Before you go looking for your next horse trailer it is important to know what to look for. When buying used you may save a few dollars, but be aware that horse trailers do not depreciate in value as much as a motorized vehicle would so do not expect them to be cheap, even 20 year old trailers are still priced fairly high when in reasonable condition.

If you plan on using your trailer a lot (more than once a month) it may be better to forget looking at used trailers and stick with new.

Consider how big of a trailer you need, and how big of a trailer your vehicle can pull (remember it will have horses inside). If you only have one horse, getting anything larger than a two horse trailer is probably a waste of money.

Photo by Author.  This is a basic 2-horse trailer.

Consider if you need a tack room or sleeping area for yourself.

With used trailers it is very important that the equipment be sound and in good shape. Check the wheel wells, the hitch, and of course the floor boards. If rotten then should be replaced immediately. The electrical works should be checked and all lights should be in working order. Some trailers have a braking device which should be checked. Also be sure the welds on the doors are solid. Check for a spare tire.

Then we can look at the horses needs. Consider what kind of horse you have, a mini, or pony, will need considerably less room than a warmblood. A horse who feels claustrophobic will not want to load, so meeting a horses need for head space and having a window so it can look out are main considerations. The stalls should be long enough to accommodate the horse should it need to lower its head to cough. They should be wide enough that the horse can steady its legs for balance.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjc4454/2782542326/  This trailer looks nice, but if the horses fight it could be a disaster, also rocks thrown up from the road could hurt a horses eye.  It would be a great trailer for sheep though. 

Open stock trailers should really not be purchased for horses unless there is no other option. These allow for too much room and may result in fighting or falls in horses unfamiliar with traveling in a loose area. While they are certainly easier to load animals into, they have more risks. It is also harder to find one with good suspension so hauling long distances in one may result in leg stress for the animals.

In trailers with stalls check to see that everything can be removed if needed, as in when hauling a mare and foal, if a horse should get stuck, or in the event of an accident/emergency. Most have butt chains which go behind the horse after they have loaded, these should be covered in rubber rather than just left as a chain which will pinch the horses tail and aggravate them.

Straight loaded trailers are often more roomy than diagonal ones, although those work great for minis and ponies, they are not often suitable for the larger horses.

Photo by Author. 

Make sure the walls are solid and there are no sharp rusted areas, particular inside.

Ideally the interior should be painted white, but a person can do this themselves with spray paint for the surface. There should be padding on the walls and stall dividers.

Never buy a used trailer in a rush. You do not want to settle for something that is unsafe or unsuitable because you were in a hurry.

*Written with the help of my wife after our experience with buying a used horse trailer.