Thank you for this terrific forum! I just bought a 2008 Toyota Highlander with a tow package (factory reciever hitch, beefed up transmission, radiator etc.). It is rated to pull 5000# and I want to buy a light 2 horse trailer to pull my 17h 1,400 Warmblood mare. The trailer must be 7'6" inside height. I am looking at a 2009 Featherlite 2 horse straight load model 9406 - $18,800 or a 2009 all aluminum Sundowner 777 straightload ($13,900 new!). I know I am pushing it as the trailer will weigh 3,000# and my horse is 1,400#, so my total will be 4,400# without tack etc. Do you have a trailer preference? Also, do I need stabilizer bars & brakes installed? (the factory hitch came with a flat 4 pin light set up) Thanks for your insight!

Hello HP ... Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you will be at the limit of your vehicle with your one horse. GM & Ford recommend a WDH for any trailer over 5,000 pounds, even with 3/4 ton truck. I would use a WDH, if I had your vehicle and trailer. The pucker factor when the trailer is driving the rig is very high.

You will need a brake controller and the wiring to the trailer. A four pin plug does NOT have a circuit for brakes. AND ... you will need trailer brakes. You can drive like Grandma but you can't control the idiots that will pull out in front of you.

Last, you'll want to load your single horse on the left side of a 2 horse straight load. Heavy on the left is to your advantage when the road is crowned and if you just happen to run off the edge of the road.

What is a WDH? What do you mean by "pucker factor" when the trailer is driving the rig?

I will definitely have the brake controller installed and the plug changed so that the brakes are included.

I only plan to haul my 1 horse (unless I use a beefier tow vehicle), do you think a slant load would haul better than a straight load? I haven't purchased a trailer yet, so I appreciated your input.

Sorry about the obscure terms...

A WDH is Weight Distributing Hitch. It transfers some of the trailer hitch weight to the front tires of the Tow Vehicle or TV. You've likely seen one. It looks like two metal handle bars between the trailer and the TV. The metal bars are actually called spring bars.

Here's a link to a page that explains them in detail.

>>> http://www.mrtruck.net/wdh.htm



Now ... for "Pucker Factor" It's a delicate term for the feeling one gets in their hind end as their trailer and SUV sways out of control or as other bad things happen.

HP ... About the slant vs straight load. This is a "loaded" question. Some people say their horses travel better in a slant. Others say a straight load is best. I have a 3H Goose Neck (GN) slant load. My horses travel better than in the 2H GN straight load trailer I had.

In your situation, I would get a straight load. A Bumper Pull slant is sensitive to the number and relative sizes of horses loaded. A single horse loaded in the rear stall will unload the hitch (causing uncontrolled sway) The same horse loaded in the front will over weight the hitch since there isn't a balancing horse in the rear.

Also, a Straight load will have more usable stall length than a slant load. Unless you have a very short backed WB (LOL) ... get the straight load.