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New User
Posts: 3
| Help! I'm overwhelmed. I'm looking for my first trailer. I need a bumper pull and a tall, roomy trailer for my extra big horse. I'm hoping to use it for camping. I'm thinking about a 3 horse slant so I hve extra room for hay and water - plus plenty of room if I haul another horse. I live in the Pacific Northwest - land of rain and mud. How do you decide between steel and aluminum? Is there a big difference between brands? |
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Member
Posts: 34
Location: Amarillo, TX | If you go back a couple of pages in this forum, you'll find a thread entitled 'trailer brands'. In that thread, arlene21 does a very nice job of compiling a list of trailer brands and which grouping (best, above average, average) in the scheme of things many of the major brands fall. It does not represent all brands, but will give you a good start. Next you will need to start looking at them in person and checking things like the welds, flooring, stall size, over all fit and finish, before you will ever start narrowing down your choices. If you have the time to go to a horse expo (Western States in June is a good one), you can compare literally hundreds of trailers. Since you live in the Pacific Northwest, you will have easy access to Classic, Silverado, Logan Coach, Platinum Coach, and Silver-Lite. I believe some of those manufacturers are around that area. Don't let anyone rush you, do your homework, keep a good note book when comparing brands (I found that really helped) and of course, be open to good advice. If you find a brand you like, do a search via this forum and read old posts, you will find a lot of good information that is very helpful. This site contains a wealth of information, both positive and negative. Be sure to read Mr. Truck's horse trailer reviews too. He includes lots of photos, along with pointing out structural highlights of various brands. Good luck. |
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New User
Posts: 3
| Thanks! I really appreciate the advice. Do you know if there's anything special I should worry about besides space because of the size of my horse? (1800 lbs.) |
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Expert
Posts: 1723
  
Location: michigan | There was a gal in our area that showed a Clydesdale. She used a GN stock type aluminum trailer with a tack room. You can easily contract dealers and let them know what size your going to need. Personally, I'd go aluminum. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402
Location: Lockport, Illinois | You have one huge horse, at 1800 lbs. he must be extra tall, wide, and long. A standard slant load won't work for such a big horse. Most trailers are 7' tall and 7' wide, which won't work. Have you trailered this horse before? and if so what type of trailer worked best? I would also talk to other horse owners that have a horse similiar to yours, and see what they use. Do not rush into a trailer before you find out what works best for your horse. |
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Veteran
Posts: 112
Location: Columbus, Ohio | Wow, 1800 lbs. I have a large draft cross who fits well in the Logan XTR slant which is a 7' 3" wide trailer. There are very few 'large and long' slant stalls out there. I don't know how long your guy is but you might be better off with open stock or straight load! One thing I did which helped my decision was to literally lay out the dimensions of the stall on the ground with poles and 'walk' the horse into it- this helped me rule out several trailers! I'd also make sure whatever you get has a very strong/well supported floor!! I looked at several alum. floor trailers which were a 'sheet' of alum. and just seemed wimpy compared to the alum. plank flooring the Logan had. Rumber is another excellent alternative as the spacing of the support beams is closer and the composite itself will never rot. Good luck!!! |
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New User
Posts: 3
| I have trailered him in a couple different trailers. My friends have a Logan slant that's extra tall. He pretty much fits in the back stall but fills it up. The last response about the flooring makes sense - it's one of my concerns because he can be a foot stomper - and it's a lot of foot! I'm thinking of a three horse slant so he can take up the back 2 stalls. (I only have the one horse right now but hope to change that eventually.) I've also heard that an extra stal is really handy when you're camping for hauling extra food and water. Thoughts? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 648
