Horse Trailers

I love horse trailers. When I was younger and we were out driving on the road and our car approached one, I would plead with my parents to speed up so that I could peek in the back at the horse. Then I'd ask them to pass the trailer so that I could see if I could spy the horse's head as we went past. 

Before I had my own horse, my parents used to take Leslie and me to local shows so that we could watch. They'd drop us off for the day, give us some money to buy lunch, and then come back around 5:00 to pick us up.

These local shows were mostly western classes with a few halter classes at the beginning, and always at the end was the crowd favorite, the Jack Benny Class. Jack Benny was an older comedian at the time so the class was for older riders. There was a lot of good natured ribbing and cheering of the exhibitors as that class was in the ring. 

Leslie and I would watch the classes and wander the show grounds, looking at the trailers, and the horses, and dreaming of the day that we might be on the show grounds with our own rig and horses.

The Hoffine family had my favorite trailer. It was a four horse trailer with a dressing room similar to this one. When they rolled into the show grounds, Leslie and I would stop and watch. 

Best of all, the family's name was emblazoned across the sides. Leslie and I thought that that was the ultimate in horsedom - a trailer that hauled more than two horses and that had your name on it? Such grandeur!

(Funny aside, I have had a lot of physical therapy over the years, and my physical therapist is Dusti Hoffine Chase! She saw my horsey necklace at one of my first appointments and she mentioned that she was a horsey gal, too. When I figured out that she was a Hoffine and told her about how I thought her family's rig was the absolute ultimate, we had a good laugh, but I could also see that she was very touched.)

My dad, bless him, always supported my horsey side. After I got my first horse, he bought this trailer for me. 

It's a two horse one, and he painted it in the colors that I wanted and replaced the floorboards. (It was a homemade trailer and he wanted to be sure it was safe. Thanks, Dad!) I was thrilled to have it!

Then a few years later, he upgraded to a commercial trailer. I only have two photos of that trailer; this one is of me in front of it when I was cleaning it out and was taken the summer of 1975. 

Here is another photo of it taken around 1985. I was married with kids and we were living in Illinois. Our church was having a 4th of July BBQ and I hauled Indy into town to give rides. From left to right, that's Mountain Mama Jessica, Denver Daughter Sarah, and my horsey Finnish friend, Merja Voutilainen's daughter, Maria.

Those are the only two trailers I have ever owned. I never got that big rig with my name emblazoned on it like the Hoffines had. But that's okay. If I need to haul Abby, I can use Tim's trailer.

 Tim's tailer parked on the east side of the new barn.

And you know what? Even after all these years, I still get excited when I see a horse trailer on the road. I still try to draw close to it so that I can catch a glimpse of the horses inside.

I don't think I will ever outgrow that thrill.