I am in the market for a horse. I have always used transport services to move my horses in the past, but want a trailer of my own. But I am wondering if I should buy a trailer before I buy a horse?
I bought my trailer before my horse. I was leasing him and wanted to show, but the only trailers available to use were unsafe. A friend of mine was looking to sell hers for 1200, and my dad has a truck to haul, so I went ahead and got it.
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Nope. Because it would be just your luck that you buy one that your new horse doesnât fit in, or for some reason has a strong preference against.
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Horse first unless you want to get a trailer that can accommodate anything. I had to sell my first trailer when I bought a massive STB that was as long as a fire truck. He hopped on and even with his chest against the bar his back feet were on the ground.
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Thereâs always the chance the trailer you get wonât be suited to the horse you end up with, so better to wait unless you come across a deal thatâs too good to pass up and it would be an easy resale if you find it doesnât work for your new horse.
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Horse first because some do better in different types of trailers. Itâs like buying clothes before going to an event you know nothing about, yet.
Plus, it will likely get you to budget better because youâll be saving some for the trailer. 
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I can sympathize. I am NOT on a regular route of horse transportation services, and the unicorn I am looking for generally tends to be 900-2000 miles away. I know that if I HAD my own trailer and tow vehicle, I would have checked out some of the âcloserâ ones. Iâm a bit worried, though, that I would put all that money into buying both and never use them again. (I would LIKE to show at a VERY low level, but Iâm nearly 66 years old andâŠ)
Good luck on whatever you decide.
To me it depends. If you are boarding where the BO can haul you in an emergency no need to buy the trailer first. If you keep them at home and know plenty of friends that will haul your horse in an emergency no need to buy the trailer first. I have 7 or 8 friends that would either loan me their truck/trailer or drop everything to get me to New Bolton. Plenty of them would pick me up to go to a show or trail ride.
If you are keeping the horse at home and donât have a good source of friends with truck/trailers then maybe get the trailer first. I donât buy into not buying the trailer first since the horse might not fit or might not like that type. Truthfully you probably wonât know until you try the type he doesnât like. I think it is the rare horse that really hates a particular type of trailer. My bet is most of the time they actually hate how the person hauling them drives.
Get a decent sized trailer and not one of those little QH/pony trailers with half sized escape doors and you should be fine. My first trailer was a 1974 Cotner. It was a tank, my current is a 2000 Trail-et. Both were 2 horse straight load. That is the most common in my area so has the best resale value. Buy the largest safest trailer you can tow safely with the configuration that has the best re-sale value in your area. In other areas stock trailers with step ups may fit that bill or slant loads. In my area straight loads with ramps tend to be the most common.
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Having been through 2 evacuations due to fire in the last 2 weeks, I say buy a trailer first. Had I not had my own⊠:no: I disagree with the above posters saying âthe horse might not like it, or fitâ.
Buy something that almost anything would fit in. You must have some idea of the type of horse youâd like to find - so shop with those basic parameters in mind. As far as the âhorse doesnât like itâ - tough. Training takes care of all but the worst, most unlikely cases.
My own trailer is a 2H BP Trails West, bought new in '05. It has a long and wide horse compartment (I could easily fit 3 small horses in there).
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Good thought about evacuations. In my area that is just not something we need to consider. We donât have hurricanes or wildfires that would necessitate evacuations. Although we are in the first tier evacuation zone for a nuclear power plant. But that scenario is so remote I am not sure I would plan on needing a trailer just for that reason. That gets back to my point of âit dependsâ.
Oddly enough I was somewhere in between for a few years. My friend owned a trailer and I owned the truck. Neither could tow without the other. She eventually got a truck and eventually got a trailer. I trail ride and paperchase so having my own trailer is my preference but not a deal breaker as I board with a trainer that has a trailer and I know many people with trailers. If I only rode at the farm and only went to shows with my trainer there is a lot less need for a trailer.
Iâd buy the horse first.
But I would also not buy until I had a healthy amount saved towards a trailer.
Whether or not you board, my comfort level is lowest when I have the ability to haul in an emergency.
Assuming you already have a tow vehicle.
If not, that needs to figure into the equation too.
FWIW, after a series of non-stock trailers (2H straightload BP, 2H GN slant w/LQ, 2H GN slant w/DR), all aluminum, I now have a 16â stock BP with center gate - also aluminum.
Never thought I would want one, but it is perfect for my needs.
BP because my aging knees protested the climbing in & out of the truck bed to hitch a GN.
In a pinch, all 3 of mine will fit - 16h horse, 13h pony & 35" mini.
