Trailers... help a newbie out? (:?

[demactima]

I have one horse. 15.1-ish hh, TWH, chubby. Maybe around 1200 lbs? I really don't know. Anyway, I'm hoping to buy a trailer pretty soon, and my price limit is around $2,000 give or take (my mom's number, not mine). I'm paying for part of it though, so I'd really rather it be cheaper (; (Before I get any lectures, I know - I'd rather pay more for a good trailer than have my horse fall through the floor of a moving trailer. He's my baby, I couldn't even imagine that.)
My mom did some searching on Craigslist and we found some, but I don't really know what EXACTLY you're supposed to be looking for in a trailer. What are the pros/cons of these? Which would you say looks the best?

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/grd/1655260155.html
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/grd/1662191504.html (Cheap and not exactly in-depth about the quality. Trying to hide bad characteristics or just trying to sell quickly? :| )
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/grd/1647247468.html
http://desmoines.craigslist.org/grd/1655210629.html

Also: When you trailer 1 horse in a 2 horse trailer, you put him on the side with the car's steering wheel on, yes? And I've heard varying things... What's the average amount of lead rope slack you should give a horse when he's tied when you're trailering?

 

[iloveminiaturehorses]

i'm just going to answer the bottom question because i'm not very experienced with trailers....

yes the horse goes on the left side of that trailer always. thats because it will unbalance the trailer around corners if the horses weight is on the outside of the trailer. and in a slant load the heaviest horse or the only horse(if trailering just one) would go up towards the very front of the trailer(closest to the truck)

 

[zephania666]

It's hard to tell much from these pics, but here are my thoughts.

THe second trailer has been deleted.

The first and last are similar. I don't like these trailers; the escape door is hard to get out of and a horse can try to follow you out, with potentially disastrous results. When travelling, the horse's head is tied into the small space above the tack area in the front. They can't put their front feet forward to try to keep their balance. They can't put their heads down at all. If you give them a hay net in there, they can't get away from it, from the dust and debris that's blowing around it. It makes for a really uncomfortable ride. If they have any breathing problems, this will be hell; if they don't have them, they soon will. If you don't give them hay, there'll still be troubles if it's hot.

It's hard to tell from these pics, but #3 looks better. THis style of trailer has a full size escape door for you, which is usually in front of the bar that keeps the horse back. You duck under the bar to get out. You can get to the horses without them escaping, and they have the full height of the trailer to breathe in and move their heads around. They have room to breathe; you have room at the front for a hay net without the problems of the others. They can put a foot forward to brace if necessary. These trailers are less claustrophobic for the horses, better for their health, and safer all around, in my opinion.

Lead rope slack: Depends on the horses. I leave a good bit, so they can move their heads around easily and relax, but never enought they can get a foot through it. When I trailer with one of my friend's horses, we have to tie them shorter, as her horse likes to bit the horse next to it.

Yes, a single horse (or the heavier of two horses) should be on the side closest to the center of the road (normally the driver's side).

When you inspect these trailers, look for rust underneath, particularly in the support structures. Look for rot in the floor boards - be sure to lift the mats to inspect them! Take the trailer to a trailer dealer if at all possible to inspect the wheel housings and such. Check for cracks in welds in the tongue and hitch. Open all the doors and push on the body as hard as you can to make sure it is solid - I had one where a minor crack developed in one of the upright supports, and the whole thing went wonky. Make sure all the door latches work correctly and have all the safety latches/chains/etc. on them.

I would seriously want these professionally inspected before I bought.

 

[Beautifiedmami]

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/grd/1655…it's padded , no rust, floors are good, and its a two horse trailer for 2500 and it has great tires! you want to give him at least a foot of rope if even that.. it gives him enough to move his head.

 

[ladystang]

would check for rust and rotten floor.
tie enough to let him move head about 3 inches.

 

[Sarah]

usually people put them on the drivers side. Lead rope length depends on the size of the horse, but 1 - 1 1/2 feet...
Make sure you check electric before you buy and have someone look at the structure of the flooring, not just the wood but metal too.