Housing Horses on the Rodeo Road
- November 26, 2018
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- Jenn Zeller
Posted in: Ask A Pro, Featured, Horse Care, Horse Supplies, Rodeo
I have spent plenty of time taking down, and setting up, small, electric (hot-wire), enclosures for my horses while on the rodeo road. They’re not entirely unhandy. My fencer is battery powered, lightweight, and small which makes it pretty easy to travel with. BUT…
When I was at the WPRA World Finals in Texas last Fall, I had a little extra spending money with me, and discovered, Quick Pro Panels. I was immediately sold. I’d seen and helped friends set up panels, that tenuously attach to the trailer (or each other), and spent plenty of time trying to get bungee cords to work for said panels (or any other number of measures). When I saw that these were much more like a cattle panel with chains to secure them to one another I was excited.
Even more exciting is that they’re made from a lightweight material. PLUS, they fold down to just over 5′ but expand to 9’9″ and due to their design you can attach them to your trailer with brackets. So, unless you’ve got a really restless four-year-old mare on the road with you (Shoutout to you, my girl, Cosmo — Dx And The City) that might take a run at them because it’s her first trip away from home, they house my rodeo horses just fine.
They literally take about 7 minutes to unload and set up, by myself. And another 7 or 8 to put them away. Total set-up and take-down time, 15 minutes (AT THE MOST!). Hello, Speediness. I cannot set up or take down hot-wire that quickly (and have you ever been somewhere that the ground is so hard you can’t get a post to go into the ground? — I have!). And because they’re expandable, they can fit into the front stall of my trailer a couple ways. I can put them through the escape door and turn them on their end, or leave them lengthwise on their feet. Either way works, depending on what I’ve got stuffed in that front stall. If I ever hauled with a partner, they’d be super easy to get up to the top of the trailer too (because they’re so light), but I’m always by myself so my 4 horse trailer is only ever a 3 horse.
I usually only make one big pen, because I typically just haul two geldings around that already live together, but since I’ve added a mare to the mix once in a while, I can also make two pens if I’ve got her and one gelding with me. If I have three horses with me, as of now, I have to get that pesky hot-wire fencer out again! With another set of five panels, I could make four pens, or two small pens and larger pen (you know, for the horse that brings home the bacon!) or three larger pens. The combinations are endless — at least in my imagination.
I couldn’t keep the good news to myself any longer and I’m really hoping Santa brings me another set (of five panels, Dear Cowboy of mine) for Christmas. They’re priced very reasonably, and if you have a business to ship them to (with a skid steer to unload them) shipping is pretty inexpensive! They’re so worth the money, I can’t even really begin to explain it to you but I’m hoping you’re sold enough to check them out on Facebook. I’m going to have at least 3 horses with me on the rodeo road at all times all next year (in various combinations), and I need more panels. Just sayin’!
Happy Trails and Happy Travels!
Jenn
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Posted in: Ask A Pro, Featured, Horse Care, Horse Supplies, Rodeo
About Jenn Zeller
Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western. After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her...