I too have a question about size of truck for horse trailer (just found this site today). I used to have 99 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3L with 3.73 rear differential. I pull a 2horse slant load S&H with a walk in tack room - when both horses in...I would guesstimate weight at about 6000#'s as well. When I pulled along the interstate (I-70/Western Colorado) it was sluggy to say the least...but then when I pulled up some small hills - never attempted the pass because of results on small hills, it was ridiculous; had to be in 4low to get up the hill (dry dirt road) and the tires were in good shape. My question is I too am looking for a new vehicle - but want to go with a used truck since it'll only be used to haul, not as a everyday vehicle. I'm considering the following two:
94 - Chevy C2500 with 5.7L/V8 and 3.73
95 - Chevy Silverado 2500HD 7.4L/454 - not sure on rear differential at this time.
The 94 is a much better price...but is it going to haul like the 99 I got rid of...or does it have more power?
THANKS SO MUCH

I think you should go with that pretty red and silver '94 Chevy 6.5 HD on ebay. But then again my opinion is biased since I'm the seller. I'll leave this question for MrTruck. heehee

Hi, the 5.7L will be better than your 5.3L but axle ratio will be important. 4.10 would be good, 3.73 ok. You loose 3% power for every 1000 ft. in elevation. So Vail pass at over 11,000 ft. takes away alot of power. Try the 5.7L on I-70. The 454 HD2500 will pull a bigger trailer if you upgrade in the future.