Hello. I’m wondering what happened to Fautras here in the USA/Canada? So many Fautras owners love their trailers. The build quality, safety features, options, and towing ability give the horse and owner the seemingly total package. So why have all but one Fautras dealer have either gone completely out of business, or just no longer carry Fautras?
My guess is price. Just looked around at several sites, mostly in Europe as there are few in the U.S., and they are definitely at the “upper end” of price. I looked at the Fautras site (looked like the official, factory one) and the product is nice. Perhaps the quality justifies and price and perhaps not. That would be a value judgement for most folks.
You can buy the same capacity without, perhaps, the same quality for a lot less money. In owning horses money counts. Maybe that’s the simplest answer.
G.
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I think Euro-style trailers have been a hard sell in the US.
We have a “big truck” culture in this country, so we don’t need to rely on their efficiency features.
Fiberglass has gotten a bad rap as compared to aluminum and steel, which may or may not be totally deserved.
Some of the competitors’ Euro-style trailers (Brenderup, Bockmann) have proven to need more maintenance than their metal counterparts.
Plus, with our bigger, metal trailers, you can add a lot more creature comforts for both horse and human. Massive dressing rooms. Comfortable living quarters. Big, airy spaces for the horses.
When you add a hefty price tag to the mix, it just doesn’t make sense to most people.
I don’t say this as a criticism of the Fautras-- they are smartly designed trailers.
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I’ve wondered too if the euro trailers would have a hard time handling more rugged roads, i.e. rutted dirt roads as negotiating some dirt roads and even driveways here in the South can be pretty pitted. Heck, I have a pretty decent dip down from my concrete drive into my barn area where I think a low slung trailer might would bottom out. I get the impression that a lot of trailer travel in the UK and Europe is over more groomed/compacted roads, yes?
For me, if I’m going to shell out considerable money for a trailer, I want to be able to take it wherever I want to whether it’s too the show grounds this weekend, or down some gravel dirt road to a trail head, the next.
Thank you for your input Gullherme, Texarkana, and FatCatFarm. I guess I am just in a minority where I feel I am willing to sacrifice a tack Room for a tack Locker, when comparing the other options to American trailers. Mind you I am strictly comparing 2 horse bumper pulls no living quarters.
Full height escape doors for human and horse if needed, Bright open Horse space, independent wheel suspension for a smooth quiet ride, rot proof noise reducing polyethlyene floor (literally recycled bottles!), emergency release chest bar from the outside of trailer!!!, Galvanized steel chassis which is balanced so the tongue weight is a couple hundred pounds lighter… better options for safe/appropriate tow vehicles which in my mind saves me money in the long run with vehlcle purchase, gas,insurance, one vehicle for commute and hauling… haven’t even mentioned other options for horse comfort that aren’t available in other trailers.
So, with that all said the trailers that have comparable attributes i.e. air ride suspension… then the price is also comparable. I just feel I’m missing something or am I spending way too much for a comfortable and safe ride for my horses and myself?
Hauling distance might also play a role. When you’re going half a day away or more, and staying there for a couple (or more) days, you need more stuff. More stuff for the horse, more stuff for yourself. Stuff that has to go somewhere, like a tack room or a large truck bed. Most of the US is spread out over vast distance…what works well in packed together Europe may not be at all suitable in the American west.
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Loved my Brenderup, but sold it for a 3 horse slant that could carry 3 horses or 1 horse and a carriage. Otherwise I would have kept the Brenderup even though getting parts was becoming extremely difficult.
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A lot of Europe would fit in Texas
Over in Europe, though, things are a little different. France is roughly the same size as Texas—but you can comfortably stuff Switzerland in alongside it like an accessory. The further east you go, meanwhile, you can smoosh a whole lot of a whole lot of countries within the Lone Star State: Paris, Prague, Milan, Amsterdam, Brussels, Munich, and Florence could all be little bits of Texas,
https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/how-big-is-texas-compared-to-other-land-masses/
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Connecticut fits in the DFW metroplex :lol: :lol:
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yeah i had to explain that little feature to several companies I worked for
I think they’re pretty niche. They’re wonderful for what they are (lumping them in
with B’rups and Böckmanns). But so many here in North America can get a truck and a lot more trailer.
