Purchasing a Horse Trailer

Learn the Lingo

Purchasing a horse trailer, especially for the first time, can be a daunting undertaking. So many things to consider – aluminum or steel, new or used, bumper pull or gooseneck, slant load or straight load – the choices are dizzying! And on top of all that, there’s the horse trailer lingo.

Ignorance may be bliss, but not when you’re about to plop down a good chunk of change on a beautiful, new, living quarters horse trailer!

To help you out, this week’s newsletter defines some terms that you’re likely to hear when trailer shopping, yet may have no clue what they mean. So here we go…

Breakaway brake– an independent braking device housed on the trailer’s coupler and equipped with a battery. While hauling, if your trailer and towing vehicle become unhitched, the breakaway brake activates the trailer’s brakes so the trailer stops.

(You’re probably wondering how the breakaway brake knows that the trailer and towing vehicle have become separated. Good question. The battery has a removable pin that’s attached to a cable. When you hitch up, you’ll attach this cable to the vehicle or the hitch frame. Should the trailer break away during travel, the cable becomes taut, thereby pulling the pin from the battery, which activates the brakes.)

Coupler – the part of the trailer that "couples” or joins the trailer to the hitch ball whether the trailer is a bumper pull or gooseneck.

Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) – the weight of a trailer when fully loaded. Also known as Gross Weight (GW). Fully loaded means with horses, gear, and all trailer accessories such as mats and spare tire. Technically, your GVW can fluctuate depending on what you’re towing. Two 17 hand warmbloods will be heavier than two Shetland ponies.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) – a value assigned by the trailer manufacturer which reflects the recommended maximum loaded weight of a single vehicle. The GVWR for a horse trailer depends on the axle and coupler capacity. So, a horse trailer with two axles rated at 2500 lbs. each and a two inch ball coupler rated at 5000 lbs. gives the trailer a 5000 lb. GVWR. It is illegal and unsafe to load a trailer in excess of its GVWR.

Okay. That’s it for this week; expect a quiz next week (just kidding!)

When making a major purchase like a horse trailer, you can’t educate yourself too much. The more you know, the better buying decision you’ll make.