I can find. My horses LOVE to roll.
I rodeoed one month in 2011 by sleeping in the backseat of my pickup and tying my horses out or one night I put them in the stock pens that weren't being used at the rodeo arena. My trailer now is a gooseneck with a dressing room and mattress in the nose. I've hauled a generator and run a heater, but in the summer I've just taken battery powered fans and scrimped on sleep it was super hot. I also try to park in the shade so the trailer isn't a total oven!
The travel panels are great but Matt's horses got their heads through the panels, picked them up off the re-bar he had anchoring the pen to the ground and went two trailers down to visit with Becky's horses one night at Lincoln, so the panels aren't perfect if your horse is pushy. I will never ask for panels for Chance because he'd be GONE in 10 minutes. He has to push the limits and he'd end up moving the panels all around the rodeo grounds. lol. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 964
Location: Alberta, Canada | I slept in my mega cab for a few years before we bought our lq (last fall). I would pack a cooler with my food and lots and lots of blankets. Was tough, but helped me to save for our trailer. And I definitely appreciate my lq alot now! Feel like im in the hilton every trip out ;) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | Portable toilets are your friend!!! 
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | r_beau - 2014-05-14 3:00 PM Nateracer - 2014-05-14 2:40 PM Now we have a matress in our gooseneck, it has no living quarters, but we use a bale in a bag as a couch, and have a dorm fridge and microwave from walmart. What did you do to get electrical in your trailer for the dorm fridge and microwave?
I can certainly live off foods that don't need to be refridgerated or heated for 48 hours, so it wouldn't be a necessity. Only thing that would be nice is to have a freezer of some sort because I do like to use ice boots on my horse after a run (that I normally keep in a cooler). Not sure if I could get them to "re-freeze" by just dumping new ice into a cooler (if it's really hot out) although he could go without for one day.
Any recommendations on a portable electric fence? (or at least the source, I can get the wire and posts myself) He is used to electric fence and respects it so that wouldn't be a problem. I would just really like to give him the option to lay down .... although who knows, he might not lay down anyway.
I got my electric fence and step-in posts from Fleet Farm. I bet any Runnings or TSC would have them as well. I have the yellow/black electrical tape. It works great! We cut it down so we only need to haul with enough to make a nice sized pen instead of the entire roll. We do have a battery powered charger but it is probably 10 years old and isn't very reliable anymore. It hardly ever turns on anymore. We tried new batteries but still no luck. So now since we do have a LQ we purchased a small plug-in charger.
Freeze lots of water bottles or I re-use Gatorade bottles and fill them with water to freeze. That way when your ice melts at the end of the weekend you have some nice cold water and nothing in your cooler gets wet and soggy.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 356
| If they respect an electric fence, I would say that would be your best bet! We have a small fence charger that hooks up to a battery - vehicle or lawnmower type. We would set the battery on the ground, hang the charger from the trailer jack handle, and use a tent stake or an extra electric fence post as a ground. We've used it at home too when we rotate the horses around to give pastures a break. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | This year, I haven't used our living quarters trailer because of fuel mileage, ability to get in and out of places, and only hauling one horse. We put a carpet down in the front of our stock trailer and have our cooler, saddles, hay, etcs. in there. Hubby is a saddle bronc rider so he can put all of his equipment in there without fear of it getting rained on and has room to stretch out before going to the arena.I have small children so the portable potty is a MAJOR convenience with them. I am only hauling one horse to rodeos so he has the back half of the trailer. He can remove his own halter and any other horse next to him so I usually leave him on the trailer at night. I was worried what people would think of me for that, but they would think worse of me if I knowingly tied him up and something happened. He lays down, eats, and drinks fine in there. I have been able to put a bucket of water in when we leave and he can drink going up and down the road. It has not spilled and is usually still holding water when we arrive. I grew up in a rodeo family where my three sisters and I slept in the back of a suburban taking washcloth baths and eating out of a cooler every weekend. It was a GREAT childhood. Sometimes convenience doesn't always make the memories or appreciation that roughing it does! |
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Expert
Posts: 1409
Location: Oklahoma | Or buddy up with a friend with a nice living quarters like I do! lol. We take my rig which is alot shorter than hers on the barrel races close by and no sleepovers. On the sleepovers we take hers. Figure as far as wear and tear should average out. (hopfully :)) ) |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 408
| Just Bring It - 2014-05-15 11:58 AM r_beau - 2014-05-14 3:00 PM Nateracer - 2014-05-14 2:40 PM Now we have a matress in our gooseneck, it has no living quarters, but we use a bale in a bag as a couch, and have a dorm fridge and microwave from walmart. What did you do to get electrical in your trailer for the dorm fridge and microwave?
I can certainly live off foods that don't need to be refridgerated or heated for 48 hours, so it wouldn't be a necessity. Only thing that would be nice is to have a freezer of some sort because I do like to use ice boots on my horse after a run (that I normally keep in a cooler). Not sure if I could get them to "re-freeze" by just dumping new ice into a cooler (if it's really hot out) although he could go without for one day.
