Trailer Shopping?

4/13/2016

Kristin and Jennifer, two riders that I met at Horse Expo Pomona in February, recently asked me about my experiences hauling a trailer. They were interested in what I liked or disliked about my own trailer. I was flattered that they thought I had anything useful to share which got me thinking that others might be shopping or looking for their own new trailer.

While I am not an expert, I do have almost 16 years of trailer ownership under my belt. I’ve owned two trailers, both of which were gooseneck trailers with living quarters. The first was a two-horse, and my current trailer is a three-horse.

First Trailer

Current Trailer

If I were to buy another trailer, the most important thing I would consider is my next horse, not the horses I have today. I have had Arabs for so long that I never considered I'd ever own anything else. Arabs are smaller horses; they fit anywhere. Now that I've owned two non-Arabs, I've realized that I may end up with a mini or a Clydesdale next. Who knows? Not being able to buy a horse because he won't fit in your trailer would be kind of a bummer.

I also discovered that with my two-horse trailer, I could never bring both of my own horses and a friend. Having more stalls than you need allows you to develop new friendships.

With that, piece of advice #1 - Buy bigger than you think you need.

He fits, but it's close. (photo from last summer!)

The second thing I would consider is whether I wanted a gooseneck or a bumper pull. I really wouldn't have to consider it as I REALLY like a gooseneck. I am not switching to a bumper pull any time soon. A gooseneck is super easy to back up and much more stable on the road. I do a lot of highway driving and go over a steep pass at least monthly, so road stability is important to me. The downside is that I lose storage space in the bed of the truck while hauling. The ball does flip down into the bed, so when I disconnect, I still have full access to my trailer bed.

The size of your truck will probably dictate whether you get a gooseneck or a bumper pull. I am not sure I'd feel safe pulling a gooseneck if I only had a half ton truck. Piece of advice #2 - Only pull what you can pull safely, but keep in mind that goosenecks are easier to control.

Ford 4x4 F250 Super Duty with a Triton V-10 gas engine

I’ve always had a step up, so I don’t know how I feel about ramps. When I was hauling to endurance rides, we often parked in pastures and places with uneven footing so I worried about the stability of a ramp. If you’re always going to park in a level area, a ramp is probably easier for older horses and those with less experience.

I've also only had slant loads. In my first trailer, I took out the single divider, and in this trailer, I took out the rear divider, leaving the front one in place. I like to give my horses as much room to move around as possible. By leaving the front divider in place, I can can still keep two horses separated, but since I usually only haul one horse at a time, that horse can travel in the double stall created by removing the divider. As a bonus, Speedy, who is not a fan of backing out, can turn around with the extra room and walk out facing forward. Piece of advice #3 - Think about how easily your next horse will load and unload and how much room he is going to need.

3 Stalls or 1 Jumbo Stall and a Second Smaller Stall

Steel or aluminum construction is also something you should consider. My first trailer was steel while this one is aluminum. I thought it had some steel components, but after reviewing the specs, I discovered that it is all aluminum. Both have advantages and disadvantages. If you live somewhere much wetter than California, you probably have a preference.

The flooring in the steel trailer was wood while this one has a solid metal floor. I clean my floors throughly at least once each year, so I never had rotting boards nor have I found any corrosion. I think that if you take care of your floor, wood or metal, it should last a long time.

I actually got better fuel mileage with my slightly smaller but heavy steel trailer. The nose on the trailer was pointier and had more of a slope to the roof. This trailer, while only three feet longer, feels heavier and pushes a lot more wind with its blunter nose. I think my other trailer enjoyed a more aerodynamic construction.

Advice #4 - Choose your material based on your weather conditions and how much weight your truck can handle.

Blunt Nose - less MPGs

My old trailer had stock sides while this one has drop down windows with safety bars instead of screens. Screens scare me as a horse could get its head outside of the trailer.