I believe it has more to do with the European governments approach of taxation as those countries have massive taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel not that the horse owner wants to have those little trailers it is what is affordable in that economy.
With fuel cost of nearly $9 per gallon I guess most of us would dump the trucks and trailers we have and sell the horses
60% tax on petrol gives Britain, France and Germany some of the highest pump prices worldwide. Some emerging economies benefit from 0% fuel tax, or even subsidies.
The major European economies of the UK, Germany and France have the highest cost of fuel among the major world economies, according to a new study by UHY, the international accountancy network.
UHY explains that the UK, France and Germany all levy taxes of at least 60%* on petrol, considerably more than other major developed economies such as the United States, Canada and Australia.
Taxes amount to 59% of the cost of diesel in the UK, which is the highest in any major economy. France levies 43% tax on diesel, while Germany levies 58%.
This means that the cost of filling the tank** ( Tank size: 80 litres (about 21 gallons) for petrol and diesel,). of a Ford Transit van with diesel in the UK amounts to $184. In comparison, French and German consumers pay $146 and $158 respectively.
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@clanter I meant they are niche in NA. They’re quite popular in Europe for the reasons you mentioned. I have a Böckmann and adore it, but since fuel is so much cheaper and we have so much more space in North America, many opt for trucks and larger/heavier trailers. If I had more than one horse, the trailer likely wouldn’t meet my needs. If I had a truck (vs an SUV), I’d have likely opted for a much cheaper 2-horse.
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I had an international judge once tell me that, if Europeans had access to our trucks/roads/fuel prices, etc., they’d all be hauling gooseneck trailers, too. Don’t know how representative this judge’s opinion was, however.
Having said that, the Brenderup I owned for several years towed like a dream behind my SUV. But, when I went back to a truck, I immediately returned to a gooseneck trailer.
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I had a Brenderup for 10 years and the maintenance was minuscule - even the wheel bearings were sealed to annual packing - nonexistent. Now I have an EquiTrek and it’s proving similarly easy. My guess at why Brenderup and Fautras disappeared was Americans love giant trucks and have cheap gas. There’s some kind of primal fear of fuel efficiency and anything that’s not solid steel :lol: I stick with fuel efficient solutions not to save $, bu because I care a bit about the environment.
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Well, 
my Brenderup has never had the slightest difficulty with uneven terrain. Why would it? it has great shocks, is very quiet, is very solidly put together, and anyway it’s the tow vehicle that supplies the power. For me, getting a European trailer that could be towed by the family minivan, during the minivan years, and now a hefty SUV made more sense than buying a pick up truck plus and American trailer with some complicated braking system and sway bars and what-all. The Bup is a pleasure in every way, and my tow vehicle has all the room I need for storage. I think it’s just that there’s a dominant culture here of pick-up truck and big trailer, though I think the Bup actually offers more room for my horse than does any trailer other than a stock trailer.
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Probably impacted too by those who keep horses at home versus boarding. Having our own place, a truck is a must have for hauling hay, farm supplies, the flat bed trailer for various purposes, etc., and not just the horse trailer.
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I do wonder, how do people in Europe handle similar situations? I understand the “backyard stable” isn’t quite as common as it is here, but there are still plenty of farms. Are there just better delivery services?
I completely agree that in the US, owning a horse farm without a truck is cumbersome. While you certainly can do it, having a truck just makes life easier.
I definitely think Americans love their big trucks and yes, gas is cheap here. I’ve also found while shopping for my own truck/Euro-trailer combo, that it’s harder to find a smaller vehicle that still has enough “pull” for even a Euro trailer. Wagons and mid-size suvs marketing in Europe often have much bigger engines/more power, from my observation. (I could be wrong, this is purely anecdotal). So they also have plenty more options for a towing vehicle that can pull these little trailers. I feel like our marketing is geared towards either little, light cars and suv’s that can’t pull a whole lot (like, a 6/7 passenger vehicle should have more than 3,500lbs in towing capacity, imo) or just big trucks, with far fewer options in between. (I’m thinking of cars like the VW Toureg, which was mid-size but rated to pull north of 7,000lbs).
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Small trailers are not really comfortable/practical for horses on long journeys.
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