I say go smaller or buy two: DHs “go big or go home” dreamship and a two horse with a dressing room. Hitching up and hauling the monster trailer with one horse to trail ride or lesson is a pain. You’ll always worry about parking and turning around. And every friend and acquaintance will want a ride because you’ve got so much space. Many of my eventing and trail riding friends have a LQ and a small BP. Guess which one gets used more?
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I hate to harp on the Go Smaller for a trailer.
But maybe call a few of the places you plan to show or trailride & ask if they can accommodate the bigger GN rig.
Since you don’t yet have an agenda for where & when, it would be disappointing to show up & not be able to get in.
My horse camping friends who regularly spent weeks hauling cross-country to camp, also kept a 2H BP for local trips to vet or shoer.
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I’d also prefer something smaller. One other thing to think of is your horse. You say he’s a draft cross, and you’re looking into a slant load. Has he ridden happily in a slant before? Some big horses don’t like them. It would be terrible to go through all the decisions about your dream rig, only to find that your horse can’t stand it.
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I like my small little BP. Easy to maneuver, easy to park, fits into tiny spaces when you are stabling at horse shows. Maybe only in the Northeast, but I have had to deal with some really small spaces at horse show stabling. Lots of shows I went to stuck you at small neighborhood farms. Lots of twisty roads too.
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Oh yeah, the narrow roads on hills with lots of corners! Maybe not a problem where the OP is but those monster rigs here have a hell of a time negotiating them. Saw one get stuck on a detour to a show venue here, there was a car accident and you had to make a tight turn onto a smaller road. Big LQ got jammed in there for a while. Another thing to consider.
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I agree with the others on getting 2 trailers actually… We have a very large custom 52’ trailer and it is hard to get into shows. And gas stations…and don’t ever think of going off route or not having a super well planned route to that show you’ve never been to. Been there and done that! Also not sure where you live, but we never take that trailer out in the winter. Pipes of course could freeze and we dont want salt on it (even though its aluminum). We also acutally had to make our driveway bigger to even fit it in. We had a larger culvert put in at the end of the driveway and had to add loads and loads of gravel to make the enterence less steep - or the back end would be hung up on the road. Not good. Lots of things to think about before purchasing (luckily we thought of this all before and had it done before we brought the trailer home).
I also have a little 2 horse bumper pull trailer that I can take out in the winter, use it for emergencies and go to some local shows with small driveways/turn arounds.
Just some things to think about 
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No matter what you end up with, there is one thing absolutely essential if it is a GN…a really good hydraulic hitch. Make sure it has a manual adaptor so if the hydraulics go out, you can still hook/unhook. Worth every penny.
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This is what I have…an Equalizer, 12,000# capacity. You can see the round slot where you would insert the back up hand pump rod to manually lift the trailer up and down. https://mrtrailer.com/bigfoot.htm
I agree with others, if you get a big LQ you should also consider having a smaller run-around trailer for short local trips. I can look out my window right now at what my neighbor’s have dubbed “trailer row” - our 6 trailers + van lined up neatly, ranging in size from 10’ long 2H bumper pull to 43’ long TH. Which one gets hauled the most? The simple 2H bumper pull and the van (well, it gets driven, not hauled). Having creature comforts with you at an event is priceless, but constantly dealing with 43’ of trailer in a cramped parking lot or tight turns into businesses/venues gets old REAL fast.
yes, what others have said about big rigs:
- tight twisty narrow blind turns with a big rig means it will be crossing the lane on blind turns
- just because it fits in your barn doesn’t mean that is true of other places (gas stations that are not truck stops comes to mind)
- of the three places we regularly trail ride, a super long rig like that fits (reliably) in … 1 - check your places out before you commit
- if you show, pay attention to how much the hookup costs. Most h/j shows are only priced economically if you stay the entire week (or more). So for what you pay in hookup, you could have 2 nights in a hotel (and they clean up after you)
- There’s only two kinds of trailers: the one that leaks and the one that is going to leak. When that leak runs behind the paneling of the LQ it gets expensive, so factor in covered parking and/or religious attention to sealing the roof and vents!
- almost everyone with a super long rig either gets a smaller one for quick trips (or wishes they had one) for all of the above reasons
Other solutions could be a 2+1 with a weekender type package in the dressing room - get it wired for electric hookup, have the AC/heat strip added and a mini sink/microwave, then set up a portable toilet and cowboy shower in the +1 area. Not nearly so plush as a fancy LQ, but it may make sense for ROI depending on how often you are going to use it (and it may eliminate the guilt when all you really want to do is stay in a hotel!)
All that said, if you do the research, decide the pros outweigh the cons, then you go girl!
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For what its worth, I always am hauling with a bigger trailer and truck–sometimes a lot bigger truck! I haven’t had a problem dealing with driving it or with parking, etc. If I am going to a new barn I ask about parking–and explain I have a big, long rig. Then I have a description of what I am going into and how to deal with it. If its a bad driveway I’ll just park on the side of the road, load there, and then I don’t have to worry.If I know a show is going to have tight parking, I will either call ahead and let them know they need to save a space for me, or I just get there early so I can get parked. I not only have to take into account turn around room, but also I only have a two-wheel drive, so have to pay attention to where I am going. I have been doing this for over 25 years, and haven’t had a problem. I just use my head. Occasionally I’ve had a smaller truck and trailer to be able to run around with, but most of the time I have not and have just used my bigger rig.
I bought my first trailer ever two years ago. I got an older (80s) Cricle Y two horse BP.
I wish I got a bigger trailer since I went from having one horse to four horses + my husbands horses.
My BP pulls amazing and even me (who can’t realllly even drive a truck) had an amazing time pulling my trailer with two big thoroughbreds in it.
DH insists GN are 100% better and easy when you get the hang of it.
id go for living quarters if you’re showing often or staying overnight. Doesn’t have to be a huge living quarter set up either.
I dont know what manufacturer your SO is wanting to deal with but look into the Sundowner Santa Fe. We just bought one last year and it has all the benefits of a large LQ in a small package (whole trailer is only 26.5’ front to bumper). Its like having a camper on the front of a horse trailer. Its my first GN trailer (only had a 2 horse BP before) and I find the larger GN to actually be easier to haul. The GN is just SO much nicer than the BP. I don’t think I will ever get another BP in my life. It will take a little time to get used to but it was definitely worth it. There are other advantages to buying a LQ that I didn’t know about such as tax breaks and extended loan terms, not to mention easier financing/interest options. I’m in WA but my new trailer qualified as a “second home” so it got us a good tax break and allowed us to do a 15 yr loan which made our payments affordable!
I noted in one of your posts that you have a draft cross, and it’s sounding like you’re looking at a slant load trailer. I had slant loads for years, and larger horses do not fit in one stall well unless you have them custom-built. Stalls are too short nose to tail and in some cases too narrow. Please look carefully at stall size before you commit. Onto the large trailer aspect–if you aren’t committed to learning how to drive a large rig safely, and it is going to cause you more stress to haul a big trailer without experience, I agree with the “go smaller” camp. You want to have fun and be safe.
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Sounds like he wants to throw some business in the direction of a good client.
Does that particular client have a smaller trailer that you would be more comfortable with?
Year old post
Go with truck of SO’s choice and then you select the trailer. If you have time and a big empty parking lot, yes, you can learn to drive a big LQ but it might be easier on the nerves to start with 2 or 3 horse gooseneck. And as others have mentioned, LQ’s require a lot more maintenance, turning area and awareness of the underside. If you don’t need it for the type and amount of riding you will be doing, start a bit smaller and gain some confidence.
Someone may have mentioned this, but you and SO will both need a CDL to drive a rig with a combined weight of 26,000 pounds. We bought a 2+1 gooseneck with a 5 foot tack area and a 3/4 ton truck to stay just under the weight. Although a CDL is valuable to have.
Year old post!!
I know its a year old post but hopefully she…
SUCKED IT UP AND WAS A GRACIOUS RECIPIENT!!!
: )
