Trailers

STEVE: What I look for when I purchase a trailer is I want to get a piece of equipment that has a reliable reputation, number one. I go over it, to make sure it’s safe inside, that it can transport the horses without any difficulties; it has good corners, ceilings, flooring, that are very, very sturdy. You don’t have to worry about the closure of the panels when you put horses in it. That it basically has good protective inner-lining so they don’t rub their hocks, so they don’t bank their knees, that they don’t have a chance to injure themselves. Everything has smooth covering on it, it’s good-padded, and it’s a reliable piece of equipment that I’m going to be able to transport them in, that essentially has enough room inside, ventilation, and protective covering for them to be housed in it throughout a long haul, maybe up to 6, 10, 12, 15 hours, depending on how far away we have to go.

ALEX: That’s probably…somebody that has a horse; they have to figure out what they’re going to be doing. If they’re traveling long-distance, then they might get something larger than just a 2-horse trailer; something like yours, which is a 4-horse. There are some that come with living quarters. There are some that don’t. It really depends on, one; where are you going to be with your horse or where do you want to travel to do compete, or to do whatever? That’s going to help to make a decision on what type or how big a horse trailer you need to have.

STEVE: The style trailers that are available can vary from a single-horse trailer to a 2-horse trailer, where the horses are long-ways, side-by-side, heading…their nose toward a direction that they’re traveling. There are slant-load trailers that you can put 2 horses in, that is a little bit more convenient and it gives the horses a little bit more legroom because it has a little bit more angle.

The big slant-load aluminum trailers now, like I have, are probably designed to last 100 years. These things are practically indestructible. As long as you maintain them and keep good tires on them, there’s really nothing that will rust in them, there’s nothing that’ll deteriorate. Pretty much, you better like it because you’re going to be stuck with it for a while. I like what I have. It depends on what your use is going to be. The big commercial trailers probably last 15 or 20 years, and they probably have to do service and maintain them.

ALEX: Yeah. A lot of people would start maybe with a 2-horse rear- load trailer, but then they move up to something bigger that will carry more horses or have living quarters. A lot of times, you go to a show and you stay the weekend, and it’s nice to have your living quarters within your trailer. If you don’t have your own trailer, then there’s people that can do it for you and do it very economically.

There’s a lot of reputable commercial horse transportation companies across the country that do local service, particularly here in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, where we are now. Also, you might have a situation where you need to get a horse from Kentucky to California, so you need a long-haul. There are some big reputable companies that do that, as well.

STEVE: Really, it depends on what your budget is, how far you’re going to be hauling, and what your use of the trailer is for. You really have to take into consideration all these things: Budget, caliber, quality of the horse, amount of protection you’re wanting, and how far you’re going to be hauling.