Forget Bad Weather--Let's Talk Horse Trailers Instead
Even though battling The Weather From Hell continues to be at the forefront of my horselife concerns (we had a windstorm yesterday that was so powerful it actually scared me out of the barn and back to the house, for fear the barn roof was about to blow off), I've decided to enforce some personal mental hygiene and dwell on something more fun to talk about.
So the topic du jour is....
Horse trailers: Mine, yours, or the one you dream about. Why you picked it, what you love about it, and what you wish were different.
My trailer (shown here) is a 1999 two-horse Sundowner gooseneck, with folding rear tack space, and extended-floor dressing room that we use as non-LQ camping space. I bought it new, as my "finally-get-to-have-it" dream trailer, with profits from a reining prospect I sold. Still love it every bit as much as I did the day I drove it off the dealer's lot.
Why Sundowner? It's the brand I came to favor after touring hundreds of horse trailers at the various equine trade shows I attend. Just a personal thing, I guess, like why you picked the S.O. you did--but every Sundowner I walked through had a consistency of quality and a horse-friendly "feel" that seemed to fit me.
Why two-horse? Easy--because the truck I had at the time, a gas half-ton, couldn't pull a loaded three- or four-horse. (Especially not on the mountain roads in my neck of the woods--right, Mikey?)
Why no LQ? First, price--at the time, even the most basic LQ package would have tacked $10K onto what was already a $15K trailer. (You do have to pay for that aluminum.) Second, reality: Most of the places we go to do any camping or overnight-staying with horses don't have hookups--and if it's not warm enough to sleep outside without a heater, I'm not goin' camping anyway. Third, maintenance: Just didn't want to go there with LQ plumbing, heating, AC issues, and so forth. Fourth, multi-usage: With no LQ package, the whole front of the trailer is readily available for packing, storage, and hauling of all kinds of things, from building materials to household furniture. (Can't beat it for those serious antiquing runs, ladies.)
Favorite features: Love, love, LOVE the walk-thru door from the dressing area to the horse compartment. When we get somewhere, we unload the horses, clean out their area, and have instant walk-thru access to what becomes, essentially, a second room (makes a great indoor kitchen area, for example, or a rainproof party lounge.)
I also love the large, RV-style slider windows that let in plenty of light and fresh air. I've camped in this trailer for the better part of a week, and never felt like I was roughing it.
Wish were different: Had I known at time of purchase just HOW great this trailer's set-up is for camping, I'd have opted for the same trailer, but with a factory-installed roll-up shade awning.
There are times when the shade would be most appreciated. (I know I could do an after-market add-on, but haven't been convinced it would be the best idea to be drilling holes in what's proven to be a solidly rainproof roof.)
So anyway--that's my horses' ride. How about yours? If you have links to your trailers' manufacturers, or to other cool trailer-related sites, please share. I think it'd be fun for all of us to get to do a little vicarious trailer-touring while we wait for 2008 to end!
posted by Juli Thorson @ 1:34 PM
34 comments
34 Comments:
My dream trailer (not even dreaming very big) is a 737 Sundowner, for the very reasons you stated. It has a walk thru to the tack area and I could use the horse's area as a room. I like a straight load. It is small enough that I could handle by myself. I looked at this trailer, could not justify the cost and bought a stock trailer with slant load. Hate it. Every time, I use it I want the other trailer.
Thanks for the help in justifying why someone would spend five figures on a two-horse!
(It's not just a horse trailer--it's a multi-purpose lifestyle implement.)
I have an old three-horse Titan. It is not my dream trailer, but could very well be my only trailer and I like it for a number of reasons.My olf Titan is safe and solid. It's easy to hitch and un-hitch. The horses seem comfortable and willing to load.The doors are easy to latch. It pulls like a dream.
It's so funky and rusty looking I never worry about anybody stealing it.Or wanting to borrow it. When we camp on the Fair Grounds we never get charged over-night fees. Nobody can believe anybody would be living in there!
My trailer is a 2 horse Southland bumper pull. It was what I could afford when I was trailer shopping and was brand new.
It has a large tack area at the front, swing down windows with grills, a rubber "bumper" step at the back, stud divider (removable) and full door.
It hauls really easy, even when using our wimpy little truck. And is super easy to hook/unhook by myself.
