Hi all. I'm new to the forum. I have just recently started looking for my first trailer. The sheer array of different style's, brands, weights and safety issues have my head absolutely spinning. The thing I seem to be most stuck on is the whole steel, aluminum, steel shell with aluminum skin thing. Obviously every dealer site says their's is the best, so I'm in need of some nice impartial opinions. The other thing I'm lost on is which type provides the most safety if the worst ever happened and we had an accident. My horse is my one and only boy. I'd rather have him in a gas sucking tank that can withstand a collision with a semi rather than a tin can that's going to kill him if we so much as hit a squirrel. Happy medium would be nice, but I simply have no idea of where to go with this.

My horse is a 16.2 TB. He weighs a little over 1100lb. I'm looking for a straight load bumper pull with a small dressing room. I'm thinking I need a 7'6" tall and at least 6' wide. I just need a trailer to take him to our daytrip outings to shows and trail rides. Most of our trips will be less than 30 miles, probably no more than 60. I don't have a truck yet. I have found a few 1/2 ton pickups that are rated to tow around 8,000lbs. I figure I'll find the trailer first, and then get a truck that I know can do the job. I live near the coast, so I'm not sure if that narrows down what type of metal I should be looking for due to corrosion that salt can create. I live in Connecticut. I don't know if where I am in the country eliminates any particular brands. I'm hoping to stay under $10,000. I found some stock trailers that would give me more bang for my buck, but they don't look nearly as safe for the horse in a crash.

Any and all knowledge is greatly appreciated. I've already read every thread on here for the past 20 pages, and I'm still lost. Brand recommendations are welcome as well as anything I should just plain steer clear of.

There's a few I could afford at new. One is the Equisport by Equispirit. It's a 2 horse stock trailer with dressing room for under 10K. I'd love to buy new, but just don't know enough about stock trailers to know if I should even be looking in that direction.

I could get into a lightly used Hawk for about the same price. It has the rumber floors which I think are fantastic. No matts, and no wood floors to rot. The thing about the Hawks is they are all steel and heavier as a result. I see a lot of Hawks at our local shows. I'm just not sure if steel is a good idea. I'm paranoid about rust.

What about Featherlite? I see quite a few of those around here. Are they good trailers or are they the aforementioned tin cans?

Hawk has a steel frame with aluminum skin, so do the early "Equispirit" (Hawk built the Equispirit trailers.). Here's a clean Hawk, two horse bumper pull, dressing room, 20 year "Rumber" floor, ramp, cool one piece fiberglass roof, well under $10K, etc... From the picture it looks almost new. If I were looking for my "first trailer", I sure wouldn't be afraid of a Hawk. (Looks like they may have used the "new pictures" to post this ad. Don't believe some of the pictures in the ads, some may be misrepresenting the trailer. I doubt there's ever been any manure on that floor at the time this picture was taken.)   http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/home/trailerdetail.asp?ID=239524

Here's a Hawk trailer review from Mr. Truck... http://www.mrtrailer.com/hawk.htm

Here's some Mr. Truck reviews from several mfg's....  http://horsetrailerreview.com/

If money were no object, I would purchase a new, "all aluminum" trailer. Who's the nearest dealer to you and what brand do they sell?

I went back and read the ad again. It says..

 "PICTURES ARE OF IDENTICAL TRAILER BUT TRIMMED IN BLACK INSTEAD OF PUEBLO GOLD."

These are not the pictures of the actual trailer.

I have no problem with a used trailer. I'm just a little uncertain of what to watch out for.

The dealers nearest to me are the Hawk dealer and the Featherlite dealer. I think the latter is all aluminum, but I hear they are pricey. Beyond that, I'd have to go up to Maine to Wills to see other brands. I wish that equine affair was in the spring. My timing is a little off I guess.

I read somewhere that I should not get rumber floors if I have a horse who paws. I guess they can rip through it fairly easily?

This is my personal testimonial for Rumber floors.  We have a two horse straight load with Rumber flooring.  A few years ago we had a three year old 17 hand gelding (he's older now and is 17'2, but still paws) who had the bad habit of pawing constantly in the trailer and way too much in the barn.  He was in training for over a year in a location 250 miles from us.  We are particular about farriers, so every 6 weeks or so we hauled him round trip to have his shoes reset.  He pawed every mile of the way for many triips.  Bedding was always hock high when you opened the door.  You wanted to stop the truck, run back there, tear his leg off and beat him to death with it.  Yes, I know he should have been taught to stand with hobbles, but the pitiful attempts we made scared us so much we gave up.  The point is, the Rumber floor shows no signs of this mistreatment, and it sure would be reasonable if it did.

When I order trailers for inventory (we are a dealer) I always order the Rumber floor if the manufacturer offers it.  I think it is the best thing since pockets on a shirt, and one of the most useful options that can be added to a horse trailer.  No more mats to struggle with, dragging them in and out.  It is a great idea especially for women who use and maintain their trailers mostly by themselves.

End of lecture.  Check out www.rumber.com.

Hi, I'm your local Featherlite Dealer. We're located in Northford, which is only 10 minutes from New Haven. I have new and used Featherlite's you can look at. It's often helpful to actually see and go through the trailers to help you decide what you like and what you don't like. We are a very casual dealership with a 'no pressure' attitude. I would be happy to show the differences in all the things that you have questions about. Or, if you'd rather stroll the lot on your own, your more than welcome. In any case, we're here 8-5 Mon - Fri, and 8-2 on Sat. Feel free to stop by or give me a call for directions. Thanks!  www.thetrailerdepot.com