To keep the rain off his head and money in his pocket, Ross Hutton made a decision a few years ago.

The Wonder Lake, Ill., farrier stopped going out to eat lunch everyday and started saving money for his dream — a shoeing trailer.

“It rains a lot here,” says the transplant from North Dakota. “I was sick of standing out in the rain while working on shoes.”

The push to buy a trailer didn’t stem from just wanting to get out of the sometimes miserable Midwestern weather.

“When I moved here I decided I needed something a little more professional looking,” says the former North Dakota shoer. “Being professional in appearance is important in this business.”

With the reasons in place, Hutton cut out his luncheon trips to the local fast-food joints and 2 years ago, he finally made his purchase — a two-horse, Four-Star Trailer that he converted into a shoeing rig. 

VALUABLE GOOSE. The gooseneck area hanging over the bed of his 1-ton Ford F350 pickup allows Hutton to store even more supplies and shoes in his rig, which normally would get left back at home.

“I looked at hundreds of rigs and everyone told me that I’d get a lot more resale value with the Four-Star,” Hutton explains. 

Two Months In The Making

Of course, the trailer didn’t come fully loaded with all of his shoeing needs. That part was up to Hutton. 

COOL DOWN. While an aluminum trailer can get steamy hot in the summer…