It really depends on how you use your trailer.  There is no question that the managers give you additional storage.  And in a trailer, you can never have too much storage.

But you give up some space inside the trailer.  Not a big deal if you never put anything but horses in the back, But if you ever want to haul a buggy or ATV's or?  Then having the extra width has it's advantage.

Most trailers with managers, require you to back the horses out. If you don't have managers, then it's easy to let the horse turn around and walk out forward. Most of the time, That's not a big deal. My horses all now how to load and back out of a trailer. But if you "Lift" you trailer, meaning add several inches to it's ground clearance, Backing a horse out become more difficult.  In my trailers that are lifted, It is much easier to walk the horse out forward where they can see the ground and judge how the jump out of the trailer. Even if it's been Lifted.  Going from a 15" bumper height to a 19" bumper height is a big deal to horse who is backing out and can't see where he is putting his foot.

I've never owned a trailer with mangers, but I can see how that storage space would be heavenly! A safe, organized way to carry supplies is wonderful.

On the downside, if you get managers you have to make sure you have a wide enough trailer. You've probably already noticed the difference between one trailer's slant space compared to the next. The 8' wide trailers normally have enough room for a horse to ride comfortably with mangers, the narrower trailers can just be too narrow. And studies have shown that one of the best ways to prevent shipping fever is to allow your horse to ride with enough slack in their rope so they can lower their heads frequently when traveling. Lowering their heads allows their nasal passages to drain. A horse cannot lower their head with a manger in front of them, no matter how wide the trailer. I would consider this a disadvantage, even though I've never had a horse with shipping fever and hopefully never will. I personally travel with my horse's untied, and feed off the floor in front of them. This allows my horses the complete ability to lower their heads, gives them more space and comfort when traveling, and allows them to eat with their faces not blowing in the wind.

I'm sure you'll discover that many people love managers and never have had a moment's problems. Likewise, there will be lots of people who don't like them. You'll just have to do your homework and go from there. Myself, while I would love the extra space I prefer to manage without them since giving my horse extra head space is essential to me. I am able to pack all the necessary "stuff" in my dressing room, rear tack, back seat in our crew cab, truck box or the front stall, so I'll survive without mangers.

Thanks for all of the replies.

Cowgirl H...good point about feeding hay on the floor, that is how we do it in the stall at home, can't do it in our stock trailer becuase we don't have slant so I had never considered that, we'd have trouble with a bunch of loose horses, but I can see how you could do it in a slant.

Also didn't consider the point about backing horses out of the trailer, ours will back out if necessary but I always like to turn and walk them out...just seems more natural to me and the horse seem much more comfortable stepping out than backing out.

So if I do get a trailer without mangers what are people using for storage space?  As I said before I like to stay very organized and one of the things that keeps it fun and non stressfull for us is to keep the trailer loaded, we have our show tack on there and doubles of most everything so when its time to go to a weekend show we will get horse washed and groomed on Friday night and sit back with a cold drink while everyone else is stressing about cleaning tack and loading trailers.  My daughter has two horses she shows so for the few shows that will be weekend shows it will just be the two horses and we can use the first stall for feed and hay, for the day shows we will be full with friends horses so that will not be possible, but also won't have extra hay and grain to haul.  If I stay organized  can we get a few tools. buckets, camping chairs, shovel, blankets, saddles, bridles, and misc in the rear tack.  Anyone mount any type of storage in the livestock area?  Any other ideas for extra storage?

In the previous trailer I used the plastic totes..one with camping gear, one with kitchen gear, etc.( all labled)

In my tack area ( and it is still this way)  I have a large grey plastic tool box for grooming tools ( very portable) ,one that serves as my Equine First aid box ( very portable) and another with the general everyday tools needed ( very portable)...which ever one I need, it is ready to go...which means every so often you need to re-stock, re-place, update, whatever it is you have used...works out GREAT

But I am so glad to be rid of the camping totes...everything is in its place in the trailer, neet and organized, no draggin totes in and dragging them out...YEHAW, lets go camping !!!

You asked what to do for storage without mangers, and I can tell you what works for me.

I have a 3 horse slant but almost never haul more than one or two horses. I use the front slant as my feed storage area (I don't have a stud wall there, but it would be ideal if you did) That stall has a door to it, so its really handy to reach in and grab hay and other feed from there. If you have a stud wall to completely divide things you can also haul your grain, minerals, feed tubs and wheelbarrel in that area. I don't do that without a stud wall so often my wheelbarrel rides in the back stall, and the grain in pails with snap-on lids in the truck.

