Trailer Recommendations

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cmkeventing

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Slightly premature as I dont really need a trailer for about a year but my anxiety like to plan far far far ahead 😂

I am leaning towards buying a Tiguan to tow (think we are about 95% sold...) and will be towing one TB (trying to get another identical to my last and he never made over 500kg so using him as a guide weight)

I will be wanting to event. Not sure what is the most suitable trailer?
If Im always going to be just taking 1 horse out, is a single trailer best? Or is it better to have the extra space with a 2 horse trailer?

All recommendations are welcome as its a minefield for me! (hence why Im trying to sort it all now as it gives me time to stress and worry about it, get over the stress and worry and then make a decision 😂 )
 
It's exciting to plan ahead though!

I have never towed a single trailer so have no comment based on experience, however I have always wondered whether they are as stable as a 2 horse trailer (wheel base width wise). I'm sure someone with practical experience will be able to comment on that.

I now have an Ifor 511 but my first trailer was a Bateson Deauville. I absolutely loved it, and only got rid of it because my two big lads were a bit crammed in/I was pushing the gross weight capacity. Deauville is slightly lighter than the Ifors, from memory 860kg unladen (2,300kg gross). Which for 1 horse will be fine.

Personally I'd want the extra space and opt for 2 horse.
 
94lunagem said:
It's exciting to plan ahead though!

I have never towed a single trailer so have no comment based on experience, however I have always wondered whether they are as stable as a 2 horse trailer (wheel base width wise). I'm sure someone with practical experience will be able to comment on that.

I now have an Ifor 511 but my first trailer was a Bateson Deauville. I absolutely loved it, and only got rid of it because my two big lads were a bit crammed in/I was pushing the gross weight capacity. Deauville is slightly lighter than the Ifors, from memory 860kg unladen (2,300kg gross). Which for 1 horse will be fine.

Personally I'd want the extra space and opt for 2 horse.
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That was my thought about single trailers until I have seen a lot of comments of people loving them and I didnt know if it was worth saving the weight 🙈 Especially when Im only towing one pretty small horse. Theres almost too much choice!
 
I had an older trailer for my first, an old Sinclaire, which was very robust, having aluminium sides, it wasn't soggy and my horse was not a great traveller and stood up to his battering well!

I then upgraded to a new Ifor HBX11 with an awning as I stay away a lot. 1sth thing I did was take the partition out as he travels best like this, but it also means plenty of space for tacking up and I have a pop up tent that I use when I'm away.

It's a robust trailer, I drive all over on my own with it and the horse travels like a dream! It's 5 years old now and in regular use
 
I tow with a Tiguan, have a single ifor
Love it, so easy, if the car fits the trailer will as no wider
Check the different tiguan models as some tow more than others
As a every day car it's not horrendous on fuel
 
Windy day said:
I tow with a Tiguan, have a single ifor
Love it, so easy, if the car fits the trailer will as no wider
Check the different tiguan models as some tow more than others
As a every day car it's not horrendous on fuel
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Have done my stressing over that and am now fairly confident I know exactly what Tiguan I need! 😂 Test drove one at the weekend and felt happy with it so now just need to save up but I like to know what Im aiming for so I can know budget (hence why also asking this question so I can get an idea on budget)

Glad to hear you love the Tiguan as I am pretty sold 🙈😂
 
Are you planning on buying new? If so, a single wouldn't be an issue but if you're buying second hand, they're much harder to come by. For that reason I'd look for a 506 / 511 depending on how big your new horse is - I find their length is more important than height when it comes to trailers but generally under 16hh, a 506 would be ok, over 16hh (even though IWT say 16.2) you'd need a 511. The good news is either would be ok with just the one horse weighing 500kg. The 511 is about 1000kg and the 506 is 900kg so with a 500kg horse you're only looking at 1500kg in total and the correct model of Tiguan will tow up to 2500kg so you'll be well within its limits. Even the lower capacities tow 1800kg so they would still be within capacity. The benefit of av double is that if you do decide to take another horse at any point, as long as you have the right tow car, you have the capability. I'd focus on finding the right tow car and then the trailer's not so much of an issue.

