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Horse, trailer, truck conundrum

Around The Farm
#21

I guess, I don’t live in the most horsey area? People have horses around here, it’s semi-rural, but i guess I’m not into any particular sport where horsey people gather. I think I know of one barrel racing outfit in my immediate area that might count but I drive about 40 minutes to the place I take lessons. I do have neighbors with horses that I am friendly with so that might be willing to help in an emergency. Other than that their aren’t any public trails within half an hour so if I want to do any of that I’ll need a trailer at some point. But I don’t need it immediately while I’m first getting to my horse, and I have a field to ride in. It seems like out here people keep their horses on their land and to themselves.

But the consensus seems to be horse first, then trailer or truck depending on what deals land in my lap first. So I’m happy to dive into that adventure towards the end of this year now that my thoughts are affirmed :laughing:

#22

After having my trailer damaged and/or people stiffing me for gas, I no longer offer rides to anyone but my closest friends. Anyone else can call a pro, I’m not doing it.

3 Likes
#23

This is really exciting! COTH is so glad to hear of another victim! :slight_smile: You may want to reconsider keeping the horse on your own property, vs boarding, for a few months to a year, just because you might find that with your first horse, you might really enjoy the social and shared-learning aspects of a good boarding situation, expensive though it will be. Then, once you have a little bit of a network, and know your horse well, you could bring the horse home.

But otherwise, your local vet or farrier or hay supplier might know of someone who would be willing to trailer your horse in an emergency.

1 Like
#24

I had the horse long before the truck, never mind the trailer… and I can tell you it’s not so simple to just ask somebody to borrow their rig. Trucks are expensive. So are trailers. Repairs are expensive and inconvenient. I was lucky to have folks who did let me borrow, altho hesitantly. They weren’t thrilled about it. I was very careful to return things in good clean condition, and thankfully never had a repair to make.
If this were me, find the truck first. You can rent a trailer on an as-needed basis. Especially if you think you’ll have the horse at home. You will need that truck for everything. A good 1/2 ton will pull most trailers with no issues. If you have the money then yes buy a bigger truck.

3 Likes
#25

Just going to put it out there that as someone with a truck and trailer, it’s rather obnoxious that people think I should just trailer for them because I have one. Will I help out friends in an emergency? Yep and have many times. But if someone just assumes that I should haul for them because they don’t want to bother getting a truck and trailer because I have one? Um no. There are less fingers on one hand than there are people who would ever be allowed to drive my truck and trailer- most of the time I don’t even let my DH drive my truck

7 Likes
#26

It is definitely not at all as easy to catch a ride with someone else, or borrow truck and/or trailer, as some might think. My boarding situation was not a show barn at all, other than the monthly shows (first schooling, then C, and 2 yearly A shows) that it hosted. I was REALLY lucky that one boarder (ie was a lesson barn with some boarders, none of whom showed) ended up with a horse van I borrowed once, and several of us used to go trail riding a couple time. The other barn had nothing. And there, I was the one giving rides to another girl to bring her horse to some local shows I went to. I wasn’t “big in the scene”, I had no trainer, there was no one to take me places. There were people I could have called in an emergency…during the day, but most definitely not in the middle of the night. My closest friend who did show, did have a nice truck and trailer, lived 45 minutes away.

2 Likes
#27

Honestly, I say truck and trailer before horse. Particularly if you will be keeping it at home. How will you get feed/hay for the horse without a truck? How will you get the horse home without a trailer? How will you get vet care without a trailer? We live in a rural area and there are no ambulatory vets except for your most extreme emergencies. If you need to fix up the property before the horse comes… mats, gates, etc. It’s all easier with a truck and trailer.

#28

Usually I would say horse, then truck, then trailer. Keeping your horse on your own property changes that for me.

But you are likely going to need to haul feed, hay, bedding, etc. Especially if you aren’t in a horsey area with delivery services.

A tow-worthy truck is a pretty big upfront expense. But I think you are going to find horse keeping a home frustrating without one.

Are you just planning on keeping one horse and one horse only on your property?

#29

Initially yes, until I figure everything out but my neighbors have several horses next door (not that I will have them interacting over the fence) so there will be other horses within 20 ft of my horse. Eventually I do want a second horse or, I was considering getting a pair of donkeys for companionship or maybe goats. That’s even farther in the future.

#30

Not to totally derail the conversation but I have a small standard donkey who is a companion extraordinaire. I love her. I bought her as a weanling for $50 from a neighbor who was going to list her on Craigslist.

