Trailer-Buying Guide

Goosenecks (such as this Featherlite model) attach closer to your truck's center of gravity than bumper-pulls, so have less effect on truck movement. With less sway and pivot movement, steering and backing up are easier.

If you're in the market for a trailer, now is a good time to buy. Bargains abound. Used trailers are selling well; trailer manufacturers are scaling back. Trailer dealers are ordering in new trailers with fewer options for affordability.

Here, I'll first give you some get-started guidelines. Then I'll go over model lines, hitch types, stall configurations, and other interior features. I'll also tell you which axles provide the smoothest ride.

Get-Started Guidelines
• Ask around. Ask your friends what they like about their trailers. At horse-related events, gather opinions from folks about their trailers, then sort through the noise with logic and common sense. Check out horse and horse-trailer forums online.

• Inspect used trailers. If you're shopping for a new or used trailer, find 5-year-old trailers that are the same model as the one you have in mind to see how it holds up. This tells you most of the story. Take someone with you who has experience with trailers. Lift the floor mats, and check the floors. Go under the trailer, and look at the wiring. Check all welds, especially those in the neck/tongue and door openings. Inspect any rust and/or corrosion. Is it on the surface or deeper in the frames?

Bumper-Pull trailer (top); Gooseneck Trailer (bottom)

• Do comparison shopping. Find a consumer trade show with a wide selection of trailers, such as those that run concurrently with horse expos (see page 63) and large breed shows. (The largest collection of horse trailers is at the All American Quarter Horse Congress, held every October in Columbus, Ohio.) Listen to the dealers' sales pitches, and take notes. Start getting a handle on what might fit you and your horse best.

• Choose trailer width. How wide of a trailer are you looking for? If this is your first trailer, I suggest a six- or seven-foot-wide trailer, so you can see it all the way back to the end. (Tip: Invest in large trailer mirrors for your truck for optimal visibility of your trailer and road environment.)

• Choose material. Most trailers are a combination of steel, aluminum, fiberglass, and other materials. All aluminum trailers have steel axle sub-frames and usually steel gooseneck frames. The majority of steel-frame trailers now offer aluminum skin. Generally, aluminum gooseneck trailers are lighter than steel ones, but not always. In two- and three-horse bumper-pulls, aluminum, composite, and steel trailers are very close in weight. Composite trailers with aluminum skin can look good down the road.

• Choose roof material. A fiberglass roof will be 10 to 20 degrees cooler than aluminum or steel. It's difficult to build, and design varies. Ask conversion companies which roofs they can walk on carrying an air-conditioning unit without worrying. Check the roof warranty; no one likes a leaky roof.