When my bff and I haul for overnights we use her Dad's trailer. Its a 3 horse gooseneck by Kieferbuilt.
There is a walk-thru door to the horse compartment, rear tack, awning (after market add on - you should REALLY consider it Juli!) and her Dad also added a sub floor in the tack compartment so that when the horses pee it doesn't drain into anything that may be on the floor.
He also has finished out the gooseneck for camping. Laminate floors, mini-fridge, fans * outlets and a couple cupboards.
When we take it to our provincial finals we unload the horses and settle them first (of course!) but then we sweep & spray out the horse area. While that dries we park and start setting up camp.
The horse area becomes our closet/kitchen area with a piece of wood slid up top across the roof, extra bar fridge and microwave plus portable plastic shelving. Oh, and we cover the floor with a piece of canvas it case its not *quite* clean.
Now for dream trailers... if you want to really drool and wish you had major $$$ google Sundowner's Luxury Liner and take the video tour.
But I'd "settle" for a custom Bloomer. lol
My trailer is a '92 Circle J, 4 horse slant, bumper pull. I got a realy realy good buy on it 5 years ago, I love it! We put the camper on the truck when we go to E-team meets and have plenty of room for the horse, snd all the equip., ya one horse LOL it also has a 6' full tack in the front so it is long. It also has adjustable width dividers. My appy mare is not tall but she is wide, I have hauled her in two other trailers for long hauls going with friends and she gets a huge bruise on her butt, not in our own trailer, its wide and has plenty of room for her. Steel and rust is a big drawback a lot of maintenance. I still love it and the horses seem comfortable in it, its what I always wanted.
I rode Beau again today in 60 degree temps. I love a broke horse--he's not too far away from being schooling show ready. I washed his legs and tail today, clipped his long face hair, and spoiled him with extra carrots. Can you believe he'll be 8 in two days? And Tank will be 30!
You know my trailer, but for convo sake:
The trailer: 2000 factory-modified 2H Trails West Classic SE. Weekender LQ added in winter 2001.
Why I bought it: My old bumper pull Circle J Apache was too short, at 6'6", inside to safely haul my soon-to-be-huge paint yearling. I had a $10K budget, and managed to get this one ordered at an expo for a really good deal. At my price point, aluminum was out, unless I wanted to opt for bumper pull over my preferred gooseneck. I was also truck-limited, with a 3/4 ton Cummins.
Favorite feature: Toss up here. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the mid tack. It's so nice to have my gear in it's place at a show, and not have hay, grain, and hair strewn all over the LQ. The other feature is the added length. This is actually a 3H length. I had footage added to the LQ, mid tack, and horse area of a standard 2H to make it that length. Extra feet is an extra pair of hands on the road!
Feature I wish I had rethought: Width. My trailer is only 7 feet wide. If it were 8 feet wide, I think my 87-inch-blanket wearing mutant giraffe might fit in one stall. As it is, he takes up both stalls, making this the biggest one-horse trailer I have ever seen.
Dream feature I wish it had: An electric jack!
Next trailer: I've had two offers on my trailer since I moved to the Denver area. If I chose to sell it, I'd opt for a aluminum this time, 3H, with a weekender LQ that has a 6' shortwall (mine is 4'). But, to pull that off, I'm going to need to upgrade my truck to something like HI HO Silver first. That's becoming one darn expensive trailer!
I own a Hart, 3 H slant load, all Alum. With heavy Duty reinforced welding thru out, Electric Jack (added), Gooseneck, with an extended front Tack with a walk thru door, also has a small tack area in the back for smelly Blankets etc.
I LOVE this trailer, it pulls like a dream. There is plenty of storage room for all my Show needs and room to sleep if needed.
After all the shows and miles this trailer has seen it still looks brand new.
Another thing that is nice, is the head room for the Horses. 2 Of my current show Horses are over 16 HH and they have plenty of space, never had a loading problem with the door being extra wide.
If I ever have to buy another Trailer. It will be another Hart!
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And now from the other half...
