# Vans Fautras/Cheval Liberte/other trailer ?



## eggs (15 June 2010)

As title really.  I am replacing my 7.5 ton lorry with a two horse trailer which will be towed by a Range Rover.  

Horses are both 16.2 hh and middleweight.

I have been put off the IW 511 due to the plasticky look and mould problem and Equitrek by the poor customer service.

I have looked at the Vans Fautras trailers and like the look of them but as it is over 25 years since I last had a trailer (Rice) I am looking for advice re the pros and cons of different makes.


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## mtj (15 June 2010)

I've got a Bockmann Master.  Their trailers are designed to carry warmbloods, so the larger ones will carry your two no problem.

The trailers are superb in quality, but do have a price tag to match.


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## martlin (15 June 2010)

Fautras are gorgeous trailers but Cheval are good as well and much, much cheaper.
Bockman is the bees knees, but difficult to get hold of in UK, as is Westfalia


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## guccigivi2001 (15 June 2010)

a horsey friend of mine in spain used to deal in fautras trailers alongside running riding/competition/livery yard and i have to say they are fab, i was considering getting one of the oblic herringbone ones as the quality is good and are very horsey friendly and well thought out, would highly recommend them, they wouldnt have a problem taking your two horses and the range rover would pull it fine aswell... and bonus, some come with living and tack lockers etc  if only i had the money


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## Crazy Friesian (15 June 2010)

Equitrek may be worth a look if you have the vehicle to tow it with. I think that they are a bit like Marmite - you either love em or hate em.  I have had mine for 2 years now and never had a problem with it.

I find them solid and dependable to tow with. They stick to the road and are easy to manoever. (sp)


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## Dogstar (16 June 2010)

Or why not get a secondhand IW 510? Bought mine new, still happy with it after about 13/14 years of regular use..


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## CrazyMare (16 June 2010)

I love my Bateson Ascot - fits two big horses comfortably. Well made, good extras like the tack locker.


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## Crazy_Caz (16 June 2010)

Im another one for the Bateson Ascot... I had to give up my horsebox 7.5T due to the LEZ so taking 3 horses is a bit of a nightmare for me... recently borrowed a friends Ifor Williams classic for a special event... and I was glad to give it back at the end of the day....

Lurve my Bateson Ascot...


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## helencharlie (17 June 2010)

I would recommend the cheval liberte, think it is fab, has no design flaws with it. The advantage is that they all come with aluminiunm floors as standard and you unload to the left rather than to the right with the ifor williams. They are well worth their money and after hearing about the design faults with ifor williams, im pleased that we went for this trailer.


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## little_flea (18 June 2010)

I too can't recommend the Cheval Liberte enough. I have a 2003XL in which I travel my large 17.2hh and she is super comfy in it. It also weights at least 150 kg less than the biggest IW and is as big internally (might be a cm or so less wide). My YO borrows my trailer regularly and the other week she borrowed a new IW 511 instead and said how much heavier yet more flimsy and unstable it felt to tow. All horses, even ones that don't travel well, seems really happy in it. I got mine at a bargain price second hand, but I don't know how often they come up - but the new ones are well priced as well. Really recommended.


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## lannerch (19 June 2010)

A girl at our yard has a cheval liberte it is very flimsy compared to my iw 510 classic which I love.

Have had a richardson trailer as well which I also liked however my ifor is a lot sturdier.
I regularly travel my 17.2 and my friends 16.3 in it, plenty of room, both load and unload very easily on either side and it tows very well.


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## Weezy (21 June 2010)

I used to have a Fautras Oblic herringbone with barn doors and I LOVED it.  I towed it all over the country and it never let me down.  The only issue is if the horse likes it.  My 16.2 at the time would have been squished with another horse in too because he was long.  I sold it to a member on here and her pony absolutely hated it 

I now have a Bateson Ascot and I highly rate them


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## ilovecobs (21 June 2010)

IW trailers aren't that good, IMO they are small, i know technically they can carry the height they say but i used to use a 510 for my chunky 15.3 and she had no room (it was the 510 not the 505) i mean it was alright but i much prefer my equitrek, welllll worth the extra money. Plus there is no living in IW trailers.

I can't recomend the equitrek ones enough, the ramps are easy to lift, and travelling backwards is how horses should travel, its been proved to be less stressful in terms of heart rate. The living in the overnight ones is great and you can keep your boot free as there is a tack locker and a groom locker for all your stuff, i wouldn't buy anything else if it needs replacing. If you get them second hand you can get them for a decent price


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## lannerch (21 June 2010)

equitrek used to have a lot of bad reviews after saying that I think they have improved and I would still seriously consider one if I had the money would love the living and agree with the above re the horses travelling backwards,

However iw 510 are not small. My 17.2 horse does not fit in my firends hgv large size horsebox, he is too long his tail and bum  rubs as he is squashed, in the iw he has loads of room!

Still would have an equitrek instead though


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## rema (21 June 2010)

The mould problem on the 511,506 and 402's happened on the first batch of trailers that came out of the factory.My 511 was one of the first batch and yes we had mould problems and it went back to the dealers to be sorted and two months later the mould was back,so back it went to ifor and it has been over a year now and no more mould.Ifor trailers like so many other makes are not all made in the same place.The roof section is made in one place and the chassis somewhere else so the whole trailer comes in kit form,so Ifor assemble the trailers in their factory and test/check them.The roof paint that they first used was of substandard unbeknown to Ifor.There was something in the paint that reacted to the fibreglass causing the mould.It has all now been sorted.Ifor could have not been more apologetic and were extremely helpful.
And of course you can now choose which side you want the front ramp to unload.


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## guccigivi2001 (22 June 2010)

ooooh and i could nopt recomend wessex enough, we had one for our first trailer, very sturdy with rot prrof floor, leather coated padded sides to wallas & partition and was obsolutley battered by my horse and horse before that, however the locking mechanism on the rear ramp isnt great, we had ours changed to ifor type ones too so was double secure just to be safe. and bonus, horses unload left side ramp so can be unloaded away from road in case of emergency, and our 55 shogun towed it like it wasnt even there... also another vote for newer equitreks now problems hav been rectified


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## alesea (23 June 2010)

We've had a couple of Fautras trailers and really liked them. Originally we had 3 horse herringbone which worked really well (had a tack locker which was very handy!), although it wouldn't have taken 3 full sized horses as the last partition was a bit tight. We traded that in for a smaller 2 horse trailer which has been really good so far.


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## lucemoose (23 June 2010)

when i was looking i  originally wanted a vans oblic to travel herringbone as i didnt know if my horse would even go in a trailer! However the dealer also had equitreks and that is what i came home with.
Ive had my space trekker 4 years and its fab!


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## BeckyD (24 June 2010)

I highly rate my Cheval Liberte trailer.  I have the 2003XL as well, and I know why people think it's flimsy - it feels quite thin-walled.  But it is SO sturdy and has stood up to one hell of a lot of abuse, and people are always more impressed with it that they are expecting.  it's been very well designed and everything works as it should.  I've had mine 2.5 years and the only think I'd swap it for would be the new Equitrek small trailer, which I like due to the increased storage space.  

It tows better than just about any trailer around as well, and is incredibly smooth - which I hope my horse appreciates!  I guess that's the Pullman suspension doing its job.


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## lachlanandmarcus (26 June 2010)

Ive just bought an 18 mth old Cheval Liberte, will let peeps know how it is (coming in a couple of weeks). Have only used a lorry before but have started endurance where trailer sometimes the only option for the ride locations.


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