Cheval Liberte XL Touring v Maxi 2

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Annagain

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I'm in the market for a new trailer. I currently have a IW510 and tow it with Wilfred, my old style Defender 90, so all my stuff goes in the back of the car and it's a pain the backside to open the back door as it hits the jockey wheel. I have to drop the jockey wheel to open the door. Rehoming Wilfred isn't an option (he's a collector's item these days and part of the family) so the obvious answer is a trailer with storage (not the IW tack packs, I hate them with a passion and they're not big enough).

I'm thinking of a Cheval Liberte (I know there a question marks about build quality so that's another consideration) and am looking at the Touring XL and the Maxi 2. I mainly travel just Wig but do take friends' horses occasionally - usually a 16.2 maxi cob so potentially could be carrying 2 big boys. I like the idea of being able to tack up etc on the Maxi (obvs if Wiggy is alone, not with 2 on board) but a bit concerned about the stall length. The CL website doesn't give a stall length as part of the spec (I assume because it's variable) so it's hard to compare the two. The Maxi is longer and wider, which I would expect

Does anybody have a Maxi 2? If so could you give me an idea of whether carrying two big horses would be doable? It's not the end of the world if not, taking two is a nice to have not something I desperately need but it would be nice to know if possible (the nearest CL dealer is quite a distance away so I either need to wait to go to Badminton or make quite a long journey)

Likewise, does anybody have the XL Touring and do you have any info - good or bad - about it please?

The other options are an Equi-trek (not keen for obvious reasons) or a Bockmann (options are very confusing but I think the only front ramp option has a tiny tack locker. Also £££££).
 
I have a minimax, now called a maxi 3. It won't take 3 big horses, it's really 2 and a pony. The stall length is variable as the partitions are moveable. You should be able to get the internal dimensions and work out for yourself what the length will be if the partition is central. You need room for the whole neck and head as obviously there's no breast bar with space in front. If you have a long horse you need to move the partition to give them extra room which means that the other horse will have less. The width is plenty in mine but one of my horses is quite long so needs some extra space. Essentially it will come down to how long the 2 horses are rather than how tall, wide or heavy. If you only take 1 you will have plenty of space to tack up as you can move the partition further when you arrive.
 
Thanks, Wig isn't particularly long for his size but he's a still a 16.2 chunky monkey. He has the breaching bars on the middle setting on the 510, all my other horses (very similar size) had to have them on the back. His friend is very similar, maybe slightly longer but obvs he's not really a factor as I'm not buying it for him. If he can get on there that's great but if not it's fine. Company's nice but not essential.
 
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I know people with both, the XL touring takes a big 16.2hh comfortably travelling him on the left, I think there's possibly less head space on the right due to the tackroom. They upgraded from their smaller Touring as he wasn't happy in it at all and started to travel badly. The person with the Maxi 2 travels 2 slighter 16hh horses and is happy with it although I always think it doesn't look that big, I get the impression that herringbone in a lorry would be more spacious and obviously if you angle the partition to give one more length the second horse has less. The other thing is in the Maxi 2 they are travelling with their heads to the right so towards oncoming traffic whereas in a lorry they would be facing the side of the road away from the traffic.
 
I went with the Equi-Trek day trekker, but I bought it before the XL touring came out! I didn't consider the Maxi, as I wasn't sure on travelling them herringbone (mine all travel very well backwards facing and it seemed a risk to suddenly go a different way) and someone I knew had one and the horse made short work of the partition, so build quality was not impressing me, but then half a ton of animal against any partition would likely win...

I do like my Equi-Trek a lot, quality seems fine so far (touches wood), it is the new style so no wood, and they version I have means no tack lockers in the horse area as Beryl i can guarantee would be a climber!
 
HufflyPuffly said:
I went with the Equi-Trek day trekker, but I bought it before the XL touring came out! I didn't consider the Maxi, as I wasn't sure on travelling them herringbone (mine all travel very well backwards facing and it seemed a risk to suddenly go a different way) and someone I knew had one and the horse made short work of the partition, so build quality was not impressing me, but then half a ton of animal against any partition would likely win...

I do like my Equi-Trek a lot, quality seems fine so far (touches wood), it is the new style so no wood, and they version I have means no tack lockers in the horse area as Beryl i can guarantee would be a climber!
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Thanks - it's good to hear that the Equi-Trel is better build quality these days but that's added to my headache. It would have the benefit of being able to tack up on the trailer as well, which after getting drenched before even starting at our last two dressage outings is very appealing!
 
Annagain said:
Thanks - it's good to hear that the Equi-Trel is better build quality these days but that's added to my headache. It would have the benefit of being able to tack up on the trailer as well, which after getting drenched before even starting at our last two dressage outings is very appealing!
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Yeah I was determined for a separate tack locker after years with my wee 3.5t where hay went everywhere!

I ended up with the Equi-Trek, as one of mine is very claustrophobic and had started to refused to come out the front of a normal front facing trailer, so the standard touring was out as it is narrow at the front with the tack locker (I haven't seen the XL in person to know how much more space you get). I've never travelled any of mine herringbone so I was nervous of splashing out on a trailer and then them all hating it!

Originally I was set on a Cheval as I do think they are miles better, build wise, now than they were and I like their suspension stuff, but with the limited options on the market, the Equi-Trek was the only one to fit my requirements...
 
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I was at an event on Sunday with someone who had the Maxi 4 - it is a beast! She was travelling 1 x heavy weight cob (about 15.2), a welsh mountain pony and a 14.2 connemara type.

I do think the herringbone was tight. She'd given the cob a wider area but the connie was boarding last and it was a squeeze. I think if something wasn't keen on travelling then it would be very offputting for them. These weren't 'long' horses either.
 
Annagain said:
I think I'll have to wait for Badminton and see them all in the flesh. I'll take my tape measure!
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Always a good bet, the Bockmann and another make I cannot remember were there last time I went, and looked fab. Was good to nosey round other makes you might not see as many of in day to day. If Skylla wasn't so precious and Beryl not so bloody big I would have had loads more options lol!
 
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