Any recommendations on a portable electric fence? (or at least the source, I can get the wire and posts myself) He is used to electric fence and respects it so that wouldn't be a problem. I would just really like to give him the option to lay down .... although who knows, he might not lay down anyway.
Freeze lots of water bottles or I re-use Gatorade bottles and fill them with water to freeze. That way when your ice melts at the end of the weekend you have some nice cold water and nothing in your cooler gets wet and soggy.
Now, why I did not think of that!? Awesome idea!!!! |
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Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| I've been wondering if those $300 ice chests that keep beer cold for 3 days would keep ice boots frozen? Do any of you use one?
For some sleep I just recline the front seat of my truck and put my gun beside me.  |
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Veteran
Posts: 204
Location: North Louisiana | I got a weekender with a porta potty, cowboy shower and sink. When I camp I heat water on a propane stove take a sponge bath in sink ( it drains on ground, gray water) Baby wipes or Porta potty is nice! before that used a bucket with kitty litter for middle of night emergency. I tie my horse They don't mind I make sure to fill haybag at night as full as it goes or he will just bang it while I try to sleep!
My favorite hot weather food is making pasta salad to eat, it packs well. Cold weinies and cold saukraut is awesome too! Cold weather warm soups or chili up on stove!
It does not take much to be comfortable! Just have fun!
Check out Horse Trailer Conversions on Facebook, awesome ideas on everything on horse trailers from roughing it in a bumper pull or stock trailer to the fanciest rigs!! |
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 Certified Snake Wrangler
Posts: 1672
Location: North MS | I had a 3H slant with a 2' short wall. My husband installed basic electrical that consisted of a male end outlet running out under the trailer nose and the wiring on the inside ran to the shortwall where the tiny breaker box was. The goal was to later put a cabinet there and it would cover up the box and wires. We spray foamed the interior and that made it a lot cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I had towels for curtains over the windows. Carried a cooler. I had an LED plug in light set I hung across the back slant for lighting that I plugged in. Over the weekends I had enough room to step inside and change/undress before hopping up top into bed.
All of the places I go to for overnight events do not allow tie outs. So that isn't an option for me. Last year I upgraded to an 8' shortwall with living quarters and I am thankful every time I use the fridge, microwave, sink etc. LOVE IT! I only have one trailer so it goes to every show. I'm constantly improving tiny things like the the side marker lights that were in rough shape (that took some extra long rivets btw!). I found out that the wire UNDER the trailer had broken and wasn't re-charging my generator battery (I bought new wire and ran it just this past weekend).
But if I were you- I would add a basic electrical system so you could run a basic extension cord and have a fan or light. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | I have just recently started going to shows within the past few years, but I am not new to horses or "roughing" it. What we used to do when we did weekend camping trips was we would put up a portable electric pen. I bought all my stuff at the local farm store, step in stakes, electric rope and a small charger. And for us we packed coolers with ice for our stuff, but I made sure we had non perishable items to eat on, like chips and granola bars. For sleeping I went to walmart or Kmart (can't remember which one) and I bout bag cots. They are just cots that are designed like the bag chairs and a roll of the astro turf carpet from lowe's and a large roll of hanging screen mesh. I put rivets in the screen mesh and would hang it by zip ties from the sides of the stock combo trailer so the bugs wouldn't get in at night and eat me up. I'd pick the floor the best I could and then lay down the outdoor carpet and set the cots up over that. It was actually pretty nice for roughing it. And the hay bales I just set up the unused ones as a "couch" so we could just set if we needed too. As for showering, I can't tell you how many hydrant showers we have all taken in the past. I think we even found a creek a couple of times and just bathed in it. LOL!!! Sometimes just washing your hair is enough to make you feel clean. And of course we used baby powder to make us feel fresh and clean. But nowadays, I'm so thankful for my LQ trailer, but me and the girls always giggle about how we used to have to camp. The joys of making memories  |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | love2ridepre - 2014-05-15 12:20 PM
Just Bring It - 2014-05-15 11:58 AM r_beau - 2014-05-14 3:00 PM Nateracer - 2014-05-14 2:40 PM Now we have a matress in our gooseneck, it has no living quarters, but we use a bale in a bag as a couch, and have a dorm fridge and microwave from walmart. What did you do to get electrical in your trailer for the dorm fridge and microwave?
I can certainly live off foods that don't need to be refridgerated or heated for 48 hours, so it wouldn't be a necessity. Only thing that would be nice is to have a freezer of some sort because I do like to use ice boots on my horse after a run (that I normally keep in a cooler). Not sure if I could get them to "re-freeze" by just dumping new ice into a cooler (if it's really hot out) although he could go without for one day.
Any recommendations on a portable electric fence? (or at least the source, I can get the wire and posts myself) He is used to electric fence and respects it so that wouldn't be a problem. I would just really like to give him the option to lay down .... although who knows, he might not lay down anyway.
