How to Appraise Horse Trailers

If you are in the market for a horse trailer, you can do a basic appraisal yourself, which requires a modest amount of knowledge about horse trailers. To do a thorough appraisal, you will need to bring the trailer to a shop with the equipment necessary to appraise the mechanical aspects of the trailer. The key difference to keep in mind when in appraising horse trailers over other types of trailers is that it will be transporting a live animal that weighs a considerable amount and that is not necessarily going to stand perfectly still the entire time it is on the trailer.

Things You'll Need

  • Inspection checklist
  • Mat or rolling dolly to get under trailer
  • Screwdriver
  • Tow vehicle
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Instructions

  1. The Three Most Important Aspects to Horse Trailer Appraisal

    • 1

      The most important part of horse trailer appraisal is to examine the parts that are not readily visible. The floor's support structure is the critical part of a horse trailer. Crawl part way under each side of the trailer on your back. Most trailers have steel frames. The frame will almost certainly have rust on it; use your screwdriver to determine whether the rust is surface rust or whether the rust has eaten through the structure. Excessive rust causing structural weakness may mean a horse trailer is no longer viable.

    • 2

      If the floor support structure is sound, examine the floor itself. Many basic, low-end trailers still have wood floors. While still under the trailer, use your screwdriver to poke randomly at places around the floorboards. Typically the areas along the edges will collect manure, urine and rain, making them most vulnerable to rot from trapped moisture. Also look inside the trailer and remove rubber mats to inspect the floorboards from the inside. Floorboards are relatively easy to replace but must be done if the floorboards are compromised; therefore, rotten floorboards have a negative impact on the appraisal of the trailer.

    • 3

      The third key areas to check in a horse trailer are the mechanical/electrical parts. Check the basic electrical connection by backing a tow vehicle up to the trailer and plugging it in (you do not need to hitch the trailer up to do this). Check the running, brake and signal lights. If the trailer is more than five years old, bring the trailer to a mechanic to pull the wheels and check brakes and bearings for wear. Also, have a mechanic who is knowledgeable about tires determine whether the tire wear is normal for the use and age of the trailer and whether the general suspension is in need of repair.

    • 4

      After determining the viability of the above three critical areas, appraise the remaining components of the trailer. Check the status of the battery for the safety brake, a brake activated by the pulling of a cable if the trailer were to become disengaged from the tow vehicle. Check rust and wear on nonstructural areas of the trailer such as walls and doors. Make sure the trailer jack and all hinges, latches and crank handles for ventilation work properly. Last, look for areas in the trailer that could cause injury to a curious horse, especially if the trailer is an open "stock-type" trailer where one horse can travel loose.

    • 5

      To actually assign a dollar value to the trailer, look online at local horse-related websites and horse trailer dealerships to find comparable trailers and the price at which they are listed. The different aspects to consider and compare are length, number of horses that the trailer fits, age, accessory features such as tack storage area, separate feed storage areas, "stud stalls" --- a stall that has a floor to ceiling wall that blocks a stallion from any access to other horses in the trailer --- and human living quarters.