I say if there’s a local place that rents trailers, don’t buy one yet. See how often you rent one over the course of a year after you buy a horse and then decide. There is a lot of maintenance required for a trailer that just sits around and they can become mouse havens if they are not actively used. I sold my trailer about 8 years ago after my horse aged out of long trail rides because the maintenance was getting ridiculous. If I lived in an area prone to fires or some other situation that required evacuations, I would have a trailer. Otherwise, I have no need for one.
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If you can rent locally or work with other boarders I’d wait. Maintenance is a real thing if you end up not hauling as much as your anticipate it’s a “realer” thing. I sold my dream 2+1 GN this year as trailers need use and mine just wasn’t getting enough. Neither is the truck which isn’t my daily driver but that’s a different conversation.
@GreyDes Thank you! We had looked at the chart from Ford with engine/axle/wheelbase options. There is a wild range of capabilities.
@Weezer @fourfillies Not really any natural disasters we need to be prepared for here, unless you count tornados. Tentative plan would be to haul 2x a month for lessons, maybe 1x for trail riding. That’s obviously subject to budget and schedule though. The trailer would be stored outside.
I appreciate the advice all!
Agreed - I have a trailer now but last quote I received several years ago was $3 a loaded mile. Sometimes a hook up fee too.
As for the F150, OP, I have a 2012 with a tow capacity of 9800 lbs. I have a 3500 lb Adam 2h bp with dr, and a petite (Reiner) mare. It’s more trailer than I needed but it was what I could get on the used market and the dr door is better for the western saddle than a lot of the 2 horses we looked at (think scraped knuckles). Anyway, the half ton pulls it fine; I wish I had the eco boost or a 250 but it gets the job done for my needs.
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From someone who bought a horse and a trailer last year, I think the market for both of those is going to be kind of hard to time. Conventional wisdom is to buy the horse, then the trailer, but I think that assumes a trailer will be easy to come by, because they usually are. Considering the current situation, I would say buy it when you find the right one, which may be before or after you find the right horse.
I’ve seen a lot of variation in hauling rates. I have paid about $1/loaded mile recently, but I’ve also paid way more than that. Once, a seller delivered my horse for free! But overall, the cost of hauling over the years has been hardly a blip on the radar of my total horse expenses - my trailer is more for convenience than it is actually cost effective.
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With the current trailer market, you may want to ask around locally. Sometimes people will be thinking of selling and not actually post the sale add and it gets sold just by word of mouth alone. It wouldn’t hurt to put some feelers out there with local vets/farrier. Also when shopping used, ask how old the tires are. The trailer could be perfect, but the tires need replacing. Very important since you can’t see dry rot all the time. They may be fine looking on the outside, but one trip down the road and they’re toast. Also make sure all the tires match. I’m picky about trailer tires and replace mine every three to four years regardless. They’re not car tires and don’t get the same treatment and use.
I was going to say that shipping a horse sometimes is less hassle especially if the horse is a long distance away. I personally would not want to haul across the Rockies or in east coast traffic (and I’m a careful seasoned driver and know my rig). Further they have professional drivers and may even have a team so they can drive around the clock which lessens the number of layovers. If you find a horse more than 12hrs away you’re going to have to find a place to keep the horse overnight. Personally, I would rather pay a hauler than to figure out all of those details. We paid a hauler to pick up a horse only 350 miles away for $500 (in 2018). It was a 5.5 hour drive by car. It would have ended up being at least a 12 hour round trip which I was not wanting to do in November in the mid-west. If it had been summer, I would have considered it and taken two days to do it, but then it may have come down to only $50-100 difference with me paying for gas.
That being said, based on how many times you said you think you’re going to haul a month, it’d be worth it to buy your own trailer. I think if you went either way, you’ll be fine. You’re going to have to jump on your finds quickly in both markets. Good Luck!
Even a steel trailer should last about 20 years with good maintenance. I would buy the trailer first. Inexpensive, but safe. I paid $2500 for my first trailer and it lasted 20 years. I finally sold it because I didn’t want to invest in repairs. Every so often I see it being driven to events so I would say it’s still chugging along. If I had kept it, it would have needed the back doors replaced and the floor replaced. Why spend a couple thousand on repairs? My newish trailer was $4000- it has much less rust but will probably need a new floor at somepoint. I’ve made some repairs - fixed the leak in the roof and added polycarbonate windows. Given current resale value I can easily get my money back if I sell.
Just consider what you want in a trailer? What size horse do you envision yourself hauling?
Update: I now have a horse and a trailer!
We did end up buying the trailer first, “the one that got away” ended up listed again and we decided just to grab it. I did appreciate it cost me nothing to leave in the drive while we waited on the right horse. The mare was listed at less than I expected to spend, so it all worked out very well. Although the new plan adds upgrading the truck when we can… I’m understanding horse poor already!
I’ll actually be having my new mare shipped most of the way home, but we will drive her the last ~8hrs after her stay with a trainer. Very excited about it all, thank you to everyone for the advice. Can’t wait to haul her to some lessons and trails. 
ETA, she’s only about 14.1, she will fit fine haha
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Congratulations on both your trailer and horse! Here is to many safe travels and rides!
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we had one mare that was 14.1+ but never ever 14.2 … be prepared to be challenged when you enter her in a pony class
@cutter99 Thank you! Already counting down the days till we go visit at the trainers.
@clanter Thankfully cutting shows don’t require a pony card, so we’re safe there
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We had a 14.1 3/4 with a card, stepped down to children’s. Consistently next to a “medium” ringside at shows who was at least as tall, and showing in the sm/medium children’s… 
Congrats OP on your new everything!!
