Four Decisions to Make for Your Custom Horse Trailer

You know everything about your horses from their favorite treats to their pet peeves, so why would you trust their safety and comfort in a trailer you know nothing about?  Choosing a custom horse trailer ensures that you know as much about your trailer as you do the horses that you’ll be hauling inside of it.  From basic materials to load design and pull configuration, your choices in key areas will influence how well your trailer and your horses perform on the road.

Materials Matter for Horse Trailers 

Trailer manufacturers vary widely in the material options they offer for their custom horse trailers, but many still cling to traditional metals that rust and sag over time.  When you’re building your horse trailer from the ground up, you’ll need to weigh affordability with lifespan and overall usability, especially when it comes to these areas:

Structure.  The structure or frame of your trailer is the bulk of what stands between your horse and the highway.  Without an adequate safety cage, your horses may be seriously injured in the event of an accident.  Aluminum is lightweight and inexpensive and steel is very strong, but zinc alloys are both lightweight and strong, as well as more durable than either of these typical trailer structure metals.

Flooring.  Aluminum floors may have a reputation for durability, but they readily transfer heat, cold and vibrations, creating an uncomfortable ride for your horses.  A wooden or rubber composite floor gives your horses a smoother ride, helps keep interior temperatures more even and will last for years.  Rubber composites like our Rumber flooring are the Cadillac of horse trailer flooring -- not only are they easy to clean and gentle on your horses, they save the trouble of moving around heavy stall mats every time you clean your trailer.

Skin.  Our trailers are skinned with aluminum on the outside but the interior we use zinc sheeting called Galvalite.  Since the exterior of your trailer is "non-structural", aluminum is an acceptable choice of material.  However, the interior is where strength, durability and safety are an absolute must have which is why Galvalite is a superior choice in comparison to aluminum.

Safety Features Shouldn't Be Optional

Many trailers lack basic safety features, which can be especially frightening if you find your horse has gotten into trouble during his ride down the highway.  With custom horse trailers you have plenty of opportunities to add safety features, from our double-walled, insulated SafeBump roof system that keeps your horse compartment cool on the hottest days to our SafeKick wall system designed to take lots of pawing and hard kicking without hurting your horse or your trailer.

Slant or Straight Loading Options 

We offer both straight and slant load horse trailers to meet your hauling needs.  Many horses load and haul better in a slant load horse trailer, but smaller horses may ride just as well in a straight load trailer.  The choice of loading style is largely a personal one, but if your horse is nervous on long trips or is still in training, we recommend the slant load option.  Whichever way you choose to haul your horses, though, we’ll make sure they travel safely.

Do You Need a Gooseneck or Bumper Pull Trailer? 

There’s no single answer to the age-old question of bumper pull or gooseneck horse trailer -- both are good options if you have the equipment to keep them following behind you.  Gooseneck trailers can offer a little more storage space or room for a small sleeping compartment over the hitch, as well as improved maneuverability and stability for hauling three or more horses.  However, goosenecks can be difficult to store if you have limited space -- if you’ll be hauling just two horses, a high quality bumper pull trailer may be all you need.

No matter the size or style of your dream horse trailer, we can build it.  Email us at sales@doubledtrailers.com to get started on your custom horse trailer.