The Smurf

Have you seen my horse trailer? You know, the one I refuse to put my horses in?

Granted, the frame is sturdy. I have hauled horses in it before. I don't have pictures of it (too ashamed) but a google images search found me one just like it. Like, it could be its twin:

It's even the same blue. 

We call it "The Smurf."

Here's why I hate it:

1.) Lost title. Granted, lots of horse trailers have missing titles, but I am paranoid. I did call the DMV and apparently the way to get a title is to haul it back up to WA (we got it in Vancouver), have WSP's Vin inspector try to get the vin off of it (I tried. It's not legible. It's all rusted off. I can make out maybe 2 characters.) If they can't read the vin, they have to assign it a new one. HUGE pain in the ass, and probably a lot of money to get done.

2.) Only 2 of the 5 tires (including the spare) are actual trailer tires rated for that amount of weight. The rest are "economy car" tires. The Les Schwab guy warned me that they aren't rated for horse trailers. I could only afford to replace the two that weren't holding air at that time, so that's why 2 of them are nice. I obsess over it when I have a horse in their. I have visions of tire blowouts. Eventually I would like to get ALL of the tires switched over to the correct type. But seeing as how the trailer itself was only $500, and each tire is about $150, I am having a hard time justifying the cost. So my game plan was to replace them one at a time as the rest of the car tires died a slow death. It is currently sitting with 2 flats. One on the trailer, and my spare is flat (well, the actual "spare" is on the trailer... to replace the flat one...) Yeah, I still don't have money to get new tires.

3.) The wiring went out last year, and Katie's non-mechanically-inclined stepdad attempted to re-wire it. It's Jimmy-rigged somehow. Not sure how. Enough said. 

4.) I re-did the floors myself. It's sturdy as hell. They don't make steel trailers like they used to. I *do* like that it's small enough that it's lightweight and well built, but there is a spot on the inside that has been so rusted that I can see daylight through it. It's where the front of the manger meets the floor (by where the horses' front feet would go). When I was replacing the floor, we found out that it isn't a structural weight bearing thing, so it's still technically safe. But it freaks me the fuck out. I shouldn't be able to see the ground from the inside of the trailer. I want someone to weld it back together. I'm anal-retentive like that

5.) I find it embarrassing to bring anywhere. Can you imagine how humiliating it is to show up to a horse show with The Smurf? And park it in the middle of a sea of beautiful, shiny, white trailers? I know, it's a silly reason to hate that thing. But look at this one:

Oh yes, that's the same effing trailer as the one above. From the same website. Someone showing their restoration project. I LOVE it!! They did a good job. I wouldn't mind bringing that thing to a horse show. And it kills me that it's the same goddamn trailer. [Insert: whiny voice] I want MY trailer to look that nice! I would be a badass showing up to a show in this!

(I'll admit, at first I wasn't a fan of the red interior, but it's really growing on me- looks neat and sporty. But due to horses not liking loading into dark places, I would only want it if the interior light got fixed. See #3, above.)

Sooo... my big debate now is: would this much of a project be worth keeping? It is structurally sound. It's paid for. It's not a horrible trailer.... Deep down I kinda *like* working on projects... Just don't tell anyone- I think I'm part guy in that respect... But oh, yeah, I'm poor.