Location: Coconut Creek, FL | I have a 2H BP trailer that is 7'9" and very roomy inside though I have never measured the width or stall length. I've had several draft horses and warmbloods in it and all fit just fine. It's actually for sale as I recently bought a 2H LQ trailer. It has the rumber floor which I love (wish my LQ had it). Since it's only a 2H you may not be interested, but I camped with it for the past 10 years. The DR has 3 brush trays, 2 blanket bars, 8 bridle hooks, a clothes bar, saddle rack, and all kinds of D-ring to attach bungee cords to. The Rear tack has 2 saddle racks and 4 bridle hooks. The horse area has 4 ceiling vents, drop down windows on the horse side, sliders on the butt side, padded dividers, ABS on the walls, and 2 fans to keep them cool. It's an extremely well made trailer - aluminum frame and fiberglass composite body (kevlar) they make army tanks out of this, but it looks like a normal 2H aluminum trailer, and also has a ramp. I need to post an ad, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I do agree that a 7' trailer just isn't tall enough and you do need to make sure it's wide and long enough as well. Good luck in your search. |
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New User
Posts: 2
Location: Ridgefield, WA | Trails West, see a dealer and tell them what you have for a horse. They are good with warrenty items. The aluminum trailers with cost too much for the amount of use with just one horse. Trails west 2 & 3 horse slants have a really good resale value here in the NW. I had one prior to my living Qtrs and sold it for more than I pd. good luck..... |
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Member
Posts: 11
| I've got three drafts, but mine top out at about 1600 lbs. I was pulling them, well two of them, in a "warmblood" sized 4-Star and they had plenty of room. I wanted a LQ trailer so I upgraded to a 4-Star 3H slant, BUT it's 8' wide. That extra foot in width was enough to make my horses fit comfortably in the slants. My biggest horse rides in the rear stall comfortably.
Yes, you are correct the extra stall is so useful for transporting supplies. Just try to find a "stud" gate for that stall which goes all the way to the floor (mine also goes to the ceiling) to keep all your supplies from going under your horse!
So to summarize, my guys (which admittedly are "small" drafts) do very well in a 8' wide, 7'6" tall 3 horse slant. If they were bigger though, I would have to go custom.
Edited by wookiee 2007-02-11 8:22 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309
Location: MO | You really need to talk to a few dealers with good reputations and describe your horse and your plans. Get several responses. We had a 16.3hh TB/QH who weighed 1400 lbs. We hauled him in the last two stalls of a 3H slat bp Hawk trailer. The poor guy just made it lengthwise. Not a problem with his weight. It sure opened our eyes as to looking hard at how a trailer fits the horse.
If you can, load your horse in any trailer that you are seriously considering. See how easily he loads and how he fits the stall. Can he get his head down? Can he rais it? Is he comfortable widthwise? If your horse balks at loading, keep looking. It's about the only way he will express his dissatisfaction.
I'd not consider anything smaller than a warmblood trailer. You might need a straight load draft horse trailer to accomodate him. |
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Member
Posts: 23
Location: Indianapolis, IN | Hi-Have you checked into Merhow Horse Trailers? They've been around forever, but alot of ppl have still haven't heard of them (including me until a couple years ago!) Anyways, they will custom build you a trailer any height/width/stall size you need. Its so great. I didn't know companies did that, but I found out at the MD Horse Expo Merhow custom builds them. They have an all aluminum trailer - the Verylite - its really nice. That's the trailer I pull (love it).I'm sure they have a dealer in your area - or can put you in touch with someone who can get you one. I called Merhow once to get an extra bridle rack for my trailer and they were SUPER nice.Anyways....hope this helps. They have a website. I think its just merhow.com.Good luck finding your trailer! |
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Expert
Posts: 1989
Location: South Central OK | When speaking of over-sized and long horses a straightload is best. I'd recommend a two horse straight with walkout doors on both sides with a big tack room. You'll find you've got more room than a three horse slant. |
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Veteran
Posts: 113
Location: Lyons Oregon | Try a Logan Trojan trailer. They are extra tall and extra wide. You can remove the divider or swing it over to make more room. I have two of them and one is for sale. I'm in Lyons Oregon. If you are not too far away, we can try it to see how it fits! |
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shopping for a trailer