Since I travel in all kinds of weather, I like that I can block some of the colder weather by snapping the windows closed. One thing I like about the drop down windows is that I can close one or two of them to block out some of the highway noise. I can slide the "bus window" open for ventilation, and I keep all of the trailer vents open. Speedy travels more quietly with his window up. The loud truck noise bothers him.

Piece of advice #5 - Ask yourself how much ventilation your horse needs.

I open the front and rear windows but leave Speedy's window locked closed.

Both of my trailers had/have a rear tack which makes the entry just like a straight load - narrow. The left door opens into the tack area while the right door opens into the horse compartment. Teaching a horse to load in my trailer is a bit tricky because the opening is not as inviting as it is when you can open both doors or a single large door.

Since length was more of an issue than a single door entry, I opted for a rear tack. Placing the tack room between the living quarters and the horse compartment can add several feet to the overall length of the trailer. At 27 feet long already, I wasn't interested in adding another 3 to 6 feet. If I wasn't going to add living quarters, I would definitely opt for a front tack room. And while I was doing that, I would make sure it had ample space. While my tack room isn't particularly large, the living quarters space more than makes up for it.

Whether you're simply trail riding or showing, having plenty of storage space for a cooler, chairs, and other comfort items is well worth it. A large tack room can also serve as shade on a hot day and an umbrella when it rains. Piece of advice #6 - Think long and hard about how much room you need for tack and human supplies. It's probably more than you think.

Tack room behind the left door, horse compartment behind the right door.

Overall? My advice when trailer shopping is to go for size. You just don't know what changes life will bring. If you're sure you only need a two horse, make it a jumbo two horse. Look for a trailer with a big tack room and roomy stalls. If you have more than one horse, get a three-horse trailer. You'll find more friends that way and have bigger adventures.

If you do get a new trailer, share pictures with me. If you already own a trailer, share what you like or dislike about it. And if you have a trailer for sale, share it! I know some riders who are looking.

SprinklerBandits

4/13/2016 07:14:40 am

Someday. :-)

Bakersfield Dressage link

4/13/2016 08:15:46 am

Maybe it will happen sooner than you think. :0)

Mia

4/13/2016 07:15:06 am

Long ago, I bought a trailer that had this beautiful big window in front for the horse to see out. It was a 2 horse, straight load, with an open area in front of the horses (chest bar, no manger). Big window in the front that let you see into the trailer from the truck. I bought the trailer specifically for my oversized warmblood cross because it was extra tall.

My big lug of a gelding could *just* reach the front window with his nose, and as we're driving down the highway he knocked the entire window out of it's frame. We had to duck tape the thing back on to drive home. And of course warmblood geldings... once they find a toy, they won't quit playing until it's destroyed. I had to sell the trailer. We never were able to secure it well enough that he couldn't knock it out.

I don't even look at trailers now that don't have really solid, *narrowly spaced* bars protecting ALL windows.

4/13/2016 08:16:43 am

I have seen those front windows - crazy story. That sounds exactly like something Izzy would try to do!

lytha

4/14/2016 06:49:11 am

I had one too but my horse couldn't reach the window. I loved how I could watch my horse through my rearview mirror. Eventually the window fell out on its own, and for a while I didn't replace it and imagined my horse's mane flying back as we drove along (but that's not really safe). Eventually I put a sheet of plastic up. I loved that window.

Jan link

4/13/2016 07:20:05 am

You have such excellent points! All are spot on and very important! My biggest thing: make sure you're no where near maxing out your truck's capabilities. It's not safe for anyone- you, your horse, and other people on the road.

When I was shopping originally, I had to go with a BP because I only had a half ton truck. I got to talk to Trainer about trailers, she basically said if you're going to do gooseneck, don't go smaller than a 3-horse (for hauling friends and resale purposes) She has a 4 horse with LQ, and we use her stud stall for storage- trunks, feed, hay- because storage in her trailer is limited with only the rear tack. Around here, with the amount of hills we have (nothing like the Rockies, but we spend a lot of time going up and down steep hills), if you're going to have a 3 horse gooseneck, you need at least a 3/4 ton truck that's suped up or a 1 ton dually.

