Special Vans Haul Horses from the Fairgrounds
A shiney 53 by 102 van waits to be loaded with 15 horses at the Delaware County (Ohio) Fairgrounds. The Fleet Equine trailer’s made mostly of stainless and galvanized steel. Photos: Tom Berg
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A shiney 53 by 102 van waits to be loaded with 15 horses at the Delaware County (Ohio) Fairgrounds. The Fleet Equine trailer’s made mostly of stainless and galvanized steel. Photos: Tom Berg
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My spare-bedroom office in Delaware, Ohio, faces the main entrance to the county fairgrounds, whose national claim to fame is harness racing and the annual Little Brown Jug competition. Harness racing, also called trotting, uses Standardbred horses, so I see a lot of horse-hauling rigs go into and out of the grounds at all hours of the day and night. Most are small to medium-size units pulled by heavy duty pickups.
This morning I saw the largest and sharpest horse trailer I can remember. It was big-rig size, and its polished metal sides glistened in the sun. I had to go see it, and had no excuse not to because it takes me all of five minutes to drive from my garage to the stables area on the fairgrounds.
Turns out this rig was one of four, all owned by J.R. Hudson Horse Transportation out of Massachusetts. Three had polished stainless steel sides and looked fairly new, and the fourth looked like painted aluminum. All were 53 by 102s, but to me they looked shorter. They had polished aluminum wheels and showed signs of good maintenance.
The one I spotted earlier was made by Fleet Equine, a specialty builder in Shorewood, Illinois, near Joliet. The company’s owner, Jerry Feyrzzula, said his trailers are built mostly of steel, using high-nickel-content stainless with galvanized underframes, running gear, and other parts. These materials resist corrosion from urine, a common problem with horse vans, and of course road salt.
Most vans are highly customized to suit customers’ preferences. Aside from the number and placement of horse stalls along the lower floor, …Read the rest of this story
