Horse Trailer

[lupinfarm]

We're going to look at a used horse trailer. The owner has sold her gelding and is getting out of horses (she's an older lady). The trailer is quite old (probably 70s or 80s) but she says it's still useable, and the floor is okay. It still has plates and clearly has been used recently for a standard sized horse (Quarter Horse). She wants $750 for it. We're going to look it over today, and if it's really useable, we'll probably buy it. We're desperate for a horse trailer, we have nothing to transport any animals in and I would love to pick up a donkey or small pony for Luna but without a trailer, going to the auctions is a real pain because you have to beg someone to trailer home for you and pay their insane prices.

It'll need to be painted, and it needs to have the top doors replaced (it's a rampload) with metal ones as right now she has a wood bar instead of the doors.

http://belleville.kijiji.ca/c-ViewA...tatic.com/cps/kj/090910/124r3/5678378_18.jpeg

It's probably going to need new tires too, but we'll see! With plates, it has to have been safetied recently.

 

[ksalvagno]

If the trailer is from the 70's or 80's, it looks to be in pretty good shape from the picture. Hope it works out for you.

 

[miss_thenorth]

You'll want to make sure the floor is good. Check it out real well-but for that price, even if you have to put in new wood, and new tires, i think it is pretty decent. We just bought a gooseneck two-horse with changing quarters for $1000. It needed new tires, and hubby resealed the roof. Horse trailers need to be safetied every year.

 

[lupinfarm]

We didn't end up getting it. The floorboards were rotted and it had some rust and a flat tire, it would have been fixable but in the end my mum was a little put off over the story of why it was for sale, the owner was being charged with FRAUD.

 

[ksalvagno]

Yeah, I don't think I would buy if the owner was charged with fraud. Who knows if the trailer is stolen or something. Hopefully you will find another trailer.

 

[lupinfarm]

Haha yeah. I'm more concerned with getting a round pen than anything. It would be lovely to have a horse trailer, because the best prices on horses that are trained and untrained around here are at the auctions, but you either need to know someone or have a trailer. The Claremont auction would be okay because Garrison who is out of Napanee goes there and could/would trailer back for us, but I'd like to go to Selby and I don't believe he goes to that one.

Dad gets paid again soon, so we are going to start building up panels for the round pen. The place we are buying from has a "hobby roundpen" for $115/panel. We're going to start with 5 panels I think, and keep adding because they are always available, year round. We have bursts of money, not large chunks so forking out $2000 at one time is not going to happen. But we can afford $400 or $500 at a time.

 

[ducks4you]

We are on trailer #2--both steel, 4 horse. The next one will be aluminum, but NOT because we can't pull it--we haul a gooseneck, 4 horse slant-load with a 2007 Dodge full ton Cummins diesel doolie. We're just tired of the rust and find ourselves spending more time sleeping in the front overhang.

I was going to mention check out the floor, but I guess you did. Our first trailer did NOT have a sealed floor. We pulled up the steel lip, and pulled out and put in our OWN floor after only 3 years. I think we sealed it, like 4 times!! Also, we had overloaded our first trailer, and stock 4 horse, straight load and damaged the axles. Then, while travelling out west one of the axles was bending, and our tires started smoking. The garage where we stopped couldn't fix the axles, so they pared off the steel that was rubbing against the tires. We got to the Black Hills, SD, dropped off our horses in camp, and drove the trailer back to Rapid City to a horse trailer place to repair. They replaced the axles and put heavy duty semi-type shocks on--GREAT ride after that! (Only charged us $300.00 for that, some 20 years ago. They wouldn't take more--I was SO grateful!!)

IF your trailer doesn't have mats, you can put it stall mats--you know, the cattle mats with the buttons, so you actually take them OUT again. My horses travelled much quieter after I went from small mats that JUST fit them, to mats which completely covered the floor.

Best buy for a trailer is a stock trailer, like the one you looked at. They are great to use as a moving van, too!! If you're worried about dust and debris, put fly masks on your horses.

Bumper hitch trailers follow better with the correct hitch. Ours had sway bars, but find a lot that specializes in horse trailers and they can recommend what's best and least expensive for you.

What they DON'T tell you when you buy is what happens after you blow ONE tire and are riding on the spare. We have TWO spares, one on each side. And, yes, we have had to use both.

Buy a Trailer-AId
http://www.trailer-parts-forless.com/trailer_aid_jack.htm
and have it LIVE in you tack room. It is definitely the safest jack because you roll the other tire up onto it and it holds the entire weight of horses and trailer safely.

WRAP YOUR HORSES LEGS!!!!!! (At LEAST, consider using shipping boots that cover the entire cannon bone AND pasterns.) I have seen firsthand what happens without a wrap. Fortunately, the horse who was injured did it unloading at the vet, but the skin was ripped almost all of the way to the bone. I have used cheap quilts and the cheapest polo wraps. Much better to replace those than permanently lame your good horse.

