large animal rescue, equispirit trailers, trailer design, large animal rescue trailer design, large animal safe trailers
BY HONI ROBERTS Q&A
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEVA KITTRELL S
Trailer Tailo
Meet Neva Kittrell
Scheve,who, with
husband/business
partner, Tom, is
on the cutting edge
of trailer design
and large-animal
eva Kittrell Scheve and
her husband/business
partner, Tom, first
dipped their toes into
the retail horse-trailer
world in 1983. Motivated by their own
needs and those of their horse-owning
friends, the couple soon began adding
custom features to enhance the safety
features and resilience of existing trailer
designs.
By 1988, they were designing trailers
for such manufacturers as Merhow,
Trail-et, and McQuerry. Design evolutions
followed, with trailer safety and strength,
and equine comfort in mind. Today, the
Scheves own EquiSpirit Trailers.
Neva also co-founded her county’s
equine-emergency response unit, and
helped design an equine ambulance for
use during natural disasters.
rescue Neva Kittrell Scheve nuzzles her trainer’s Lipizzaner, Fabia. “The most dangerous place
you’ll ever put your horse is in a trailer,” she says. “Our mission is to make it as safe as
possible.”
The couple has published The
Hawkins Guide: Horse Trailering on the
Road. And, with James Hamilton, DVM,
Neva co-authored The Hawkins Guide:
Equine Emergencies on the Road. Most
recently, with Tom’s research assistance,
Neva penned The Complete Guide to
Buying, Maintaining, and Servicing a
Horse Trailer.
Read on to meet Neva Kittrell Scheve.
How did you become in-
Qvolved in the trailer business?
I was in the market for a new
Atrailer. We were at the [All
American] Quarter Horse Congress [in
Columbus, Ohio], and I saw a beautiful
trailer that looked perfect. Tom found
out that if we bought three trailers, we
could be a “dealer.” So, we became a
dealer. We sold two in a weekend and
10
thought this would be a great part-time
undertaking.
I was involved in dressage, so that
was our market. Most dressage horses
are big, so their owners were interested
in bigger trailers [than usual]. At that
time, a tall trailer was 7 feet. We started
ordering them taller and wider to accommodate
our market.
I was our typical customer — a
woman who hauled two to three horses,
often by herself. If I had a problem with
something, we’d design a solution that
was easier and safer for me. And we
listened to our customers’ problems,
then designed solutions.
How did your company
Qgrow from there?
In time, we were approached by
Athe late Tom Holdeman of Merhow
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