For my Driving mini, his cart goes in front, he goes behind the gate.
I have had both my carts - wire Easy Entry & wood show cart - loaded and still had room for hay, shavings & the etcetera that goes with hauling horses for overnight stays.
You know what? I donât live in that kind of area either. Iâve lived here for just shy of 50 years and this is the FIRST TIME anything like this has happened. So donât ever, ever think it canât or wonât happen to you.
OP, I would ask myself, if Iâm buying the horse, am I financially able to also purchase a tow vehicle and trailer?
I know thatâs a toughyâŠbut I do concur with what others have suggested. You need to evaluate what you can afford in a hauling vehicle and a trailer. You can do this somewhat âon paperâ while still horse shopping, but the costs for those items wonât go away. Your horse when purchased may prefer a type over another. Iâd say, get your horse, budget out what you can afford as a hauling vehicle next. this will speak to what kind of trailer you can also look at. And go from there. That said, I already had my horse, and I knew exactly what truck I wanted. I DID buy trailer first at that point due to a good sale. Truck was specific and already decided on and I held out until I found that truck. So, yeah, the process is different for all, but ideally! would be horse first, re evaluate finances, (and in my opinion) hauling vehicle next and then trailer. Hope whatever you choose goes well for you!!
Well donât follow my advice, I bought a trailer, sold the horses, sold the trailer, then bought horses again and am left with no trailer. Now I am left with a cross country move looming, and looking at either trying to buy a nice enough trailer to get us to TN, or pay someone $800/horse to haul them for me ($1600 total, and that is a nice down payment towards a trailer!). So, I am stuck between wanting to buy a trailer, or having to pay a large amount to get my horses moved. I also donât like not having the ability to trailer to the vet or vet hospital if need be, any time of day or night.
If you can afford it I would buy the trailer first. As others have mentioned, make sure you buy something that will fit/accommodate the type of horse you are looking for (if you are looking for a Warmblood or Thoroughbred, obviously a bigger trailer is needed than say, for my two mustangs), however, I do need an OPEN trailer for the mustangs as they still are not confirmed loaders in a smaller straight load trailer yet (I havenât had anything to practice on!) so I take that into consideration with mine. Make sure you get the height you need in the trailer and the space. Beyond that, its mostly all just what you would prefer. Good luck OP!
Horse first - unless you live in an area where a trailer is critical (evacuations possible, few/no shippers for hire).
I agree with buying the horse first.
Iâve been in a position where I had the horse, bought a trailer, then had the horse hate the trailer, to the point that he would not go on no matter what. Heâd literally die before heâd get on that trailer - so evacuating him if necessary would have been impossible, not even part of the equation. If I had to evacuate in a hurry, I would have had to leave him behind. No amount of training or drugs would get him on that trailer. Sold it, bought one that was way too big (warmblood-size trailer for a 15-hand horse?!) - and he was fine. (Turned out that buying a warmblood-sized trailer was great for when Alex and Bodie came along, too.)
Figure out what you want in a trailer. Start shopping and saving. Be sure you have a vehicle that can tow it. But even if you think the trailer is perfect, the horse may have other ideas.
Iâd say depends on what comes up Did you find an ad for the perfect trailer? Or a horse that fits everything you want? Iâd let that be my determination. Iâve had the same trailer 2002 and it has fit everything that Iâve put in it from WB mares and foals to drafts to ponies.
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I have a vehicle for towing already, itâs my dadâs but Iâm free to use it anytime, until I trade my current vehicle for a truck. I honestly think I am leaning towards buying a trailer first, as long as the trailer would fit any horse. I am looking at horses anywhere from 16.2h-17.2h Iâve seen quite a few good deals on a trailers that are a good size. I think I am just looking forward to the excitement of having my own trailer to take my horse wherever, and whenever I want lol Ă°ĆžËâŠ
I have found a few ads for the perfect trailer, But I am curious to what kind of trailer you have? As I am looking for trailers that would fit anything. Especially since the horse I am looking for will be 16.2h-17.2h
I have an Exiss 3H GN slant stock/combo with dressing room. I can configure it as 3 slant stalls or 1 big box and one slightly smaller box. I have literally driven this trailer all over the country in the last 18 years and have never had to do anything to it other than routine maintenance. Last year, I thought about trading it in and took it to a dealer (who was going to give me almost 75% of my original purchase price) but I changed my mind and couldnât part with it lol
I also have a WB sized Brenderup that will pretty much fit anything but I will say that my horses donât seem to love it- I only use it for quick runaround trips
