too big to fit?

hi me and my friend have just bought a trailer, however now we have it home im thinking it might be a little small for my 16.3h horse. i just wanted to know what size trailer i need and what the dangers are of travelling a horse in a smaller trailer. thanks

Welcome to the forum Roxanne.

You need a thoroughbred size trailer to comfortably carry a horse that size. They range from a height of 7' to 7.6' with a width of about 6.6'. Smaller than that and your run the risk of your horse hitting his head from having to carry it so low as to fit in the trailer. Chances are good that if you have a smaller trailer, it will be too short for him as well. It is a good way to create a phobia to trailers in your horse.

I'm sure that there will be some who do it on a regular basis but that does not make it right and certainly not comfortable for your horse.

if you go to a good builder they should let you know what size trailer you need, the more builders you go to you will learn more about trailers .
dont know much about UK trailers but in Australia the smallest one would be 12 foot straight loader

I have a 6'6" trailer and my 16hh gelding just barely fits. I have to be sure to have a head bumper on him because he has hit his head a few times. Luckily he is hard headed and has no problem with his head occationally touching the top of the trailer, he just calmly lowers it. I would suggest at least a 7' trailer for a horse that tall.

for a 16.3HH horse, I would get a Warmblood sized trailer. They are a bit wider and taller. i have a 17hh mare that will not fit comfortably in a thoroughbred sized trailer. Plus, when you have a Warmblood sized trailer, you know that if you haul another horse or buy another horse, it will fit no matter what.

good luck!

Well, your question is multi-fold, so I'll try and answer as best as I can.

First, you'll want to go with a straight load trailer, as slants are typically made for horses 15.3 and smaller. The larger the horse, the more room it needs to be able to extend it's neck and be able to properly breathe. Second, you'll want a fairly tall trailer - 7'6 to 7'9 are common heights for taller horses. If you get a trailer that is made for warmbloods, you should be able to haul just about any horse you'll ever get. That was one of the things we looked for in our trailer - it has to be able to haul any horse that we might ever buy or currently have - such as our 2 year old Dutch Warmblood / Thoroughbred cross that's currently 16'1 and growing.

Secondly, there are plenty of dangers of having a horse in a smaller trailer. One being stability. Our 4 horse head to head is somewhere in the neighborhood of 7800 lbs unloaded. It hugs the road and I have no qualms about driving with it behind me in the rain. If you can go with a gooseneck, do. Even if it's a 2 horse trailer, the gooseneck adds stability and makes the trailer easier to maneuver. It takes a little bit of getting used to going from a bumper pull to a gooseneck, but you should get the hang of it pretty quickly. Hope this helps you make your decision!