If you plan on transporting horses, you’ll be wondering what size horse trailer to buy. Consider your needs, your wants, your budget, and most important; consider your animals when choosing.

Know the size of your horses before you set out to buy. The most obvious feature you will be looking at is height. You will need to know how many hands your horse stands. A standard sized trailer will house animals up to about 16-17 hands. This will suffice for shorter breeds of horses like Arabians and Morgans. An extra large is good for most Quarter Horses, larger Paints and Thoroughbreds up to about 17-18 hands. You’ll need a double extra large for horses exceeding 18 hands up to 19 hands, and for horses over 19 hands, you may have to look into custom trailer builds.

Are you looking to straight load or slant load your horse trailer? These can also be factors which are affected by the size of your animal. You’ll need to measure the stalls to ensure there is proper room for your horse. Consider that there will be wheel wells which may also affect the actual footage of the stall.

Will you be using dividers when you haul? These dividers can also take up some room in the trailer. Know this going in.

When you upgrade in size and weight of a trailer, you will have to make sure that the trailer can accommodate the extra features. Look for reinforcements and extra safety features to prevent accidents and problems down the line. Tires will also be affected by additional weight. Make sure they can safely tow the weight of the trailer with the weight of the horses.

Knowing what features horse trailer manufacturers offer as standards and upgrades will help you in your search of the right trailer for you. Most important when considering what size horse trailer to buy is always the comfort of your horse.