This website is very good in helping you find the right model: https://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-make-model/volkswagen/volkswagen-tiguan/
 
Annagain said:
Are you planning on buying new? If so, a single wouldn't be an issue but if you're buying second hand, they're much harder to come by. For that reason I'd look for a 506 / 511 depending on how big your new horse is - I find their length is more important than height when it comes to trailers but generally under 16hh, a 506 would be ok, over 16hh (even though IWT say 16.2) you'd need a 511. The good news is either would be ok with just the one horse weighing 500kg. The 511 is about 1000kg and the 506 is 900kg so with a 500kg horse you're only looking at 1500kg in total and the correct model of Tiguan will tow up to 2500kg so you'll be well within its limits. Even the lower capacities tow 1800kg so they would still be within capacity. The benefit of av double is that if you do decide to take another horse at any point, as long as you have the right tow car, you have the capability. I'd focus on finding the right tow car and then the trailer's not so much of an issue.

This website is very good in helping you find the right model: https://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-make-model/volkswagen/volkswagen-tiguan/
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will be second hand as I do not have the budget for new sadly! Im pretty confident on the Tiguan and knowing what variation I need and which HP tows what (I drove one that would tow 2000kg at the weekend) It definitely wont be over 16.2 (preferably as close to 15.2 as possibly as Im only small!). My last TB was a small 15.1, under 500kg compact TB and as I said above I basically want a carbon copy of him so in my head I have a very good idea on horse size but to be sure I wont buy a trailer before I have got the horse. For my peace of mind I will be using a transport company as that way my first time towing is not a horse I dont know for god knows how long 🙈
 
Windy day said:
I tow with a Tiguan, have a single ifor
Love it, so easy, if the car fits the trailer will as no wider
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I really like my single trailer - it's perfectly stable and lots of room in there for one horse. Plus because it's lighter it can be fairly easily maneuvered by hand, which is really useful when some berk boxes you in in the car park while you were out for a hack....! And as @Windy day says, it makes life just a little bit easier knowing that if your car will fit through a gap, then the trailer definitely will too.

I don't really know where the "they're not as stable" idea comes from - singles seem to be much more common in Europe so perhaps it's just that UK people are not familiar with them.

ETA - technically mine is not a single, it's an Ifor 401 so mare and foal. Bit wider than a single.
 
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I bought a Hyundai Tucson and a mare & foal Cheval liberte as a first trailer. Since had an Ifor 511 and now a bateson deauville. I REALLY miss my cheval liberte, I keep meaning to sell the bateson and buy another cheval but they're like hens teeth. It was wider than a single and I could tack up in there when it was raining! All horses travelled well too. Highly recommend if you can find one.
 
Definitely a two horse ifor if you've got the pulling power - more room for 'stuff', of which us horsey people seem to have a lot of! I have always found Ifors to be rock solid, we have a box now but would buy another in a heartbeat if we went back to a trailer again
 
I'm a big fan of using a full width breast and breach bar for travelling one in a double trailer - plenty of room for awkward loaders, tacking up, booting etc and otherwise hiding inside on rainy days 😂
 
I’ve got an old school equitrek (the triangle shaped one) which I love! All my friends now want one after seeing mine.

Adjustable partition inside, very friendly to load (side load) and easy to hide in when it rains / tack up. Plus a nice storage area in the front with a bench for my snack breaks! Weighs about the same as a 511.

Check your horse loads onto the trailer first. I bought a 506 and my mares didn’t like it and none of my friends did. All of them refused to load so I sold it on.
 
I have a Cheval country touring trailer, it's my first trailer and love it, I also liked the look of the Nugent trailers but they had a massive wait list when I was looking, I have noticed a Nugent is at the Llanybydder sales this wkend though!
 
Steerpike said:
I have a Cheval country touring trailer, it's my first trailer and love it, I also liked the look of the Nugent trailers but they had a massive wait list when I was looking, I have noticed a Nugent is at the Llanybydder sales this wkend though!
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Same here. Pony travels great and the roomy tack locker means I just keep loads of stuff in there permanently so easy to load up and go. I used to tow it with a Tiguan and now use a Touareg. The Tiguan was absolutely fine to tow with.
 
I did once see a really old single trailer (it was being used as storage) so can see where the stability question came from but modern singles are so much wider. I have a cheval single and it’s been amazing, I’ve lost my girl sadly but we always had plenty of room to tack up inside and she could choose to travel straight or more of a diagonal herringbone set up but she travelled so well and in fact we once had to go collect a friends horse who had a fall in another friends ifor on the way to a show and she travelled beautifully on the way back as could properly spread her legs and mine was the only trailer she went in after that. Don’t want to be cheeky but it is currently for sale if anyone is interested as having a break for a bit and don’t want it just sitting there, but yes I would highly recommend a single as they are just so roomy without potentially too much space like if you took a partition out a double for example. They are the right balance of room but the horse can still brace nicely if that makes sense.
 
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