What comes first for you? I would love to go horse shopping at the end of this year for my first horse, but a sticking point is I’m not ready to replace my current car. It’s still going at 200,000 miles and I fully intend to run it into the ground before I buy something else and I don’t know if buying an old beater truck in the meantime is worth it with having to pay for fuel for a second vehicle and insurance/maintenance. Then there’s a question of should I be looking at trucks before I know what trailer I need when I don’t know how big my horse will be? This horse will be on my property so not a boarding situation and there’s that extra layer of what if an emergency happens and I don’t have a truck?
know your friends Well, we have a group of horse friends where we cross support each other. Nothing big-time but when there is That emergency occurs it is really comforting to have the support of others
as for what’s first… I would think the Horse would be first on the list then everything could be sized to fit its needs
Horse first.
Then trailer.
Then truck.
It’s easier to borrow/ rent trucks than suitable trailers (not all trailers can be pulled by all trucks, not all horses like straight or slant or ramp or step up etc).
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How exciting!
Here’s a proverb I just made up.
Buy less horse than you think you need, but buy more truck.
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Given how difficult people are finding it to buy any horse at the moment, hold off on vehicle purchase.
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Is this thread for real? OP is going shopping (tentatively) for a new horse in 8 months, and is looking to buy a truck and trailer now?
Whut.
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Not now but I was worried if I should be planning to get those ahead of time or just focus on horse purchase and acquire those later. Because these are all big financial commitments I’m trying to think how I need to plan for these things. And I’m super excited to be even thinking of looking for my first horse so I’m getting a little ahead of myself.
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This is what I’m hoping to do. I just want a level headed, been there, done that type who has a smidge of go to do some long distance rides on and maybe some roping now that I’m starting to learn some of that.
It is very exciting to be prepping for a new horse!
Worry about the truck and trailer down the line. I find it takes me about 6 months to a year to even feel like I know a horse well enough to start going places, so you’ve got time.
Pre-congrats!
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^ this. I have a rig but truck and trailer were separated and trailer was ultimately snowed in. Horse needed vet clinic stat and a dear friend handed over the keys to her wonderful rig.
OP - If it were me in your situation, and I had a place to store trailer, I’d honestly just keep my eyes open for anything that’s not horribly overpriced and buy as they came up. But, I know what I want/need out of a truck and trailer, regardless of the horse.
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I did horse, then truck than trailer. I waffled back and forth between trying to get a european trailer and towing it with my SUV. At the end of the day, I couldn’t afford a new European trailer and used ones are almost impossible to find where I am located, and I needed a new vehicle badly. Sucked it up and bought the truck, and then was able to get a cheaper (but safe) used regular aluminum trailer. Truck has tow package and I had a lot more trailer options with a truck than SUV.
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I’m very much pro having emergency trailer access, but I wouldn’t put that ahead of getting a horse. Get to know your local horse community, and make an emergency plan. Around here, there are a number of professional haulers who provide 24/7 on-call emergency trailering to the vet hospitals. There are also a few barn owners and trainers with their own rigs who will do the same. The vets tend to know who you can call in an emergency - but it’s better not to wait until you actually need it. Collect those numbers beforehand.
I bought my truck and trailer a number of years into my adult horse phase. Honestly it would be cheaper to hire a local hauler than to buy and maintain good equipment. I got a good price on good second hand equipment but you need to keep it in perfect shape for safety and truck repairs are way more expensive than cars.
Also most excursions you are going with someone else.
I would buy horse, get rides with other folks for at least a year, decide what you like and need in a rig, learn how to load and unload, then start shopping.
I am very glad I upgraded to an F250. If I want to go anywhere fun I have to drive a high mountain pass that has its own reality show on Discovery. F150 isn’t enough for Highway Through Hell even in summer!
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and establish a relationship …make sure they know just where your place is
We have a group of horse owners that we sort of but not really co-op with… if one finds a Super Saving deal we make sure the others know about, if there is a major saving in bulk purchase of common used item we may make a joint purchase then spread the material out since usually the delivery point would be a single point. (Bulk buying of bagged bedding or a feed deal)
But primarily we cover for each other in times of need… we pay for this service between us usually in so many bales of hay for a specific task
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Horse, trailer, truck. Though I’d be joining used trailer groups and keeping cash on hand if a good deal pops up - but a ‘good deal’ would be excellent condition aluminum and 7’6” + inside height for me. If you can find that in a stock or slant with no back tack, MOST horses will get on it. And it sounds like you aren’t looking for a massive warmblood anyways, so you can pop a divider out and fit whatever you’d get.
But definitely find the local community and start making contacts.
Are you keeping this theoretical horse alone on your property? Or will they have a companion? If you’ve got someone else’s horse around, see if they have a truck or trailer. That can help focus your shopping.
Horse, truck, trailer
At least that’s how I did it lol. Had the horses before I could drive so that was a no brainer, then got a truck when I got my license and borrowed the barn’s trailer for a while, then got my own trailer and so on
Now we’ve got 6 horses, 2 trucks and 3 trailers lol. Be careful- they multiply 
Unless you’re in the pony market, going with a straight load that’s 7’6" tall inside will accommodate almost any riding horse. My Trail-et nice and roomy for my 17h WB, and his 80" blanket self fit very well, with room for another 6" or so in length without hitting the butt bar or feeling cramped.
And since you said you are looking for something that can do some LDs, some roping, etc, you’re not looking at 17h horses who wear 86" blankets LOL But 7’6" height will probably have better resale than even 7’, let alone shorter, and nobody ever said they wish their trailer was shorter.
If you’re into ponies or smaller stock horses, 7’ is totally fine, slants are ok (though I much, much prefer straight load).
I did horse, truck, then trailer, but it wasn’t planned that way. Well, sorta - the horses were already there, and I boarded, and had access to a horse van. Then I was kindasorta thinking about a trailer, which also meant thinking about a truck, and a magnificent truck deal fell into my lap, so the truck came before the trailer.
Almost all my trailering was/is done by myself, as nobody close enough was/is into showing or trail riding other places, so I’d have been stuck most of the time.
Since you have none of these, I would just keep looking for the truck and horse that suit your wants and needs, and THEN look for a trailer. The right trailer may fall into your lap before either of the other 2, and that’s ok too
I would absolutely do nothing lighter than a 3/4 ton truck, unless your only goal is short travels in flat places. But never say never.
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Get a car you can drive reliably first.
Then the horse.
A large percentage of horse owners ( i’ve known in the past) did not own a truck or trailer. If you board it is possible you can arrange to get transport if that " emergency" ever happens.
I had the horses first, then the truck then the trailer.
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Horse, truck as soon as possible, trailer. If you keep your horse on your own property you will be wanting that truck sooner than later. And honestly, if I knew I needed any of those three in the next 24 months I would start looking for all of them now and be prepared to pull the trigger IMMEDIATELY on the purchase if I actually got what I needed or… In this economy… What I could settle for!
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This is such an odd thread. I have owned horses as an adult for almost 20yrs without and truck or a trailer until just recently. I also have never encountered a problem borrowing one or the other or both when I needed and if I wasn’t able I have a whole network of friends who would give me a ride.
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