I picked up Betty the trailer from the painter the evening before I left for AETA, so this is the first I’ve actually had time to sit down and put her pictures together from start to finish. Now that the transition from Black Betty to Betty White is complete, it’s time to recap the process.
I bought the trailer from a blog reader/friend for next to nothing. It definitely needed work but had good bones. The layout was exactly what I wanted (I ❤ a 2 horse straight load with a ramp), it had a good floor, was structurally sound, and the lights worked. Ya know… the basics. However, she did need a lot of minor things and aesthetic help.
I started by having the roof fixed. There was a lot of corrosion on the sides where the roof met the body (some googling revealed that apparently there was defective roof sealant with several model years of this trailer, so I’m assuming that’s what happened to make it corrode so much faster than any other part of the trailer) and I was given two options: put on a new roof, or patch the sides of the existing one. A new roof was more than twice as expensive, and the corrosion was only on the sides, so patching was the better option for me. The metal guy patched both sides of the roof, some spots along the front, and sealed up the open vent holes in the top. He also fixed and re-ran some sketchy looking wiring, replaced some of the floor in the very front part of the trailer, replaced the wood on the walls, added two new lights, and put plexiglass back into the front windows (it had none).
After that I ordered some new bits and pieces from Horse Trailer Accessory Store, including some reflective tape, a new coupler pin, new pads for the walls and chest bars, etc. I also got new rubber mats to put on the walls over top of the wood, and got 4 brand new fancy wheels put on.
The last major thing was the paint job – I didn’t want to haul Henry around in a black trailer in the Texas heat – so Betty went from black to white.
Now that she’s “done” and totally road worthy, I found a few more little things I want to do (like mount the spare tire to the outside, put new mats on the floor/ramp, and get new butt bars), but those can happen over time. Pretty damn excited to have a basically “finished” and road worthy trailer! Total investment? About $2000. The freedom? Priceless.
breedrideevent.com 
I cannot believe how cheaply you were able to do all that! Wow!
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That paint job makes such a HUGE difference!
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Isn’t it amazing how new paint always helps anything look a thousand times better?
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This is a seriously nice remodel. I did wonder about a black trailer in the heat- even if not in Texas, anywhere! It looks really great now though, and you’ve inspired me to look into padding my wood walls on my basic stock horse unit.
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You can buy rubber mats by the foot at Tractor Supply, they’ll cut whatever length you want.
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Great job! I always enjoy seeing before/after pics because I can appreciate all the work that went in between.
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Unicorn sticker needed. But I suppose Rue is rocking one.
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I have some that Beka sent me, I just haven’t decided where to put them yet.
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it turned out really nicely – well done! the white also makes the space inside look way more open and inviting
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I need blog readers like that, haha.
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It looks really great!
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Holy cow, investment winning! She looks so spiffy now.
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She turned out great!
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I need to find a trailer place near me. The only thing we have around here are RV stores, and they don’t seem to want to work on horse trailers. Hoping I can find somebody to put windows on the sides of my trailer so that I can trailer in rain. Also probably should get a new floor. It looks fine, but it is 5 years old and I am so paranoid about all those horror stories of horses falling through the floor of the trailer.
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She’s so pretty now, yay freedom!
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You’ve done a great job!
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You’ll never be free from me. FYI.
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You’re such a creeper.
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No, I am just karma.
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therefore a bitch
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Birds of a feather…
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That’s awesome, she looks great! I have to admit when I saw the first pics (when you initially brought her home) I was a bit worried about you cooking Henry….
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It was totally a mobile oven.
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Looks great and SO MUCH better in white. Black trailer even in Delaware would not be good. Great job!!
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I’m envious! Have fun!
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You are the queen of DIY! Seriously impressive.
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I really didn’t do much myself on this one, mostly just paid other people to do it 😉
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True. But you see potential in fixer uppers and make them pretty again. Regardless of whether it’s you doing the work or you paying for the work to be done. You’re like the Martha Stewart of all things equestrian… minus the shady fraud stuff.
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you have seriously inspired me to try and fix up a cheapo trailer that just needs some cosmetic stuff. bc your trailer looks awesome. and i also totally want a nissan titan to pull it. sorry not sorry for copying you ;P
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DAmn you win the award for thriftiness!!! $2k is *nothing*, awesome job
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it looks so good now!!
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Wow, look how awesome it turned out!!!
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I can’t tell you how impressed I am by all your work on this trailer!! (My truck is named Black Beauty as an aside…) Can I ask how much the paint job cost? I also have a two horse straightload that I love, but it could use some new paint….
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Wow, what a difference that all made! Looks fantastic!
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Sweet freedom!
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Love this whole post. Shows what you can really do with determination and some good friends! Again, as I’ve probably said a billion times already, totally jealous. She looks gorgeous!
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Duuuuuuude. She looks awesome! One day when I find some spare change lying around (haha never), I must have you consult on the sprucing up of the pea.
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WOW!!! Super nice job. :0)
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