Anyone have one? Do you like them? Also any idea on how much they weigh? I’ve seen a few up for sale and brand new they’re fairly cheap. My mare prefers stock type trailers and would like to see about getting a BP straight load if they’re definitely worth it. TIA!
My Mini trailer is a Calico. I like it. It’s 16 years old now and starting to rust but hauls fine.
Mine is 5 x 5 x 8 and runs 1250lbs.
A friend has one. They are not extraordinary trailers…very basic…but the price is right for folks who can’t go more premium. She bought hers for convenience/independence if there are any issues with her horses, especially if they decide to move them home from where they are boarded.
Thanks. I don’t need anything fancy just something to get my horses around. Maybe get one with a small tack room if we decide to show the young horse.
I have a 2011 Calico stock 2 horse slant that I purchased last spring. The tack room has decent space and my horse loads easily when he’ll balk at enclosed slant loads.
That being said we drove from CO to NC this summer. It pulled effortless and my horse was very comfortable. For the long haul, I had the slant divider secured to the side for a box stall. The hinge/slant divider pole crumpled when we hit a normal sized bump on the highway causing the door to swing free gauging my horse right above good stifle. It was a horrific puncture wound that still makes me nauseous to think about. Never again will I have a slant load. I can’t help but put some of the blame onto the company’s standard of quality. The trailer rep assured me that traveling with the divider secured would be fine and it was for multiple trips and hundreds of miles. Thankfully my horse made a full recovery!
I know you’re asking specifically about Calico, but I have a no-name-brand CornPro, which is a very affordable trailer, and I have ZERO complaints about it.
I paid $4650 for it, brand new. It’s a steel bumper pull, 2 horse slant configuration in the back, tack room in the front. It’s a 2006 and lives in Vermont, used some in the winter, and the rust on this trailer is minimal. In 10 years, the only thing I’ve replaced are the tires, and a light bulb on a fender light. It’s a solid trailer, decently made. If you have a CornPro trailer near you, you might check them out.
[QUOTE=MyDarkPassenger;8557204]
I have a 2011 Calico stock 2 horse slant that I purchased last spring. The tack room has decent space and my horse loads easily when he’ll balk at enclosed slant loads.
That being said we drove from CO to NC this summer. It pulled effortless and my horse was very comfortable. For the long haul, I had the slant divider secured to the side for a box stall. The hinge/slant divider pole crumpled when we hit a normal sized bump on the highway causing the door to swing free gauging my horse right above good stifle. It was a horrific puncture wound that still makes me nauseous to think about. Never again will I have a slant load. I can’t help but put some of the blame onto the company’s standard of quality. The trailer rep assured me that traveling with the divider secured would be fine and it was for multiple trips and hundreds of miles. Thankfully my horse made a full recovery![/QUOTE]
So how was it secured? I don’t think they latch in the “open” against the wall position? I’m asking because I’m looking at a slant load for using as a box occasionally and this sounds horrible!
My friend had a Calico and it seemed much thinner walled than my steel Turnbow trailer (we used it to haul our horses together one day). Her three horse BP with a tack room weighed about the same as my little two horse (about 3,000 lbs). I believe hers was only 6’ wide.
It is a very attractive price point. I would definitely make it taller and wider than the standard ones I see on the lot here. Traveled Lane Trailers has a great website showing a ton of different configurations.
If you only have 5k to spend I think a new steel stock trailer could be great. I can’t believe the prices of used trailers around me. People want the same price for something 5 years old as what they are retailing for new. I don’t know if other people don’t do any research or what they actually get, but I’m amazed at what I see posted on FB daily.
My CornPro slant divider does have a pin that holds it in the “open” position on the head-side wall so the trailer is essentially a stock trailer. Used it like that several times - hauling a horse and cows (not at the same time :lol:)
So how was it secured? I don’t think they latch in the “open” against the wall position? I’m asking because I’m looking at a slant load for using as a box occasionally and this sounds horrible!
I have seen ads for Corn Pro trailers but a majority of them are goosenecks and my truck isn’t set up for one.
I bought a new Calico two horse slant with the dressing room last year and love it. My horse hated loading in my older straight load trailer I bought first and hops up in this one fine. I took the divider out of mine so it’s open since I just haul him. The tack room has plenty of space. I’ve been really pleased with it and I couldn’t beat it for the price. I really didn’t want to get a used trailer and not know where it stood for maintenance.
[QUOTE=spotted draft x filly;8558344]
I have seen ads for Corn Pro trailers but a majority of them are goosenecks and my truck isn’t set up for one.[/QUOTE]
You could look into getting a BP. I am very impressed with the quality of mine. I bought it thinking it would be a “throw away” trailer because of the price I paid, but that has not been the case.
http://www.winnerscircletrailers.com/TrailerDetail.aspx?id=874775
This place is in KY. Not sure if it’s close to you. But the trailer I linked is the same exact trailer I have, right down to the color.
