Re: Living Quarter versus Motor Home

["Marci Cunningham" <mcunningham@calcot.com>]

I just ordered a new trailer after spending over a year looking for what I
wanted.  I've been using a Sooner gooseneck 3 horse for about 10 years.
Before that I had a camper shell on my truck and pulled a two horse.  When I
bought the Sooner I had the tack compartment finished off with insulation
and paneling and carpet.  This has worked well but decided I wanted a little
more room ie a place to sit, hot & cold running water and some storage, with
the tack compartment in the rear of the trailer.  However I didn't want to
pull a super long trailer and I did want a 7 foot wide trailer.  Fortunately
there is a great trailer dealer in Bakersfield that worked with me in
finding a company that would customize a living quarters trailer for me.  I
only wanted a 'semi' living quarters trailer.  That is, I wanted hot & cold
running water, a heating system, a closet and cabinets for storage, and a
bench seat and table to sit at, along with a place for the porta-pottie.  I
didn't want a refrigerator or a shower.  Yes these would have been nice but
they wouldn't fit in the trailer without taking up all of the floor space.
The living quarters area includes an eight foot sleeping area, five feet on
the short wall and eight and one half feet on the long wall.  The over
length of the trailer is 26 feet, only 3 feet longer that the trailer I now
have.  This company makes a standard living quarters trailer but was happy
to customize one for me at a reasonable price.  My experience with other
companies was that they produced super fancy living quarters and any changes
were extremely expensive.  I would have to pay more to get less from these
other companies.

Although I won't have my trailer until the end of summer I have already
talked to the factory and they sounded very eager to please.  I was able to
look at their production models that our local dealer had in stock to check
out quality before ordering.

Unless you plan on using a motor home at times other that when you pull the
horses, it is an expensive vehicle to have sitting in the driveway.  Campers
are nice too, but you need to have a place to store the camper when it isn't
on your truck.  With this size trailer I feel that I can go anywhere I went
with my 23 foot trailer and be more comfortable.  This new trailer will be
especially nice for my non-horsey husband when he crews for me and has to
spend hours and hours waiting for me to show up back at camp.

By the way the Sooner will be for sale when the new trailer arrives.  Have
fun with all of your shopping!!

Happy Trails,
Marci Cunningham
Bakersfield, CA




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