When he looked at buying a new farrier trailer in 2004, Will Aichele recalls that the substantial cost was daunting. The Hilltown, Pa., farrier was about a dozen years into his shoeing career at the time and felt he was on firmer ground, compared with those early years in which many farriers struggle with establishing a business. He says for a farrier starting a career, a new manufactured rig is a frivolous spend with crippling debt that an immature business shouldn’t absorb. But as a practice matures, the body or trailer will still be a significant spend, but can be a wise investment.

“Absolutely, when I first bought it, I was worried about the cost,” says Aichele. “Looking back 18 years, I’ve shod a lot of horses and paid a lot of bills by using this trailer.”

Aichele worked with Stonewell Bodies to outfit this 4 Star trailer. As soon as he pulled the trailer out of the New York manufacturer’s shop, he began racking up the miles. Earlier in his career, he primarily shod reiners and Western pleasure horses, and had extensive travel to cover those clients.

“When I was working mostly on Quarter Horses, I was on the road 3-4 days a week before returning home,” he says. “I spent a lot of time in this trailer across the country. That was a reason we built the office space in the front of the trailer — a place to manage my business while on the road.”

Aichele doesn’t…