I'm strictly small time and low budget. I have a 1970 stock trailer. I chose it because I could afford it and it does the job. It's big, wide and sturdy (the floor is 2" thick wood with a 3/4" mat) and it came with 5 new tires. This newbie was able to load 2 horses in it by herself, first try, this after being banged around trying to load them in a conventional 2 horse divided trailer (my App had never been in one). I like that I can walk them straight in and exit through the door. I don't camp and the farthest I've ever hauled them is maybe 20 miles. In the winter, it also serves as storage for 30 square bales. I'm sure someday I'll get another, but for now, I'm grateful to have it.
Leah, I know exactly where you're coming from, because I once relied on a homemade two-horse that was spray-painted orange. It wasn't mine, but the family that owned the barn where I boarded allowed me to use it when I wanted to take my horse somewhere. And like you, I was grateful to have it.
I pulled it with a 1978 El Camino, and slept inside its rear canopy when staying overnight.
The horse I was hauling ended up an APHA Champion. So it was really more about what was IN the trailer, than about what kind of trailer hauled the horse.
Haul on!
We have a 4 Star aluminum 4 horse slant trailer. It has a 7 foot dressing room with saddle racks. We ordered it with just one stud stall up front and then added three other gates. The gates can simply be lifted out to convert it to an open trailer. I can not tell you how much furniture, hay, equipment and other stuff this trailer has hauled. The only thing I don't like about it is the windows. Because of the cost we did not get the bus windows. We have the fiberglass panels which would be fine if they would slide. It is a pain to have to remove them when it is too hot. Other than that I really like the trailer. If we take the panels out we have actually hauled 6 horses in it. It is just so nice to have a trailer that we can use for a variety of things.
I bought my first NEW trailer three years ago, and it is everything I need in a trailer. (previously I had owned a 1943 KING brand with one axel! And the obligatory Circle J two horse with rusty bow front.) I bought a Charmac. It has a tack room, is triple walled and built with aluminum and steel. It is bigger and lighter than the Circle J and I didn't have to buy a new truck to pull it.( My current truck is a 95 Chevy 4x4 halfton, and it is really too light to pull much else. It's been beefed up as much as I can but my next purchase will be a bigger truck. )
The Charmac has drop down doors, is a two horse slant, has a swing out saddle rack and loads of room for my horse show stuff. The wheel wells are molded and covered, no sharp edges, all the external surfaces are smooth, so no halter can get caught on anything.It has exterior lights and interior lights for night time loading/unloading. I've never had a horse refuse to get into it. I love it!
I like my trailer because its paid off. It's not my dream trailer but it works. I prefer to spend my money on showing and horses opposed to having a nice trailer to drive around. I know too many people who have wonderful dream trailers who haven't been able to afford to show in the past few years.
IMHO - the judges don't see what you drive to the shows in - right?
So it has a hand pump sink - a skylight with a ceiling fan which I break it seems every year, a small fridge, a microwave, and a bed that is more comfy than the one I sleep on at home. I also have a little generator, battery set-up and propane heater - so I don't have to plug in if I don't want to.
I just wish it had a shower - most of the facilities we stay at for show have icky icky showers!
We have a 1999 Titan 4 horse with an after market wkend pkg. 24' on the floor. No, not my dream trailer but what I could afford & after 6 years, have redid the interior so it works for us - cozy and fun. Heavier than an aluminum, but pulls great behind my one-ton truck. My kids are getting older and not as interested anymore, so my next trailer will probably be a 3 horse. There is a local company who does the most amazing living quarters, so will probably have it custom done to what I know I would like. Things I can't live without:
~3 way refrigerator & my next one will have a freezer, too
~Walk-thru door to horse compartment
~Stud Stall
~Mangers
The awning used to be on that list, but with the portable awnings you can buy now, its not as important. I love the A/C, but most places we camp does not offer hookups, so it gets used very infrequently.
I also have a 2 horse 1994 Sundowner bumper pull that I love! It gets pulled 80% of the time I trailer. Its big and roomy for the horses and steel, so very durable. I had a trailering incident 2 days ago and I really am not sure it would have ended as it did if I were pulling a lighter load. (Details on my blog).
Good topic.
I agree, good topic. Very fun to read about and visualize everyone's setup. A horse trailer has to fit so many personal realities, from budget to tow rig, that there is definitely no "one rig fits all."
(I had one of those Circle J straight-load two-horse trailers. And really enjoyed having it for the period of my horse life that it fit.)
