Horse Trailers and trucks?

I'm planning to buy a truck and trailer within the next year, so I've been talking to the experts about this same problem. With gas prices through the roof, I want the smallest and most fuel efficient vehicle possible. Much is going to depend on the type of trailer you buy. Some trailers are made to be extremely lightweight and aerodynamic and are designed to by towed by small vehicles. The Brenderup is one such example. My friend had one and she pulled it with 2 big horses in the trailer with her Chevy Blazer. Another friend pulls a really lightweight all aluminum trailer with a Ford 150 pickup. The problem is that these lightweight vehicles with small wheelbases are in greater danger of losing control. I know I was driving the Blazer/Brenderup combo one time when one of the horses started kicking in the trailer and I really had to fight to keep the thing on the road. And in slick conditions it was a bit scary. Not to mention that if you got into an accident in one of these lightweight trailers your horse is toast. It will crush like a tin can. A heavy steel trailer (or steel frame with aluminum skin) will weigh more but be much safer in an accident. There are always trade-offs so you decide what is important to you.

The recommendation I've gotten from multiple experts is this:

First figure out how much weight you intend to tow. Add the weight of the trailer, plus all the extras in the trailer such as mats, saddle racks and water tanks you added to the base trailer, plus the weight of the horses and the tack/hay/etc. Once you figure out the weight you will be towing, add 1000 lbs. for a margin of safety. So let's say you select a trailer that weights 3500 lbs, your 2 horses together weigh 3000 lbs, and you add another 400 lbs of tack and stuff. So you will be towing 6900 lbs. You'd think you'd be fine with a tow vehicle with a 7000 lb weight limit, right? Wrong. A horse is not like a boat. It doesn't just sit there. It is top heavy. It moves around. It could get scared or stupid and thrash around. So you need that extra margin of safety that a tow vehicle with an 8000 weight limit provides. Not to mention that towing right at your vehicle's limits places a lot of strain on moving parts and you're likely to have it break down early on.

Personally I'm leaning towards something like a Tahoe or other full sized SUV because since this will be my only vehicle I don't want a pickup truck. But you also need to think about whether you want a gooseneck or tag-along trailer. Having driven both, I would say the gooseneck feels a lot more stable and is safer, but it's harder to learn how to drive at first.

For a three or 4 horse w living quarters you will decide for a dually that takes a gooseneck at a minimum. I went with a Cummins diesel engine surrounded by potential of a steer away from. (unquestionably I even have 2) i admire the diesel and function over a a million/2 million miles on the ninety one and quite much as a lot on the ninety two. The longer the wheel base the extra reliable the rig so an entire length pkup with team cab will no longer get you fishtailing like a quick mattress could. attempt going to horse shows and rodeos and confer with people who're pulling great rigs with various fords. evaluate a used truck because you have gotten extra coaching on its defects whilst in comparison with a sparkling truck.

Well, I would look into Cheveys or dodges. Some of them are big, but they cant pull quite a heavy load. IF its a big trialer, even though you might not want to, opt for a lagrer truck as towing a large horse trailer on a small truck is not a good idea... HEre are a couple of cars you can look up o nthe internet and find a a local dealer... Ford F-#50, Silverado 35000 horse power... blah blah. Go to a couple car websites, too, such as Chevey. com and sometimes it will tell you if its horse compatible or not.