Do You Need a Horse Trailer?

For many horse owners, a time comes when they wrestle with the question of whether to buy a horse trailer. Like any decision, this is one that’s ultimately up to you. But if you’ve been waffling back and forth, this article may help you justify taking the plunge.

The following questions discuss three major areas of consideration when contemplating buying a horse trailer.

1. What are your riding goals?

This one’s important because depending on how you answer it makes it pretty clear what the next logical step would be.

Are you the occasional pleasure rider, hopping on your horse once or twice a week or maybe even less? Is riding just a pleasant pastime for you that you fit in when time allows? If this sounds like you, you may never need a horse trailer. But, if you wish to occasionally take your horse to different locations to ride, like a state forest or conservation land, owning a trailer would make this a real option. Maybe the area where you live is experiencing development that’s biting into your riding trails. Being able to pick up and go elsewhere could be very appealing.

Perhaps you ride regularly, work with a trainer, and have aspirations to show. Maybe you just want to attend riding clinics to improve your skills. If you board at a facility where you have access to others who own trailers, you could get by without owning your own transportation. But, if you dislike imposing on others, a horse trailer of your own would set you free. What if you stable your horse at home, with no convenient way to hitch a ride with someone else? Once again, your own trailer would erase all of these problems.

2. Can you afford to buy and maintain a horse trailer?

With the wide variety of horse trailers available today, you can pretty much spend as little or as much as you want. You can buy a basic, used bumper-pull trailer for a surprisingly reasonable price. If you plan to haul a lot of gear and believe you need additional storage space like a dressing room, the cost will go up. There’s a direct correlation between the size of a horse trailer and its cost.

Besides the initial purchase price, you also should realize that you’ll have annual maintenance expenses along with others such as registration. Even though you’ll have these, a horse trailer does not experience the wear and tear of a car or a truck and there are far less mechanical parts to break down.

3. What will you use to tow your trailer?

Your towing vehicle is just as important as the trailer. The vehicle should be in good mechanical condition and rated for pulling the trailer. The engine should be big and strong enough to do the job and the hitch should be appropriate for the trailer. Fortunately, many of today’s SUVs can adequately tow a trailer, so you may not need that pickup truck like you initially thought.

Just like your trailer, your towing vehicle needs to be maintained, insured, registered, etc. So be sure to consider the costs of keeping your tow vehicle road-worthy.

These are just a few things you should think about when contemplating purchasing a trailer. Although there are costs involved, after research you may find it’s more doable than you first thought.

If you have questions, here at Double D we have answers, so just call us at (800) 435-6274 or email sales@doubledtrailers.com. We’d love to help you find a horse trailer that’s just right for you!

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July! Posted 7/2/2008

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