Pros.... 8 foot wide, or better yet, 8'6" or 102", outside width.

Cons.... Anything less than 8 foot wide.

All that stuff add to the interior of a LQ eats up alot of space. The LQ box you begin with needs to be as wide as possible. JMHO.

There's a little difference in being able to see down side the trailer. If you're used to pulling a 6 or 6.5 foot trailer, then you'll notice a big difference in being able to see. You'll need to extend your mirrors out or add some type of aftermarket mirrors,  7'6" -vs- 8', that's only 3" each side.... Not really noticeable. It's a little more money but the extra 6" added to the interior is a big bonus. Every little inch counts inside that LQ. Not that much added to the weight, if you're towing with a "short bed" truck you may need an "gooseneck hitch extender" for the trailer, that will move the wide trailer back and away from the truck cab when making tight turns...

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The resale is better on an 8' wide trailer. They are much more in demand than anything narrower. Just something to think about.

My "con" on the wider trailers is the inside fenders. It's where a horse has to put their hind feet. Unless of course, you've got a REALLY sickle-hocked horse.   in which case, maybe they can stand that way for long trailer rides.

When I'm using the LQ, I want one the size of my house. When I'm towing the trailer, I want a 100# BP.

I don't like towing the bulk and weight of an 8' trailer. I don't like the need for mirror extensions, a larger DRW truck, more fuel and additional tires. My family is three, and we are very comfortable in the narrower trailers. Given a choice, we will purchase a longer LQ than a wider one. Since we buy each trailer as a long term investment, the resale factor is of little importance.

At the many shows we frequent, a small percentage of the trailers are a full 8' wide, while the majority are narrower. On the rides my wife and daughter attend, I can't remember seeing any 8' trailers hauling to the trail heads, in fact few are wider than 7'.

You will probably be told by the proponents of the widest trailers, that their horses have more room. This area is a function of the length of the stall, based on the angle allocated for each stall. You can in fact, have a large slant load stall in a narrower trailer. It all depends on how the manufacturer allocates the available space.

Each person has his own needs. Mine do not include an 8' wide trailer.

Gard

Now you're talkin bout my Tennessee Walking Horses!!! We like them bent way up under there, hind legs! LOL!

OH, so you don't want them to practice parking out while being trailered? LOL...

I always feel bad for geldings that want to stretch out and PEE. And then mares that pee and have it splash on the fender. blech...  There's no way to keep shavings under their butt with those fenders.

Like gard says - just make the trailer longer - not wider.

I am a bigger is better guy!  I love our F350 dually diesel crew cab. Especially when she is hooked up to our LQ, that is the only reason I bought the truck, I have no daily use for it. It sits and waits to pull.

We installed the B&W turn over hitch.  I even bought the 4 inch drop back (used it once) No need for it.  Lots of room for our 7lb yorkie to stretch out in the back seat on long hauls. :)

It took me a long time to get to my dream rig. However I do agree with Gard we are big and small trail heads are tough.  Unfortunately with me I love the presence of the big well lit rigs on the back of a finely polished dually.  But eventually I will pick up another aluminum BP for the short runs.

Our LQ is 8’ wide and 7’6” tall.  I am happy to say the wheel wells do not pose an issue as our rig is a straight load.

Our truck has the short bed.  I have yet to see an issue with jack knifing yet I am always on guard.

The LQ of an 8’ wide and 7’6” trailer is unparallel to the standard wide trailers.  I think if I am to upgrade again in this life I will go with a slide out in a similar trailer.

Just ordered a custom aluminum box for the propane tanks (my wife has threaten to take my CC this winter)

I pull a 7'3" wide trailer and it works fine for me. Especially up forest service roads to remote trail heads.

I have a friend with a BIG Trailer.  It's 8' wide with double slides.  Is it more comfortable?  Absolutely!

We often meet in his trailer for dinner or breakfast. But load the horses in the smaller trailers to get into the trail for the day and leave his trailer on the asphalt some where.

Personally I would go with the 7'6" tall regardless of the width. I hate bumping my head while in the bunk. but I can live with a little less leg room between the cabinet and the couch.

My advice is this:  If you hang out around fairgrounds, horse shows, etc and in general rarely leave the pavement, you will have no problem with the difference between a 7'3" a 7'6" or an 8' wide trailer.  If you're like me and never attend an event that has a parking lot. The smaller trailers are a little easier to get around in remote areas. I've had to work really hard some times to jack knife a  trailer around to get turned around at the end of some roads.

I have found that the length of the trailer has more to do with getting around in small spaces than the width. Most trailers at horse camps and week long trail riding places are 8 foot wide. At horse shows I have attended it varies all over the place from BPs, to stock, to 7 foot, 7 foot 6, to 8. Trail heads for day rides has the same type trailer found at shows I mentioned above.

If you are going to be adding a LQ with a 10 foot short wall or larger I'd go with the 8 foot wide for resale value. This size and longer length would appeal to more buyers.

Although a long trailer is nice, you will most likely want to have a smaller trailer for day trips like to the vet etc. So keep that in mind when looking at the nice honkin trailers.

Also look into getting the dropped nose for more headroom in the gooseneck area. Is it just you that is going to be using the trailer? If so, you can easily get by with a trailer anywhere for 5 foot to 8 foot short wall depending on the amenities that you want. I really depends on your lifestyle and how ofter you are going to be staying in the trailer. A walk-thru door to the horse compartment and cam-latch on the rear door/escape door is a must for me for any LQ trailer - I use it as a mud room before going into the LQ.

I really notice a difference in LQ space between my 7'6" wide trailer and friends' 8' wide trailers.  Its amazing how much difference 6" makes.  I also notice a huge difference between my 7'6" ceiling and friends' 7' ceilings.  Love the extra 6" in the gooseneck so I don't bang my head on the ceiling sitting up in bed (and its alot easier to make the bed too).

Now in the horse area, I really like that I don't have wheel wells protruding into the horse area, and the 7'6" height is nice and roomy and airy, but a little bit overkill for me since I ride reiners and my horse is barely 14 hands tall.  I have to get up into the mangers to reach the tie loops (so I leave trailer ties permantly attached).

If I had to do it all over again and money was no option, I'd get an 8' wide, 7'6" tall trailer.  But I paid a little more than 1/2 (one year used when I bought my trailer) of what the 8' wide trailers were new at the time.  Yes, I found a screaming deal, right place at the right time.  So I live with the slightly narrower LQ and am happy with my savings.

I have to agree that the wide trailer isn't a show stopper getting in and out it is the length of these longer trailers that you have to watch the turn radius and the ground much more closely. 

It is sometimes a comedy show trying to move a long trailer a foot to the left in a small area.

My wife will get nervous when we are pulling up to a gate or entrance that is narrow when she is driving I always tell her if the truck can get thru the trailer will follow.

I gotta tell you, you just made me laugh regarding backing up.  We had tears in our eyes from our laughter for the first 10 or 15 "back-ups"  with the new 28' trailer.

A big Diff from years of being surgical with a BP.

BUT by the end of the season I was getting much better.  But I will be cursed that the longer wheel base makes the whole reverse affaire a challenge.

It seems to all be in that first cut and then recovering properly.

Sometimes I feel I should carry a chain saw and make my life simple.

Narrower trailer = better for getting into campsites when (dirt) roads are narrow.  Couldn't imagine spending the extra $$ for a wider trailer, only to scrape it on tree limbs along the route to ride camp.

To each his own, but I love the visibility and lower sales price offered by my slightly narrower trailer.  Interior LQ space... all depends on how the trailer is built up inside.