Freeze lots of water bottles or I re-use Gatorade bottles and fill them with water to freeze. That way when your ice melts at the end of the weekend you have some nice cold water and nothing in your cooler gets wet and soggy.
Now, why I did not think of that!? Awesome idea!!!!
Milk jugs work just as great too!!! :) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 928
Location: Bigfoot Country | I saw someone had mentioned the hammock, I want to try this! Also, a 5 gal. bucket with shavings in it and put a toilet seat on top for a porta potty. works great!
Best bet....get to be friends with someone that has a LQ!! lol |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Am I the only one that goes pee in the trailer?!
Oh and tip for tying horses to the trailer overnight: take your lead rope, and thread it up through the throat latch part of the halter. THEN tie your horse up. That way the lead rope doesn't hang down and your horse won't step over the lead rope and get in a wreck. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | hammer_time - 2014-05-16 10:47 PM
Am I the only one that goes pee in the trailer?!
Oh and tip for tying horses to the trailer overnight: take your lead rope, and thread it up through the throat latch part of the halter. THEN tie your horse up. That way the lead rope doesn't hang down and your horse won't step over the lead rope and get in a wreck.
I do all my business in the trailer if there's no bathroom... I sure as heck wouldn't clean a bucket out.
We recently sold our LQ because I'm not going anywhere other than local since I have one, soon to be two children under two... But even when we had it - my husband had to poo in the back, because just because. :)
Your tip about the throat latch/lead rope is GENIUS!! |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | My best memories is when I traveled with a pickup and a two horse tag along. I would trade my LQ's days for those in a heartbeat. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Nevertooold - 2014-05-17 11:20 AM
My best memories is when I traveled with a pickup and a two horse tag along. I would trade my LQ's days for those in a heartbeat.
When I was in HS, all our rodeos were 2 days and sometimes in towns lacking a hotel. Great memories eating gas station beanie weenies and sleeping in the truck. Not many LQ trailers at that level back in the day...I think there was 1 family that had one in our association. My, how times have changed! (And I'm as spoiled as anyone LOL) |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I remember when I bought a used 3/4 sleeper and thought I was in hog heaven. Those were the days. |
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Location: midwest mama | Shoot - I hauled to Pro-Rodeos forever in a Ford Bronco and a 2 horse pull trailer. Had a piece of foam I put down in the back of my Bronco and a sleeping bag. And a big canister of "Handi-Wipes"........LOL. I did have a little portable corral that attached to my horse trailer.
Those were the days.......lots of fun and good memories! |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | nuevocowgirl - 2014-05-16 7:04 PM I saw someone had mentioned the hammock, I want to try this! Also, a 5 gal. bucket with shavings in it and put a toilet seat on top for a porta potty. works great! Best bet....get to be friends with someone that has a LQ!! lol
I had to do that once when they locked the bathrooms at night due to vandalism. I lined it with a trash bag then put shavings in then shavings over the top! |
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Expert
Posts: 1956
Location: Ky | r_beau - 2014-05-14 2:29 PM Does anyone do it? And if so, what's your tricks?
My biggest concern is what I would do with my horse in case I can't get a stall at the race. I don't have any portable panels for the trailer. I could jimmy-rig a little pen with some small posts and wire or string, but honestly I'd be scared he would walk through it because it wouldn't be electrified. I feel really bad just leaving him tied to the trailer overnight because he would not be able to lay down, or I guess I could put him inside the trailer. He'd still have to be tied because I have a slant load and I wouldn't want him to get "stuck" trying to turn around, or panic.
Ideas?
For myself, I can try to find a hotel room for the night ... but I would only do that if I got a stall for him. I'd never leave him tied to the trailer with me not there. I can throw an air mattress in the gooseneck of my dressing room. And then just "redneck it" (that means no shower!!).
So just curious if anyone else has gone to a 2-day barrel race without a living quarters and what you did.
In over 40 years of showing our horses were tied to the trailer at every overnight show we went to except for the Ky State Fiar every year. They were the only place where we had stalls and that was because they make you buy a stall.
That was with LQ trailers and without..
And that wasn't just us. It was everybody. A few people would use picket lines but most just tied to the trailer.
Only the last 10 years of showing did we have a living quarters. I don't know how we managed before the LQ. I would not show today without the LQ. Even if it was just our own bathroom and AC.
Edited by jd&ez 2014-05-18 10:46 AM
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 Making the post season
Posts: 7288
Location: your guess is as good as mine | Another thing that works is a bedside commode - put a large (scented if you want) trash bag in the bucket, then put some kitty litter crystals in it. The crystals dehydrate any waste so there's no odor...when you leave just tie up the trash bag and throw it in the nearest dumpster/trash barrel or throw it away when you get home. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | I rough it just like everybody else, camp in my trailer and keep a weapon close by if I'm in a shady area. As for my horses they all high line so I either tie them up to the trailer or high line them between my trailer and a tree (if I'm lucky) or a friend's trailer. Works great for them because they can move around some but not get away and my big nappers and lay down |
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Overnight barrel race without living quarters?