My trailer was the right price at the time and we got an even better deal because it had a couple problems that my husband was able to fix in a jiffy (we did a private sale from Craigslist- the sellers were wonderful to work with). It's all steel which means husband can modify it however I want with bolts and a welder. It has a nice big tack room (for a BP), and I absolutely agree that more storage space is better! It is a straight load. I like straight loads better in smaller size trailers because I've always had "big" horses- I borrowed a QH sized BP slant for a season and had to stuff my 16.2 long bodied TB into it. Sorry Mikey.

My next trailer will have LQ, but that's so many years out that it doesn't even register on my radar. I know if I have a gooseneck I'll want LQ, so I'm not even messing around and doing it halfway.

Sorry this is so long, I love trailers and shopping and talking about them.

4/13/2016 08:21:17 am

I still like to look too because manufacturers keep thinking of new things! :0)

My trailer has a few other features that I didn't mention ... I LOVE my pass through door from horse compartment to living compartment. I also love to swing the tack room wall open once I am at a show. I just pull a pin and push the wall back. I also carry hay in the front stall, but since there is no stud partition, I don't put anything else there.

I loved reading your comment - trailer talk is right up my alley. :0)

4/14/2016 06:56:11 am

A pass through door - or no wall at all, is my priority because I want to be able to hang out with my horse - or groom and tack up my horse without going outside, if the weather is bad. My first trailer had chest bars and then a huge tack area, and I learned how to pack it without stuff falling into the horse area (really I can't accelerate that fast anyway). It was the best. I had a chair up there for just hanging out, sharing my lunch with my horse, while the rain pounded down. I loved it so much that when I upgraded to a 3 horse, I took it in and had the tack room wall cut in half (cut the top half off) and made it removable - the lower half would swing open so I could walk to my horse. I also took out the dividers and used it as a stock trailer, even with three horses in it. After having a ramp that was heavy (and I hated having my head at kicking range) I was so happy to have a step up!

You have my black/grey Weatherbeater cooler!

LoveLaughRide link

4/13/2016 07:25:57 am

You're first piece of advice is always my first advice as well. I've got a 4H GN Featherlite with dressing room. I was looking at 3H trailers but ended up with mine because it was too good of deal to pass up (and was perfect for me). I use all 4 stalls way more than I ever thought I would.

4/13/2016 08:22:21 am

I think I could probably fill up an 8 horse trailer. :0)

jenj

4/13/2016 07:31:42 am

We've thought a lot about going to a GN LQ rig, but have decided to stay with our 2H BP + truck camper primarily because of size:

1. Brego simply will not fit in a slant, unless it's an 8 ft wide option with 2 stalls. That means we'd need a 4 horse slant to haul everyone.

2. Our camper is 8 ft, plus the bed over the cab. To get a similar amount of space in a LQ, we'd need a 10 or 12 ft short wall. Add that to a 4 horse slant, and you're talking one big trailer.

3. We have to back our rig into our driveway, and we haul out a LOT. While i know GNs are easier to back than BPs, I don't want to have to back anything bigger than we already have... and as per above, we'd need a pretty big rig to fit everything.

I do love our straight load, because it's plenty big for Brego, I can pull out all of the partitions and make it a huge box, it's really well ventilated, I love having escape doors on both side, and a big tackroom is great. A ramp is also a must for me - as a teen, I saw a horse come off a step up, slip on wet grass, smash his head, and break both hind legs as he slid under the trailer. I still have that sequence in my head, and it's been almost 30 years. I realize that ramps aren't perfect, but In my mind they're safer.

4/13/2016 08:26:00 am

In the endurance world, this is a regular dilemma - LQ or camper? A lot of riders go the camper option because as soon as you add another rider in the mix, you need a lot more human space.

