[Lizrd]

I am also trailer shopping. The older Trail-et that I went to look at was a disaster in daylight so the quest continues.

I know the trailer I buy won't be my last trailer but I am going to have it a good couple of years. The farthest I'll be hauling is two hours with most trips being under an hour. My horse is 16.2 hands with a neck that is not terribly upright nor terribly out of his chest - just average.

Would you consider a trailer with an interior height of 7'? It seems to me that there is a trend towards taller and taller trailers with 7'3" being the new "normal" and 7'6" not being that uncommon. Thoughts? I have to consider resale in 3-5 years and want to be able to unload whatever I buy....

[Whitfield Farm Hanoverians]

Personally I would not. I wish mine was 8' tall & many people do get them that height. Mine is 7'6" & is just tall enough for my 16.2 ones.

[Jim_in_PA]

My horses are 16.1h and 16.2h and I wouldn't want anything less than the 7'3" I have in my new-to-me trailer for their height. 7'6" is quickly becoming the defacto-standard height at this point...

[crosscreeksh]

I've never had one less than 7'6" and our last two have been 8'. Comfortable for the horses and better air circulation.

[ArbGrl]

My trailer is short, probably 7', but I have Arabs and they seem perfectly comfortable in it. I have hauled the occasional TB or other larger horse - 16Hish and they didn't seem to mind very much. If I were regularly hauling larger horses I'd get a larger trailer. I think it really depends on what you're hauling on a regular basis.

[SLW]

If you can find one and afford the extra height then get it but mostly get what you need now.

OTOH, a 7' interior would not be a deal breaker for me if everything else was perfect. There are plenty of folks with small quarter horses and regular trail horses that would buy a 7' trailer on a resale.

[mvp]

I wouldn't buy a 7' trailer. The horses I ride tend to be 16h or taller.

If it was a hell of a deal (right price, great design and in good shape) and worked for the shorter horses I had, I might buy it. But I'd know it would be a PITA to sell later and accept that. 7'6" is becoming the standard height, at least in English World. I suspect the same is true for the Western show circuit.

[trubandloki]

If 7' works for you and your horse then go for it.

Just because others would not does not mean it is not a perfectly good trailer for what you are doing.

[TheJenners]

*wants to go measure both trailers....*

FWIW, I had a mid-80s stock trailer that I could place the flats of my palms on the ceiling (I'm 5'3'') and I hauled everything from ponies to 16.2hh horses with nary an issue. Some of the bigger is better stuff is just ridiculous.

Granted, Rory reared up and smashed his head up pretty good in my current trailer, which is a mid-90s side-by-side, so I suspect the roof is 7'. I can touch it, I think? With my finger tips?

[katyb]

I carried all kinds of draft horses, TBs, rescues in my 7' stock trailer without any issues. My new trailer is 8' tall - which is great, except I can't open and shut the roof vents myself.

[meboss84]

I think they will "fit" in a 7' trailer. But my 17h draft cross is definitely more comfortable (as comfortable as one can be in a trailer anyways) in my 7'6" Trail-Et. I would hold out for the taller one if you are worried, they're out there!

[airhorse]

16.2 no...

[Lizrd]

Thanks everyone! The search will continue...

[enjoytheride]

My 16.1 hand gelding rode in a 6' 9" trailer for years. He didn't load when I got him and it was the trailer I taught him to load on. He had no problems.

[trubandloki]

16.2h can mean lots of things when it comes to over all horse height. 16.2h means the horse is 5'6" at the withers. If the horse is the type that neck goes straight up then 7' trailer will probably not be tall enough. If the horse has a level neck then 7' trailer will probably work fine.

[Valentina_32926]

My older mare is just under 16.3 hands and I did haul her in a 7' high stock trailer for several years - she also did not have a "high" head carriage.

It wasn't ideal but it worked.

[Lucassb]

I think you will find a 7' trailer harder to resell when the time comes. Personally I wouldn't purchase one that height.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I did buy one. It is a 1998 Turnbow and I'm pretty sure at some time in the past 7' was the "tall" version of a trailer. My horse is 16" but she is growing. If she outgrows the trailer then I will get a bigger one. It does have a fiberglass roof, but maybe that cracks a noggin just as easily, I'm not trying to test it.

I got a screaming deal, put money into a used trailer (all new tires, wiring, hitch, etc. but I know it is safe), but I paid cash, and I know the market, and that I can sell it today for more than what I have into it. So I have no regrets. Sometimes through word-of-mouth you find deals that you almost can't refuse.

You have to know your horses and what works for him/her and your vehicle and your budget. I wouldn't buy a brand new 7' trailer, but I would buy an older trailer. People kept trying to buy it from the repair shop when I had it in getting fixed up--it was funny--the owner actually called me at one point to see what I wanted for it because one gal was being so persisitent.

[Appsolute]

My horse is 16.2 carries her head somewhat “level” and wears a 81” blanket.

She can fit in a 7’ “okay” has just a little bit of head room – length of stalls in a slant load tends to be a bigger issue. She really has to be jammed in there tight in some “standard” trailers. That said, it has never been an issue, she always hauled fine in it.

I did buy one. It is a 1998 Turnbow and I'm pretty sure at some time in the past 7' was the "tall" version of a trailer.

I agree – 6’6” used to be “standard” and 7’ was “tall”

Growing up, we always had a 7’ trailer – and my 16.3 TB road it in just fine.

[goodhors]

I would go with a 7ft height IF STALL was also long. Gave horse more than just a couple inches clearance with the butt bar up. Stall should also be as wide as possible, maybe in the "oversize" catagory, for the extra room given horse.

Our trailer is 7ft, which has never been an issue hauling 17H+, large bodied horses who fill out their 84" blankets well. Stalls are 8ft long chest to tail bar, 36" wide. Horse can step forward or back, stretch to pee (unless the one gelding MUST pretend he is a Saddlebred and stretch out before going, then we just drop the tail bar) when parked and they have all been fine going places in it. Short or long trips, they can change postition, don't get locked into one stance by having small stalls. Straight load, side-by-side, half divider between.

I hauled a nice 16.2H QH in a 6ft trailer, back in the day. It was a 4H, with just bars between front and hind horse, center dividers. I seldom used all 4 slots, so we let him have the extra length by making the empty back stall's chest bar, be his tail bar. He just lowered his head for the ride, used all the room and got off quite comfortably. Extra length made it an 8ft stall and let him do that easily.

I want horses getting off the trailer happy, not stiff or worn out by not being able to move a bit. So having longer stalls is REALLY important to us in hauling them.

7ft height would not be a deal breaker for me on a trailer purchase if the OTHER things, enough length and width of stalls, were also there. You might want to take your horse over to see how he REALLY fills up the space when loaded. Does change how you see things when the horse gets inside!!