In the current market, probably not, especially considering they have the 2024s on the lot (and if there are only two, I’m guessing inventory is tight). In the past there would often be that past-year trailer hanging around on the lot that would get marked down.
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Next year’s trailer now is just a marketing ploy as really we are just starting the second quarter of 2023… should just say they 2025 or 2026s as that makes them much more futuristic
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This trailer does not have a front escape door.
But yes, she clarified that it has a butt chain.
A window works just as well, in that case.
Mine has stock sides, no escape door at the horse’s head (escape is into the dressing room).
I do exactly what @Montanas_Girl described up thread: put horse in trailer, close the back door, then reach through the stock sides to tie them. Sometimes I leave them loose, but I don’t like doing that in a bumper pull.
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@FjordBCRF - that’s a beautiful trailer! Glad that the workmanship and materials quality is so obvious. Nice choice!
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This is what I used to do with previous trailers - tie through the drop drop windows or the air gaps. But, several years ago at one of the World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, I purchased some Safe-T-Ties at the Kensington booth.
Since then, I use short rope leads kept tied with a quick release knot to these Safe-T-Ties which are fastened to the metal tie loops on the trailer. These leads have triggerbull snaps that can be quickly attached to the horses’ halters as they are loaded (and the longer lead they were led with removed at that time, to be kept in the truck during transport). When unloading, I put the regular lead back on the halter, and unsnap the triggerbull snap.
This keeps me from having to reach through the air gaps on the sides of the trailers to tie the horses. Never had a problem doing so, but I can see how it could go wrong.
My trailer has heavy metal rings on either side at the very back of the trailer’s interior. These can be used to hold a heavy covered butt chain, similar to what is shown above in the 4 Star, although I installed a heavy cotton butt rope instead. I almost never bother to stretch that across the opening, as my horses load easily, immediately dive into their hay bags, and don’t attempt to disembark.
Back when I had a GN combo stock with two rear doors, I would often leave my horses loose in the trailer. They’d invariably position themselves facing backwards, at a slant. If I ever have another long haul, I’ll probably do the same with my current GN trailer, and fasten the butt rope.
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In my career I was a sales rep to the horse (and RV trailer) industries. I learned that on a horse trailer, there is about 20% markup from the dealer code to MSRP. So, on a 25k trailer, anything off of MSRP is a nice discount, but don’t expect huge discounting unless there is something else at work - a buyback, default, demo.
RV/trailer market has hit the breaks hard, so dealers may be more motivated to move inventory moreso than two years ago, but there’s not a ton of play in the pricing - especially if you want something built to order.
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Super info, thanks! Is there any advantage to paying cash? I was initially thinking of putting down about half and financing the rest, but it seems that the interest on the loans is at best 8%. My credit score is excellent, but that’s pretty high at a minimum. Glad I have a couple days to think through things.
Pardon my trailer learning curve here; what is the advantage to leaving them loose in the GN vs the BP? More stability? Or safer?
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Auto dealerships get an incentive for financing a deal, so sometimes there’s some wiggle room in those. RV dealerships can get some financing incentives depending upon which bank/programs/volume they have.
So it depends on the dealership you’re purchasing from, but don’t expect a ton of wiggle room.
Horse trailer market has stayed stronger than the RV market as of late, so there’s less incentives for trailers compared to RVs. IMHE.
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A gooseneck trailer is inherently more stable than a bumper pull. A horse moving around in a bumper pull, especially at a higher rate of travel, can create a “tail wagging the dog” scenario that is unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. Especially if the trailer is being pulled by an SUV or 1/2 ton truck vs a larger, heavier tow vehicle. So, I will let my pony ride loose when I’m going 5 miles down the road to my trainer’s place at a max speed of 40 mph but tie her if we’re going long distance down the interstate.
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As long as the partition is well secured (I’m guessing it is, but I can’t tell from the photos). My divider doesn’t have a good way to be fastened open, so I just took it out entirely.
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Nice ride! Congrats!
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It is! There’s a fastener on the wall for it and a clip on the partition.
Ok good, he really wasn’t a fan of how tight the partition was and not being able to turn his head. I’m going to work with him on that, but as long as I can tie him and give him more space to start, I’m going to do that.
Thanks!!
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I did this in my three horse GN slant load (not a stock combo) when hauling a mare a few states away to be bred (bit over 1,000 miles each way). The dividers in that trailer were too big/heavy to be practical to remove for a single trip. She was a very level-headed horse and did fine.
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