By Cheri Sicard
Most horse trailers don’t hide a solar-powered tiny home inside. The Sterling Coach build in the video at the end of this post does, and it still keeps room for three horses!
Shane and Kelsey of LoveHut4Life shared a conversion that turns a former tack room into a compact living space with real off-grid systems, custom storage, and a layout built for travel. This is amazing!
The base trailer is a Sterling Coach horse trailer, a model that was discontinued in the early 2000s. Shane describes it as one of the best trailers a person could get. This one is a 3-horse slant [three horses stand diagonally (at an angle) rather than facing straight forward] with a 4-foot short wall. [Per Double D Trailers, because the front wall of a slant load trailer is angled, the room it creates has one longer wall and one shorter wall. The “short wall” measurement refers specifically to the shortest vertical wall in the front compartment.] That area became the living quarters after about two-and-a-half months of work.
Because the space started as a saddle room, it already had an extra-large door. Shane kept that advantage, then added a Lippert thin-shade window so the owners could see outside without climbing into bed. Faux leather on the door panels helps the space feel less like a trailer and more like a home.
Shane has built out buses, ambulances, vans, cargo trailers, and old campers. Here, that same custom approach shows up in every cabinet, drawer, and finish.
How the trailer runs off-grid
The roof already had a rack, and Shane reworked it to hold more than 2,700 watts of solar. Two panels sit over an articulating hay rack, and the system supports a rooftop RV-style air conditioner. A 4,000-watt generator rides on top as backup.
Inside, a dedicated cabinet holds four 200-amp, 24-volt server-rack batteries, two charge controllers, an inverter/converter, and the 12-volt and 120-volt breaker setup. The trailer can switch between 30-amp shore power and the rooftop generator.
Fuel and water were planned with the same care. One LP system is reserved for the generator in the rear tack area. A second two-tank LP setup runs the two-burner stove and water heater. Outside, the trailer has 30-amp and 20-amp hookups, city water, gravity fill, and a gray water drain for sink runoff. The build also includes two 75-gallon water tanks, one for the living space and one for the horses.
A tiny home layout built around storage
Storage drives the whole interior. Under the refrigerator, a split drawer keeps lids up top and pots and pans below. A custom shelf adds room for art and memorabilia, while the kitchen packs in a deep bar sink, retractable faucet, oversized stove drawer, pantry storage, and upper cabinets sized for glassware.
That same no-dead-space mindset carries into the utility cabinet. It hides batteries, breaker boxes, transfer switches, drawers, and a closet, while removable screen panels help with cooling. Under the sink, a removable face gives access to the 75-gallon freshwater tank, plumbing, and pump. Everything sits over a waterproof basin with an exterior drain, so a leak goes outside instead of into the finished interior.
Still ready to haul horses
The horse area stayed mostly intact, which is the point of the build. It still works as a 3-horse slant trailer, but one section can also double as a wash bay or shower area thanks to the LP water heater and rear shower setup. Water and gas lines run high along the roofline so horses can’t damage them in transit.
Up front, a flip-up step leads to the bed. A mud box stores boots and gear, and it also works as the only seating area. The bedroom adds more built-in storage, including a headboard with large doors, while the faux ostrich-skin ceiling gives the small sleeping area a distinct look.
Final thoughts
This build works because it doesn’t give up the trailer’s original job. It is still a horse trailer, but it is also a well-planned off-grid living space.
The best part is how practical the details are. The power system, leak protection, storage, and maintenance access all feel thought-through, and that makes the whole conversion feel usable, not flashy.
RELATED
- Campground neighbor exposes the world of horse trailer RVs, and they’re neat!
- Amazing cargo trailer is RV dream home
- Convert any cargo trailer into a camper in just one day
RVDT2930