Early on, the LQ option worked best for me because I ALWAYS travel alone. Mounting a camper by myself is more work than I wanted to do, plus I have to store it. If you have your own property, that's a lot easier to do.

And you're absolutely right about having to back in 30 - 40 feet worth of trailer. For you guys, the camper is probably the best option. :0)

Austen link

4/13/2016 07:32:39 am

Totally realistic observations Karen! I have a half ton truck, so a gooseneck isn't really something I have a lot of experience with. That said, I have driven one and did find that it handled much better than a bumper pull. Especially if your horse tends to kick and travel "noisily" like mine.

I'd have to say that I am a fan of heavier and bigger trailers. They make much more sense when you have to haul in a place where you'll get passed at high speed by large trucks or deal with a lot of gusting wind. It's zero fun when the trailer is swaying around behind you, trust me!

One thing I want for my next set up? A rumber floor. I drool over those...

4/13/2016 08:30:19 am

I am not familiar with a rumber floor. I'll have to google it. The highway that I travel frequently is 8 - 10 lanes, carries TONS of semi-trailers, and is often quite windy (through the pass). I love my trailer for how steady it is even in windy conditions. While it's fairly large, it doesn't have a high profile which means I don't get bounced around. When we came back from a lesson last month, the wind was so strong that I didn't have to use my brakes as we descended back to the valley floor. Even with such a strong headwind (sideways at times), my trailer/truck never moved.

Hillary link

4/13/2016 08:40:30 am

When we were trailer shopping initially we were limited to smaller BPs due to having a smaller truck. After a few months we upgraded our truck to a 4x4 diesel F250 and I wanted a GN. At the time I only had 1 horse with no intentions of having more than 1... So we purchased a 4Star 2H straight. I personally do not like slants and didn't want something as big as a 2+1 or 4 horse head to head. Now that I have Houston back a 3 horse might have been nice to have but in the end I know that I wouldn't have been happy hauling something much larger than my current trailer.

I also have bars across the Windows, a swinging divider is a must for me with a green horse. I also need the dividers to be removable should I need to haul with a box stall for any reason. Aside from that a nice sized tack room is important.

4/13/2016 08:55:07 am

Good thing there are so many choice, huh? I think that where you live in the country probably helps guide our preferences a little bit as well. I do see a lot of two horse trailers here in CA, but with our more mild weather, I see far more stock sided 3-4 horse slant loads.

Olivia link

4/13/2016 11:28:56 am

We just bought a new trailer this weekend - just one year after buying our first trailer. I love my first trailer, which is a 2H straight load Hawk with dressing room. I love having side escape doors and the ramp is spring loaded so it goes up really easily. There are a million windows for ventilation and the tack room is pretty big. The only problem with it is my mule has decided she will only travel in a slant load.
So we bought a 3H slant with the plan to take the front divider out and make 2 big stalls. We specifically looked for ones without the rear tack as we wanted to have that open space for the mule to turn around in.
We added a camper top to our truck a few years ago. We can fit a full sized mattress in there with room to spare for storage. It's not as nice as an LQ, but it's significantly cheaper and we occasionally camp without the horses.
We added an equalizer hitch to our bumper pull and it really helps. It's not as easy to back up as a GN, but I now hate driving a BP without the equalizer. As we're also in a very hilly and mountainous area so I would not drive without one.

If anyone is looking for an amazing 2H slant with lots of upgrades, I have one for sale.

4/13/2016 12:50:10 pm

Campers are a great option, especially for two travelers. Since I travel alone, it was too much work for me to load a camper by myself which is why I went with an LQ trailer. My best friend went the camper route, and she loves it.

Speedy can turn around even with the rear tack because he's small, and I took out the second divider. He'll back out of my BFF's trailer, but hers is much lower to the ground. Mine has a pretty large step down, mostly for clearance when hauling in the back country. Thanks for sharing!

4/13/2016 02:13:04 pm

I'm not sure what you mean by loading the camper? We have to put clothes and food and such in it, but it's all the same stuff we'd have to put in an LQ. Everything else lives in the camper same as it would an LQ.