#31

And if you are in an area with delivery services those fees can add up, especially if you can’t store a lot of hay. But yeah, horses on the property means a never ending list of repairs, supplies, stuff you never dreamed of, all of which really needs a truck to make it a bit easier to deal with! And a FEL tractor… And an ATV/UTV… And a money tree… But I digress… :rofl:

#32

keep in mind that if you are mainly using pasture/grass for forage, you will have likely have fat donkeys and have to separate them anyway. If you have a dry lot setup, there’s still the issue of donkeys needing less, and less “rich” hay than horses.

Goats are generally not good companions for horses.

1 Like
#33

When I was a kid we did everything—bags of sawdust, hay, feed, etc.—with a station wagon. Vets made farm calls. As a pre-teen I paid a local trainer to trailer me to local shows—he’d drop me off and pick me up later. As a teenager I bought a trailer and hauled it with my grandfather’s mercury grand marquis. We had people around who could help if we needed, and we helped them, too.

OP, you live in a rural area with people who have horses in their backyards, yes? So that’s a horsey area. I would make sure the vets do farm calls in your area, then focus on getting your barn/property ready for a horse. A truck/trailer is nice, but not necessary. Sometimes we think we need the equivalent of Barbie’s Dream Barn with all the accoutrements but that’s not attainable for many people.

#34

Hi OP! I recently had the same conundrum and ended up with horse/truck/trailer. When I boarded my horse it didn’t even really occur to me to buy truck and trailer, but if you’re on your own farm it is absolutely worthwhile.

Truck is super useful for picking up bedding and hay if you can’t get it delivered. You’ll also be able to inform a little better what kind of trailer you can haul once you get this purchase out of the way. Some of the newer high riding trucks are not as compatible with a low trailer, from what I understand, and you want both axles to be level. This being said, I also have picked up 15 bags of pelleted bedding in my VE golf wagon, so the truck is a nice to have only until you need to haul. We ended up with an older F250 which has been great and was not super expensive.

Re: your companion animal question. I thought that neighbor horses would be sufficient also but could tell immediately that my mare was desperate for a friend. I ended up going to a goat rescue. They chose a sweet doe (so they could share alfalfa) for me to take home and introduce to mare, and they love each other. I felt the rescue route was pragmatic, as they would take the goat back if for some reason it didn’t work out. The rescue director told me she had placed over a hundred goats as single horse companions, and had only had two returns. Goat is extremely easy to care for and very sweet.

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1 Like
#35

Oh how sweet :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: I would love to get my horse a companion goat if they put up with it. I love goats.

#36

I just realized that for some reason I seem to have a different account active on one of my devices and not the other? Or am I seeing a different name on my different devices? I don’t mean to be posting with two different accounts, it looks like I somehow logged into an old account with my email instead of my username? I’m also schrevolution if you’re seeing those two different names. I don’t know how I did that.

#37

I have been known to cart lumber around in my Cadillac lately so I try to make things work.

#38

Don’t put the cart before the horse.

i had horses, three of them, first boarding, then at my own farm… for years!, like 10 years, before i had a truck and a trailer. I rode at my own place, or trail rode out from it, had a VERY good relationship with my vet and should it have been necessary to haul into a large veterinary hospital, i had a couple of friends who would have helped me. Thankfully, that never came up.

Then, once i did have a truck and trailer, it was another 10 years or so before i actually took up the practice of hauling horses anywhere.

#39

When I was in the market for a truck and trailer, I kept my eyes open for what I was looking for. There was no hurry, which enabled me to wait for what I wanted. I happened to find the trailer first and then the truck two months later. I would have liked to keep my car for daily driving, but I didn’t want the expense of two vehicles. I traded it in and am happy I did that. I love driving my truck. You might feel differently considering fuel prices right now. Good luck finding what’s right for you!

#40

I bought my first horse a little over a year ago knowing that it would be a long time before I’m able to get a truck and trailer… now, a year later, I literally don’t want to go another second without having my own truck and trailer. It’s moved much higher up to the top of my priority list. It opens up the entire world for you because as other posters have said, borrowing people’s rigs or hitching a ride is just not that easy (unless you have a trainer or super nice friend who’s going places with you and hauling you there). Even just the issue of practicing trailer loading with your horse (if they need it) becomes difficult because you have to impose on someone else in order to do it and that’s not a process that you want to rush through at all.

So good for you for planning ahead!!! I obviously don’t own them yet but I feel like I’ve always heard that ideally you get your trailer first to match your horse’s/your travel needs, and then you find a vehicle to haul it.

2 Likes

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