My trailer is a 1960's Miley 2 horse bumper pull--in fantastic shape for it's age, but most certainly not my dream trailer! Oh well. . . On the bright side, it helped my teach my BLM mustang to load, and since she hops right into it now, I have supreme confidence in her ability to load into any trailer, under any condition. It was great to come across your blog. I'm glad to talk trailers instead of bad weather for a change! I'm further south in Idaho, but nonetheless, my view looks remarkably similar to yours!
2004 Featherlite 8561 3 horse slant with 6.5 short wall. We are finnishing the living quaters ourselves. We have double insulated it and it has a/c plus a "chill-chaser" heater. Pulls like a dream behind my 2004 Chevy 2500 Duramas/Allison.
We did have the pass-thru door added and the front stall has the stud divider. Wish it had an electric saddle rach and a generator.
Happy New Year from
Jane&Jabber
Okay, sorry to be dense, but what do "LQ" and S.O. in your story mean?
LQ = Living Quarters
SO = Significant Other
Love the world of acronymns.
Sometimes I get lost in it all, too. :)
My trailer doesn't even belong to me, but I love it. It's an older Logan Coach 3 horse slant. The step-up isn't too high. It has a slider on the back door that allows me to unload new mustangs into my pen without having to swing the door wide. The dividers are removable, which is necessary for hauling wild horses. The full length divider between the tack room and the horse area can be swung out of the way and the saddle rack can be removed for hauling bulky items.
If I were to buy my dream trailer I'd have a hard time deciding. When I go to shows or trail rides I'm usually only hauling one horse, maybe two, but I'd also like to have a stock type trailer with the full divider in the middle. Doesn't make much sense to haul one horse in a trailer that big though.
We have a used 4 horse slant gooseneck that we converted into LQ in the front 8' and have room for 3 of our horses in the back area. We are for useability and not looks. Although we are fixing the LQ up. We have insulated the sides, built a wall between us and the horse area. We will put plywood on the sides and brand the walls with different brands that we know. We camp out with the fire outside and all. We have our bed up in the goose neck part. With a porta potty. Very useable and gets us down the road.
Girl, where you drive, a one ton or a Freightliner is required, with a fresh, very trustworthy brake job. I still can't get over the lack of guardrails!!! GAH!! I still laugh at how scared I was looking at that pass. You are incredible that you drive it all the time. Takes my breath away.
Well you've seen my rig, and the best part is that it's paid for. Structurally it's sound, needed work on the lights and new tires. Bout $600 we put into it. Plus laminate flooring in the DR. Since we've had it nearly 2 years and have yet to sleep in it, I'm glad I didn't get a full LQ. BUT, when I took it for horse shows, I was so glad to have a place to change, instead of shlepping it all to the rest room or changing in the trailer part. I hate to be far from my horses.
It's got it's kick marks, but I figure I'll surely haul another kicker in the future, so that doesn't matter. It's a 4 horse, which works perfectly. One for each of us and an extra, cause I always like to haul an extra horse who needs it.
Dream item, same as April, an electric jack.
Good subject, I'm always curious what other people have got. My neighbors bought a $50k rig, with a washer/dryer combination. One machine does it all. WAY Fancy!!!
We bought a new 1996 Sundowner with 6 foot LQ 4 horse. Love it. It is 8 wide and has a full stud divider that we use to haul hay and equipment. Love the shower which is constantly in use. Love the door between LQ and horse compartment. Have even used the back to sleep 4 extra people.
Would like it to be 10 foot LQ and managers would be nice for the extra storage. Would also want AC and a big fridge with separate freezer. An awning and a hay rack are two other things I would love.
Ours already has a furnace and since I event we never have hook ups and it can get cold so it is great it is warm inside.
Great topic. I have a 2horse straight load Kingston Windsor 1.5. it's a wonderful trailer to pull. My only problem is my new young horse who is being a problem when it comes to learning about trailering. great trailer for the human but the horse doesn't think so, yet.
I just recently got my dream trailer. It's a 2007 exiss sport, 3 horse slant, with LQ. It's all alum. xcept the jack and supports under the gooseneck. It has a seperate toilet and shower. I didn't like the idea of the toilet in the shower. Walk thru from LQ to stalls. I couldn't live without my awning and bulk water tank. Floor space in LQ is small but I don't spend much time inside.