Bakersfiedl Dressage link

4/13/2016 03:02:54 pm

HAHAHA! So sorry. I am meant putting the camper on the back of the truck. That's really funny to think about it being too much work carry my stuff into the camper. I am lazy, but that's REALLY lazy. :0)

4/14/2016 11:28:11 am

We leave the camper top on all the time. It's level with the cabin, not one of the stand up ones. So there's no additional work for us.

SarahO link

4/13/2016 11:37:00 am

I have a steel, 2 horse, angle, step up, bumper pull trailer with stock windows and front tack room.

Here are what I see as the pros and cons of each feature:

Bumper Pull
I pull it with an SUV instead of a truck so a gooseneck wasn't even an option. (so no point doing pros/cons)

Two Horse
I have one horse myself, but I love being able to haul for a friend too. I also like having a trailer that is smaller and more manageable than a three or four horse.

Steel
Cons - very heavy trailer for it's size. Uses a lot of gas with my SUV, and my friend's truck can't safely haul it if it has two horses inside. Also minor rust, but not a huge deal in the dry climate I live in
Pros - super strong trailer. I have zero concerns about a horse busting any part of the trailer. Also, easier to make changes if desired (I got my brother to weld on an attachment so I can secure the divider in the open position). Also substantially cheaper

Angle
Cons - Can't unload just front horse - have to pre-plan who needs to get off first if hauling with a friend. Second position doesn't have a rear divider so need a second person to help with opening and closing rear door when loading/unloading
Pros - can easily secure divider in open position to have one big open space. This is a super great option for hauling an extra large horse, giving a horse more room on a long trip, or I've even used it for hauling big pieces of furniture. Also, easy for me to load one horse by myself because I can lead Kachina in and then swing the divider behind her (don't need to be at both front and back of horse at same time)

Step-up
Cons - sometimes harder to get a horse to load
Pros - sloped or uneven ground okay

Stock windows (mine are massive with bars through them)
Cons - Cold in the winter so need to make sure horses are dry and blanketed to haul in the winter. Also worry about debris blowing in during trip.
Pros - Makes trailer super bright and inviting so easy to load most horses. Really good ventilation so don't have to worry in hot weather. Finally, Kachina regularly puts her nose up to the window while driving and seeing a white muzzle in my side-view mirror gives me a lot of comfort knowing that she's standing and okay, especially on highways where I can't easily pull over

Front tack room
Cons - I can't think of any cons for front tack rooms in general, but I wish mine was sealed. Mine is open to both the elements (open stock window on door), and to the horse part, so I need to make sure I pack things where they won't be ruined by rain or urine getting into the area
Pros - huge, can easily fit all hay, water, tack and equipment for two horses and riders for a full weekend show. Can also double as a changing room if required

Other features
- the front of my trailer is completely rounded, that plus the open stock windows makes it a lot more stable in strong winds than more boxy designs
- size - even though my trailer is only a 2 horse, it is generously sized in height and length which is nice
- interior light - my trailer has a light inside that is connected with the headlights on the towing vehicle. This is an awesome feature for hauling at night. I wish there was one in the tack room too though
- price - I like my trailer, but I would probably have chosen slightly different features if all trailers were equal in price. My trailer was an amazing deal, both brand new when my parents bought it, and then years later when I bought it off them used.

4/13/2016 11:42:43 am

Forgot to mention, the pro of a slant load/front tack room where it is easy for the horse in either position to turn around to unload if they want to (which also helps take away the danger of a step up, as the horse can see where they are stepping down)

4/13/2016 12:46:30 pm

Thanks for the detailed comments, SarahO. Anyone reading what I wrote will definitely learn more reading your comment. :0)

One thing I miss about my old trailer was seeing a nose poke out through the slats. That was always so reassuring!

