When I got my first trailer a few years ago it was a 2H bumper pull. I was desperate for the freedom a trailer would give me. As we only had a half ton truck my options were a bit limited though. Fast forward to January last year when I upgraded to F250 and a 2H ST 4Star GN. The logic being that I had limited experience hauling anything larger than a 2H. A 2+1 model adds roughly 7′ to your standard 2H straight load in most brands. I didn’t (and still don’t) care for slant loads and at the time only had one horse. HAHAHA.
Joke was on me… Last spring Houston came back into the picture briefly. In the fall Luna joined the zoo and of course this spring Houston rejoined the mix. Now we are a nice odd numbered 3 horse family. Generally speaking I will rarely ever need to haul all 3 of my horses at one time. But what if I did? Cue obsessively stalking the internet to find a 2+1.
Initially I found a good deal on a Sundowner 2+1 (PSA the price on this one just dropped quite a bit) very similar to what fellow blogger The Jumping Percheron recently upgraded to. The trailer had a lot of add-ons that I would likely end up adding myself down the road like an electric jack, awning, and hay rack. Stacey is awesome and talked through the specs with me – bloggers FTW. 
Ultimately I decided to keep looking for other options before making the trade. Most of this was dependent on finding a dealer that wouldn’t take advantage of the fact that my trailer while only 2 years old has been used. After a few weeks I had narrowed down my options to include a couple of brands and configurations.
To start I was pretty sure I was going to have to trade my trailer on something quite a bit older to get what I wanted. As luck would have it Peony tagged me on a FB listing from The Hitch and Tow for the 2+1 version of my current trailer. Never doubt an equestrians internet sleuthing abilities! After a bit of messaging back and forth last weekend I made a quick trip down to SC. 
The drive wasn’t too bad and I was even able to invite myself for a layover in GA with Lauren and her husband. I also got to take a spin on Gus. He might argue that that wasn’t necessarily a good thing but it was fun nonetheless. 
Often as equestrians what we need and want changes over time. I’ve found this to be true with tack, apparel, and now even trailers :O . If you are contemplating getting a trailer I would suggest thinking long and hard about what your needs and wants are. Between new and used with a reasonable budget and some patience you can usually find what you are looking for!
Any fellow bloggers know what it costs to add an AC unit, awning, or fans? Or better yet has any one DIY’d those projects???
Ha, I JUST had that stuff done. I added an electric awning and AC with 30 amp hookups. Couple things: my quote to replace my manual awning with another 14ft manual was $1,501. Electric 14 ft with the 12 volt deep cycle battery installed under the GN was $2,098. I had a manual awning since I bought it in 2011 and would HIGHLY recommend going with electric.
To install the 13,500 BTU rooftop AC with a 30 amp exterior inlet was $2,200. At first he quoted me for a 15amp hookup, but the AC would be right at the top of the maximum allowed power, so I opted for 30amp because I also had a couple interior 110v outlets installed in the dressing room.
I was quoted for fans because I was thinking about putting 2 in the horse areas, but they were $175 each and he didn’t really recommend them because unless you’re stuck in traffic, they don’t do too much.
Congrats on the new trailer! I was looking at 2+1s so I could haul a golf cart, but I just love my trailer too much.
Congrats on the awesome upgrade!
One of my good friends has a 2+1 (Hers is made by Kiefer Built) and I covet that trailer. She regularly hauls 2 horses and it works well for her.
Fancy, schmancy!!
It’s beautiful!! Congrats on the new trailer!
That’s a nice looking trailer. I’d like to upgrade to a GN myself. There’s a FB ground called horse trailer conversions II and people post about how to do DIY trailer projects. I highly recommend joining if you’re wanting to try anything yourself.
I am in that group and constantly scouring ideas 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
Ohh so pretty!!
love it 🙂