If your horse is very tall, consider a head bumper, as well.

Do NOT ever load your horse without attaching the halter to a trailer tie--WITH a quick release. He could be nibbling from the floor and you hit the brakes and he can't balance himself--any NUMBER of different injuries could occur.

If you get a trailer with windows that open out DO NOT leave the windows open while you travel. Remember the old saying (for kids): "Don't stick your elbow out too far---it might go home in another car!"....yeah

We had to learn ALL of our trailer lessons the hard way, that's why I've shared.

 

[lupinfarm]

I've loaded and trailered before so I know all the safety measures with horses We always buy the best purpose made shipping boots and shipping equipment we can afford. And I have ALWAYS no-matter-the-height put a head bumper on my horses. Even my like 10 hand pony wore a bumper on the way home! ... Which reminds me.. I had better measure Luna for shipping boots as I might get Trevor to trailer her over to his place this winter to take advantage of his indoor arena if she passes her vet exam this week.

Unfortuantely there is no chance we will ever be able to buy a new trailer, just too expensive for us, so we'll be looking for a good used trailer. We're looking to pay up to $2500 (eventually, obviously don't have that cash right now!). It's a reasonable amount, we looked at a 2 horse bumper pull that had only had 2 owners and a built in tack room not too long ago that was in EXCELLENT condition and the owner wanted $2500 for it.

 

[miss_thenorth]

We are on trailer #2--both steel, 4 horse. The next one will be aluminum, but NOT because we can't pull it--we haul a gooseneck, 4 horse slant-load with a 2007 Dodge full ton Cummins diesel doolie. We're just tired of the rust and find ourselves spending more time sleeping in the front overhang.

I was going to mention check out the floor, but I guess you did. Our first trailer did NOT have a sealed floor. We pulled up the steel lip, and pulled out and put in our OWN floor after only 3 years. I think we sealed it, like 4 times!! Also, we had overloaded our first trailer, and stock 4 horse, straight load and damaged the axles. Then, while travelling out west one of the axles was bending, and our tires started smoking. The garage where we stopped couldn't fix the axles, so they pared off the steel that was rubbing against the tires. We got to the Black Hills, SD, dropped off our horses in camp, and drove the trailer back to Rapid City to a horse trailer place to repair. They replaced the axles and put heavy duty semi-type shocks on--GREAT ride after that! (Only charged us $300.00 for that, some 20 years ago. They wouldn't take more--I was SO grateful!!)

IF your trailer doesn't have mats, you can put it stall mats--you know, the cattle mats with the buttons, so you actually take them OUT again. My horses travelled much quieter after I went from small mats that JUST fit them, to mats which completely covered the floor.

Best buy for a trailer is a stock trailer, like the one you looked at. They are great to use as a moving van, too!! If you're worried about dust and debris, put fly masks on your horses.

Bumper hitch trailers follow better with the correct hitch. Ours had sway bars, but find a lot that specializes in horse trailers and they can recommend what's best and least expensive for you.

What they DON'T tell you when you buy is what happens after you blow ONE tire and are riding on the spare. We have TWO spares, one on each side. And, yes, we have had to use both.

Buy a Trailer-AId
http://www.trailer-parts-forless.com/trailer_aid_jack.htm
and have it LIVE in you tack room. It is definitely the safest jack because you roll the other tire up onto it and it holds the entire weight of horses and trailer safely.

WRAP YOUR HORSES LEGS!!!!!! (At LEAST, consider using shipping boots that cover the entire cannon bone AND pasterns.) I have seen firsthand what happens without a wrap. Fortunately, the horse who was injured did it unloading at the vet, but the skin was ripped almost all of the way to the bone. I have used cheap quilts and the cheapest polo wraps. Much better to replace those than permanently lame your good horse.

If your horse is very tall, consider a head bumper, as well.

Do NOT ever load your horse without attaching the halter to a trailer tie--WITH a quick release. He could be nibbling from the floor and you hit the brakes and he can't balance himself--any NUMBER of different injuries could occur.

If you get a trailer with windows that open out DO NOT leave the windows open while you travel. Remember the old saying (for kids): "Don't stick your elbow out too far---it might go home in another car!"....yeah

We had to learn ALL of our trailer lessons the hard way, that's why I've shared.

Really good advice for anyone new to trailering!!

 

[ducks4you]

Unfortuantely there is no chance we will ever be able to buy a new trailer, just too expensive for us, so we'll be looking for a good used trailer. We're looking to pay up to $2500

I did a quick search and came up with this site:
http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/home/searchtrailers.asp
I'm sure there are more. Please check locally--do you belong to your local farm bureau? Contact them, anyway, because people are still getting out of horses and selling their trailers because the economy's not better, yet. There was a 2-horse stock for $1,185.00

Also, keep checking your local paper--maybe's it's online, like ours is, so you can check the classifieds that way.

Good luck!