I use my dressing room as a weekend package, so I do not store any tack there. I have a bar fridge, mirror, electrical plug-ins, water, paper plates and dishes, microwave, and bed in this area. I keep it always set up and ready to go, including storing my show clothes, boots and other details there. The only thing I don't keep in the dressing room is my cowboy hat because it can be damaged if it gets too hot, too cold or too humid. By doing this all the things I need are ready - this includes lawn chairs, blanket to wrap in if I'm cold, etc. In my opinion, the human part of showing is the hard part to pack for, I can manage my horse's stuff easier than me. As soon as I wash an article of show clothing it gets hanged back up in the trailer.

I use my rear tack to carry the horse stuff. I put extra hooks on the walls to hang everything from a garden hose, extension cord, rake, broom, shovel, etc. I have a small bag that I keep stocked with the necessary brushes and hoof picks so I don't have to pack them each time, I also have a stepping stool which stores my mane/tail supplies and doubles as my mounting block, this also stays in the trailer all the time. I remove my saddles and blankets after each show because I don't have doubles of them! In the rear tack I also have room for my water buckets.

I then store all my incidentals in large Rubber-maid type tubs, the ones with good snap on lids. I use permanent markers to write on each lid what is inside. For example, I have a "Western Horse" tub, which has all my horse's western show supplies - this includes show pads and blankets, splint boots, spare bit, etc. I have an "English Horse" tub, too, also a "Heather's Western" tub, which carries my people needs such as show boots, spurs, show chaps, etc and also an "Heather's English" tub. Lastly, I have a blanket tub, where i store stall blankets, slinkys, coolers, etc. These tubs can generally stay loaded at all times, after each show I wash or clean what needs doing, and then repack into the tubs. You can stack these in the dressing room when traveling, or in your truck's back seat. If you have really good lids and a heavy tub you probably could even store then in the truck box. I have a smaller pail with good snap on lid that carries my horse health supplies - a basic vet kit, Bute, a twitch, those sort of things, that can stay in your dressing room or back of truck, likewise I have a pail with my bathing supplies (squeege, sponges, shampoo) that stays in the truck. If you write on the lid you'll always know where everything is, and you'll know what needs to be refilled.

I have a 4 slant w/ LQ that is a totally open stock trailer. I have a 1/2 mid tack so that eliminated the need for a rear tack. I competed in carriage driving for many years and needed the full space for 2 carriages and a horse. If you are only carrying 2 horses, you can use 2 stalls for storage. I have never had a problem with sliding items and have traveled from Fl to Vt several times and many places in between. The trick is to pack the items properly so they will not shift. If you are very concerned about shifting items, have your stallion partition moveable so that you could put it in any slot. This way you could remove the first divider and place the full divider in the second position. This would give you ample packing space. Our stud divider is not a full partition but a piece that can be removed from the bottom. If you had something like this, you could just move that section of divider to another depending on how many horses you will be hauling. We have a side ramp for the first stall (front) so I can load my first two stalls from the side and pack the rear of the trailer. I can easily fit 9 bales of hay, my wheelbarrow, buckets, chairs, etc. I use the Softstore totes for my feed and put them in front of the wheelbarrow to keep it from shifting as well as tying it to the wall. The Softstore totes are waterproof and that 50lb of feed isn't going anywhere easily. I use rubbermaid totes for blanket items, etc as well. Now they have nice see through totes available and I think those are great as it makes things easier to find.

A friend of mine has a 4 horse that's completly open but has windows and can be closed up easily (as opposed to my stock sides). She doesn't want to commit to a rear tack so I suggested her hubby (my farrier, so very handy) make her a saddle caddy that could be moved anywhere in the trailer and secured. Then she won't have to commit to any particular set-up. We even discussed a zip-up cover for it.

I'm sure you will find many ingeneous ways of carrying your stuff and keeping it packed. Just use totes that are easy to manage so you can unpack them easily for day shows then just return them to their stall when you are back. Or if they are needed you can move them to the bed of the truck. I am considering mangers myself but don't like them for some of the reasons mentioned already. I love the flexibility of my open trailer especially if I start driving carriages regularly again.  

  i have the same situation, same questions about storage.  currently have a 3 horse with very large tack area (which we seem to fill up with lots of 'junk').  as much as i would like mangers, my current trailer is actually a 4 horse sized trailer, made for 3 horses.  we have large, 17 hand guys. one of which has to turn around and walk out.

  we don't camp, just do horse shows.

  i don't really want to get a LQ larger than 10' SW.  i looked into a mid-tack but to get one large enough, then the trailer is longer than i want/can haul.  i have been looking for a LQ trailer without mangers, tho, and they are hard to find.

  and i certainly can't call myself organized.  (i do like some of the ideas generated by this post, tho, and may try to incorporate some.  problem is, we are spoiled by the large tack area we now have.)

 i am wondering if anyone ever 'stores' stuff in the bathroom shower, or maybe that would be dangerous with the glass doors? 

 also thinking a hay rack is going to be a 'must', but how the heck do you get the hay bales up there??  (it is myself and two daughters going to the shows.)  i have seen some trailers with a hoist type thing attached to the side.  maybe that is a possibility...

 good luck with your decision. 

One thing we did in our holiday trailer that might work in your living quarters trailer is - add an extra pressure mounted shower curtain rod in the bathroom, over the tub. This works as an excellent huge closet space - we then hang our bulkier items here. When we want to shower we simply unhook the items, the extra shower curtain rod doesn't get in the way of opening and closing our shower. If you need more hanging space, this is an option. In our case we don't use our shower too often, anyhow, so often clothes can stay for the trip. Likewise, we keep our laundry basic and a few bathroom essentials in the tub. Otherwise we try to haul things in the area where they'll stay once we arrive. Makes things much easier.

I am not a huge fan of storing tons of extra stuff in the bathroom, etc, because eventually you have to move everything around once you're unloaded at your show. It seems i'm already too busy at shows, the last thing i want is alot of stuff that needs to come out of one place and be stored in another. So I try to haul stuff in the place that I will use it.

I like the suggestion that someone made about putting some hooks at the butt end of the front stall. I don't haul horses in that stall very often, so it would probably work. I've noticed that the heavy duty stickable hooks, such as those made by 3M, have a simple, slide off portion, basically you can remove the hook and just leave the flat base in place so you can slide the hook back on when needed. Something like that would work ideally in the front stall, because when i did need to use that stall for horses I could simply slip the hooks off and load a horse!

I am now physically incapable of lifting a bale of hay and carrying up a ladder. My wife could do it, but in doing so, I'm sure she could be hurt. Fortunately, we were able to use the front loader on our tractor to get the hay onto the roof, so much of the lifting process was eliminated.

However, climbing the ladder, untying and removing the tarp, pulling the bales to the side of the rack and dropping them to the ground, was not a comfortable event. We have not repeated the experience, and the front stall is much easier to access.

If you Google the hay loaders, you will find several styles and pricing. I think the least expensive good ones start around a grand.

Gard

I too store stuff in my shower but it is square and does not have glass doors. I had them mount a clothes rod high up in the shower and above our toilette and we carry our hanging clothes there. When we arrive at our destination, I move the hanging clothes to the back and hang them on the vent handle. This works very nicely and, as long as your vent doesn't leak, they are fine. I purchased those 'play mats' from Sam's that fit together like puzzle pieces. I use one in the bottom of the shower to protect it and keep things from banging and sliding. I put my chairs, tables and extra floor pieces in there. I sometimes just pack those in the back though so I can get to the shower easier.

I was looking at a new trailer with mangers but now I'm re-thinking that plan and may omit them. I can put that money towards something else in the trailer. We're thinking of selling ours at the end of the year. I hate to part with it but want to get a slide out for a little extra room in the LQ.

I love my managers and also my hay rack. I tie my horses so they can lower their heads. Most of the time they are eating from the mounted hay bags and cleaning up the reminants of hay out of the manager on longer trips. I also use the manager bunk to place a water bucket in while stopped for gas/restroom breaks on long trips.

The managers hold lawn chairs, level blocks, outside rugs, awning mat, step stool hoses and cords. Plus extra hay bags, manure fork, shovel and broom. I would suggest getting an access door under each window. Much easier to access items from several openings.

I use those nylon roping bags to hold the RV garden style hoses. One for fresh water and the other to drain the grey water away from the trailer or to bath horses with. The roping bags keep the hoses secure and tidy.

As far as the hay rack, I can hold upto 8 bales and use a front loader and tie rachets to secure. I use nylon hay bags for every bale. Being a small framed woman, I am able to manage unloading the hay one bale at a time by using a lead rope and lowering it to the ground. I have even pulled a 75 pound bale back up using a lead rope wrapped around the hay bag handles. This process works well for me.