Carol

4/13/2016 01:26:46 pm

I have a Aluminum Classic 3 hrs gooseneck with what must be rumber flooring. It's not wood and it's not mats. It's very easy to sweep out and keep clean, I have the option of either a carpeted front tack rm or rear tack rm. I don't have living qtrs., but I can put my bed on the gooseneck area and it's very comfortable. And roomy enough for my camping gear. Most of my camping living is outdoors anyway, cooking and relaxing. The only thing I miss is the W/C. But it's a small sacrifice for the price. I normally only haul 1 large horse, and I clip the last swinging divider open, to give her a very large stall. I have screens and bars on the horse drop down windows, which can also slid horizontally to partially open.. It did come with a ramp, and I prefer step ups. On my old steel trailer, the ramp hinges would be the first thing that would rust. But some very large trailers have a huge step up, that I feel is a little unsafe when backing your horse out. I pull all this with a very basic 1 ton dually diesel flat bed...with roll up windows instead of electric, remember those? When traveling there is room for 3-4 bales of hay in front of the flat bed.
I agree, it is better to pull with an overkill than something that is underpowered and underweight. Too many people count on stabilizing bars when they really need a bigger tow vehicle to be safe. Stabilizing bars won't help you going down or up a steep incline.

4/14/2016 05:14:13 am

When I first started endurance riding, a friend hauled my hors and I paid for gas and brought all of the hay. At the time, she had a basic gooseneck with a mattress in the trailer's nose but no other amenities. We survived just fine although after the race, the tack would stink so bad that if the weather allowed, we'd chuck everything outside or at least move the pads to the horse compartment. :0)

Kelly

4/14/2016 02:58:05 am

What was Piece of advice #2? :)

In our country (South Africa), we hardly ever see gooseneck or slanted trailers, at least not privately owned. The big transport companies have lorries which are slants. I think I've seen maybe 2 goosenecks at competitions ever. We get three berth straight-loads and then slants for four or more. The slants are generally owned by the stud farms or big sales yards. Or a handful of very rich individuals ;)

And I don't think I've ever seen a proper trailer (ie, not homemade) that is a step-up and not a ramp. The ramped, straight-loads normally have a wider entrance than yours though - at least for the first horse loading. After that, of course there's a bum in the way on the one side ;)

4/14/2016 05:22:11 am

Oh my gosh - that is soooo funny. I couldn't leave it even though I rarely make edits. Thank you for pointing that out!

Trailering in other countries is SOOOOO different. When I did a week long riding trip in Ireland, we trailered to a new staging area a few times. Goosenecks are called swan necks there, which struck me as funny.

It also freaked me out be in the front seat on the left side while the driver hauled the trailer from the right seat - very disconcerting.

One of the days, the horses were loaded into an open roofed lorry. They walked up a very step ramp and loaded one horse facing left (parallel with the truck's cab) with the next horse facing right. I think they loaded more than 12 horses this way. By the time they got to the last horse, he had to step from the ramp into about a 6 inch space. I don't know how they got the rear gate closed!

It was a fascinating process. I've also ridden in a few other countries, but that was the only time I was involved in transporting the horses from one place to another.

Totally off the subject here, but my husband and I are considering taking an African safari in 2017 (we travel internationally about once a year). Any websites or advice you might have would be greatly appreciated. There's an email button near the top of my page. Thank you so much for sharing. :0)

4/15/2016 01:32:12 am

Haha no worries :)

You will love Africa. Its absolutely incredible. And there are areas where you can take a horse trial inside our national parks - I haven't been lucky enough to take one myself, but have heard that the zebras and giraffe herds sometimes come run alongside your horses. Breathtaking!

It of course depends on where you are going. Namibia is always a great option, but if you are coming down to Africa, you can't miss Cape Town ;) Some people come to South Africa and then move up to Kruger National Park or Namibia to the Kgalagadi.
Contact http://www.africatravelgroup.co.za/ATG/Welcome.html and ask for Daniela Mayer - one of my close friends. She'll be able to give you excellent advice!

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage