Horse Trailer Hauls Valuable Cargo

Gone are the days of strapping your horse into an open metal trailer and zipping along the highway to the next race or show. Today's version of a horse trailer can easily cost over $50,000, and depending on the number of horses you are hauling, the amount and type of equipment it can be an investment to protect your cargo.

Buying race horses is not cheap, although many get into the sport by investing in shares of the animal, and with some horses earning winnings in the millions of dollars a year, horse trailers are bought to ensure their comfort and safety. Many are air conditioned and have room for trainers and riders to join them on the trip.

Horse trailers used to be, and are still available, big enough for the horse to stand up in with little room and front or back. They would have a typical hitch for a bumped hitch and were accessible only from the back. If you had to transport two horses, you bought a wider trailer and the stood side-by-side during the trip. It wasn't long before owners realized they were putting a lot of stress on the animals and risking injury with having them tethered inside the horse trailer. They would typically carry tack, food and other items in the pick-up truck to which the horse trailer was attached.

Valuable Horses Deserve Better

As prices of horses began to go up and, especially with winning race horses, the desire to offer the animals more comfort, room and safety brought a surge of luxurious horse trailers. Four horses can be comfortably transported in a 28-foot-long horse trailer with room for tack, food and other items that will be needed at the end of the ride.

Air conditioning comes with them for the warmer climates as well as heaters for the winter to protect the animals from the elements. The accommodations available in the best horse trailer are the most like a stable to keep the animal stress-free during the trip. This is especially important for race horses or show horses where you want the animal to exit the horse trailer ready to perform.

Strength in a trailer is a very important factor for safety in case of an accident and while steel in the toughest material, a horse trailer made of specialty aluminum promises the strength of steel and the weight of aluminum to reduce the towing weight of the horse trailer and to be better accommodated for the towing vehicle.