Thanks. I know that store but unfortunately it’s a slant. My mare barely fits in a slant so that’s why I’m looking for a straight load.
I had one, probably in 2003 or 2004. My horses hated it, because it was so poorly made that every time they stepped in it the entire trailer would shake and rattle.
I couldn’t wait to see the last of it.
However, they very well could be better made now.
Had one. Another person with a pretty horrific puncture wound caused by the divider, which popped open when hauling two horses (legitimately, my mare did like to lean on it, can’t fault it for popping open… but DO fault it for being pointy and dangerous when open!)
It was deep enough I could get a whole syringe in it… to the left OR the right. Deep enough that if it’d been an inch over it would have hit her stifle joint and possibly been the kind of injury that could have been career ending instead of just losing us a month of training/showing.
Needless to say, trailer was sold (mangled divider and all) ASAP with the warning that the divider wasn’t safe. New owner planned to remove it and haul her one horse sans divider.
It was light, easy to haul and had a decent sized tack room. Good price… if you ignore the vet bills…
Okay, here’s a question about stock trailers. I’ve recently been thinking about one because I’m not sure my horse likes a straight load.
If you haul in a stock trailer, how do you put the horse in and close them up without them trying to get out? I used to have a slant load and I’d close the divider (load horse, let them stick their head out the window, close divider, go to window and tie them up, close window), but if you want to use a trailer as a stock trailer and haul the horse loose, then how does that work? Guess I should have asked the guy who hauled my horses up here loose in a box-stall setup…:lol: They all loaded and hauled like a dream.
Also, aren’t stock trailers noisy and don’t they have sharp edges inside? I’ve never actually seen one in person, but in pictures they don’t look like they’ve got smooth walls. 
[QUOTE=Pocket Pony;8567699]
Okay, here’s a question about stock trailers. I’ve recently been thinking about one because I’m not sure my horse likes a straight load.
If you haul in a stock trailer, how do you put the horse in and close them up without them trying to get out? I used to have a slant load and I’d close the divider (load horse, let them stick their head out the window, close divider, go to window and tie them up, close window), but if you want to use a trailer as a stock trailer and haul the horse loose, then how does that work? Guess I should have asked the guy who hauled my horses up here loose in a box-stall setup…:lol: They all loaded and hauled like a dream.
Also, aren’t stock trailers noisy and don’t they have sharp edges inside? I’ve never actually seen one in person, but in pictures they don’t look like they’ve got smooth walls. [/QUOTE]
I lead the horse on, tie him, and then close the door. If you want the horse actually to be loose and not tied, I would lead the horse in, turn it around, pull the door closed over, turn horse loose, go out the door, and close it behind me.
I don’t haul truly loose unless I had a horse that really wanted to ride, say, backwards. We had a mare that would scramble unless she could ride backwards. I had to haul her by herself in an open stock trailer and let her loose so she could stand how she wanted. No scrambling if she could decide.
Not all stock trailers are junk. Why would they have sharp edges just because of the type of trailer? Sure, poorly made ones might, but then again, there are plenty of poorly made horse-type trailers that are just as bad. Depends on the trailer.
A stock trailer is still for live animals. so that shouldn’t mean that quality is to be over looked. a friend of mine paid over $80k for a custom built stock trailer with living quarters and that thing is nicer and safe than a lot of peoples houses i’ve seen. so the type of trailer shouldn’t dictate how safe it is, the quality of the brand should.
No trailer should have sharp edges if you are looking to haul animals in it. I have a gooseneck stock trailer that I use for day hauling for my horses and for hauling pigs and have never had an animal hurt in it.
That being said, we looked at the trailer very carefully before we ever put an animal in it. From floor to ceiling. Ran our hands over all edges to make sure they were filed and not sharp. A stock trailer should have decent fit to all the moving parts, just like an enclosed trailer. Ours is a little louder than what our LQ trailer is, but our LQ is fully enclosed and fully insulated which also dampens road noise.
I lead horses in and tie their heads towards the front of the box, like you would in a slant. I then step back and shut the divider. My personal horses know whoa, and usually do not move.
Our trailer is a 16’ with a center divider with an inset sliding door in it and the rear swing gate is the same, plus there is an escape door in the front stall. It can basically be used as 2 box stalls or you can put 4 horses in slanted. I love this trailer because it is wide open and easy to get even bad loaders in and out of it. It works well for hauling livestock too, and we have used it to transport our garden tractor, round pen and even furniture. I sometimes think I could get rid of our living quarters, if we were to give up camping, and just have the stock trailer for the rest of my life. Ours does not have a dressing room, but there is storage in the neck with a calf gate. I would love it even more if it had a tiny dressing room.
Just edited to add- I don’t think I would haul across the country with the stock trailer. I like that the fit of a slant is comfortable, but secure. I have not noticed that they ride any differently between the trailer, but my way of thinking is the dividers help to support and secure the horse during long trips.
Thanks for the info - cutter99, your post was especially helpful. I did start a thread in Off Course about my mare and asking for trailer advice.