I have read all of the comments about horse trailors, but am interested in knowing which kind would suit my needs just for hauling a couple or horses to local trail rides? Should I go with a 2 horse slant with tack room? What is a good price range? Any prefered color? I don't think I want to go with a gooseneck...need something easy to hook up to truck...Any preferred truck to haul horses? With the economy as sour as it is, I am surprised about the wants of the bloggers to have all of these extras. Thanks for your responses and help.
We started out with a new Circle J stock combo. It was a straight load with a middle divider. It wasn't kept under cover so rust was a problem. What I didn't like about that trailer was that the tack compartment was under the mangers. I banged my head once too often so the search was on for a different trailer.
We now have a Circle J 4 horse slant with a larch walk in tack room. Both of these trailers work well for us but sometimes I think the horses preferred the stock trailer. There are a couple of things I wish I had thought to get in the new trailer. One is a stud door and the other the stud divider. However, the slant load is big and airy with drop down windows and is a step up which I prefer for loading. The only equine that was hard to load was a donkey we rescued. He basically was lifted in shoved out!
I started with a aged 2 horse WW and a Ford Ranchero with a 289 in it. I was serously undertrucked but God took pity on us (and everyone else on the road). Defensive driving took on a whole new meaning.
Now we have a 1 ton Ford in front of a 34' GN divided stock trailer. We have to be able to evacuate the entire family in bad weather. We have hauled everything from dogs to furniture in this trailer. The open interior is very use full for hay and even smaller equipment. It gets in and out easier than you would think because of the GN hitch. The best thing on this trailer is the brakes! I love them!
This trailer would be better if it were lighter and had an over the hitch storage that was acessable thru the interior. The horses like an open stock trailer. I do too.
I just bought my dream trailer in September....thanks to the floundering economy!
It's a 2004 Dreamcoach, all aluminum 4 horse gooseneck with full LQ.
Not to bore you to death with details, here are the main things I love:
1. Dreamcoach brand~ like Hart & 4 Star, you simply can't go wrong buying QUALITY.
2. size~ absolutely AMAZING what a good conversion company can pack into a FOUR FOOT shortwall: fridge, shower, toilet, heat/Air with real temp controls, sink, burners, microwave, water heater, TV, am/fm cd, and cabinets.
This allows me to have all the comforts I wanted, while not having to lug a huge trailer.
3. Rumber Floor: Rumber is amazing stuff (stands for Rubber Lumber) Rumber is it's own mats, and is corrosion proof~ perfect for lazy butts like me who only want to unload their horses and then drag themselves inside after a long weekend.
4. Price~ under 20,000 and this from a dealer who also gave me a fair trade in.
Downsides:
1. This is the first LQ trailer I've owned, and must say it does add more work and stuff to worry about.
2. Last horse in has more room that most in a slant load configuration, but downside is that makes for a very small tack area.
Dream Feature I didn't get but wish I had: Electric Jack and stud wall.
Nice thread...enjoying reading about other people's rigs
Charla, sounds like a fabulous trailer for you. Enjoy!
Julie: What do you know about the old 3 horse straight loads? I am looking at one for renovation, because I want a straight load, but also want the width. Most people have never heard of one, but I think it would be great to redo it as an extra roomy two horse. I have a 3 horse slant load, but its way more than I need or want. I want mobility, and economy. Your thoughts will be appreciated.
I can't tell you much about the three-horse straight loads.
Sorry, wish I could.
Am considering a '95 Circle J Lagrande 2 horse ... any users out there wanna comment? THANKS!
I graduated from nursing school this past May and passed my rn boards in June. Last fall I told my hubby I am going to buy myself a trailer as a graduation gift and 40th birthday present to me. I traded my 3 horse Titan gooseneck on a new 4 horse Elite. My Titan had a 4 by 8 ft tack room that my hubby finished off. I had decided to have this trailer to have a 11 ft sq wall future lq area that hubby would finish off. We went with a sq wall because that way I could get my vis a vis carriage and a horse in. The trailer has the walk thru tack. I have a full divider in the first stall so I can use it for a mid tack. The rear tack collaspes. The dividers and saddle racks come out and can be moved around. Got an air conditioner and awning on it. Love it!
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