Buying a horse trailer is a big decision. With so many models and styles of trailers, how do you choose the best one? One trailer doesn’t fit all. Your decision will be made based on economic reasons, as well as what suits your horse(s) (is he a small Morgan, an oversized warmblood, or do you travel with more than one?), your use (is it fully equipped for trail riding and camping, or just for travel to and from a local show?), and you (looks do count!).

With so many decisions to make when buying a trailer, the facts needed for an informed decision go beyond the scope of one article. An excellent resource is the book The Complete Guide to Buying, Maintaining, and Servicing a Horse Trailer, written by Neva Kittrell Scheve with her husband, Tom. The Scheves have developed numerous lines of horse trailers through their company EquiSpirit, and Neva travels nationwide giving seminars on all aspects of horse trailers.

The most important thing to remember is that no matter how appealing a trailer looks–with decked-out living quarters, a spacious tack room, and a fancy paint job–if it’s not safe and suitable for the horses you will be hauling, it is not worth the money.

“A trailer need not be expensive to be safe, but the wrong trailer is not a good buy at any price,” write the Scheves