Trailering horse/s, carriage/s and stuff to a show requires a lot of creativity and rather than buying a new trailer that is sort of like what I need for 25K or 50K for one exactly like what I want, I've decided to do some modifications to my paid for 2001 Exiss STC20. The trailer is 20' on the floor with 16' for horses and a 4' dressing room. It's 7' tall and 6'9" wide. It can haul (5) 1000lb horses short distances and is also used to haul cattle, lawn mowers, golf carts, hay, lumber, furniture, etc.
Photos of the horse trailer changes
Shortly after we bought it, rubber mats were installed on the floor. A few years later foam insulation and rubber matting was installed 48" up on the side walls and 2 windows were added in the nose. $1000
Last year Gladiator track was added in the dressing room to support the harness and storage baskets. A $70 backup camera was also installed so I can now watch the horses as I drive down the road. $370
This is the year of the big changes though.
De-rattling it. I rode in the back a few times to find out where the banging and rattling was the worse and we have installed rubber gaskets made from tire tubing in spots and it's MUCH quieter now. No wonder O. had decided she didn't like riding in it. Since we've made the changes she's been loading without issue.
A winch setup was added in the front horse compartment so that I can get the 500# carriage into the trailer by myself. A battery was mounted under the nose and an isolator added to the truck to run the winch and lights when needed. Costs: $150 winch, $80 battery, $120 isolator, $50 misc = $400
This weekend we added two vents and insulated the roof of the horse area. The dressing room will have additional supports added for a roof AC unit and then the dressing room roof will also be insulated. $80 vents, $500 Polymax sheeting and trim, $100 Polyshield insulation, $30 aluminum stripping, $40 Sherwin Williams caulk for roof, $100 misc=$850
A 58" side ramp (fingers crossed this will work) is going to be added on the curb side of the trailer as well as a walk through door into the dressing room. Estimated costs are between $1000-$2000 depending on how much of the work we do. The side ramp will allow me to load/unload 2 horses in the front while having the back packed with carriages and stuff. I will also be able to load carriages from the front if necessary.
Hopefully all of these changes will keep me from having to buy another trailer but still give me all of the bells and whistles so that everyone is comfortable and the set up is safe and functional.
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