I am looking for a small 2H trailer, bumperpull.  We have a Dodge Caravan, which is my limiting factor for pulling power.  The use of this trailer is for local trail riding and maybe a few nearby fairs.

I am looking at Bockmanns and Brenderups.  Or maybe an old trailer that is technically sound, but needs some interior decorating done.

My husband is concerned about braking power with the van (no true tow package installed) and prefers one of the European inertial braking systems.

Of course I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that is only for pleasure.  We are finally at the stage where the kids can be on their own for the day; off with their friends, so maybe we can get out for couple activities together.

My husband likes scuba diving, so we toy around with the idea of future ride and dive days out.  Use the trailer for horse and dive gear.  (OK don't try to picture a scuba rider...)

Is there a "less expensive" solution than a $13K Brenderup or Bockmann?  (Besides a new tow vehicle).  Can someone modify an older regular trailer for inertial brakes?

A Featherlite-type on a Euro chassis?

There are very old trailers out there with this breaking system.  It's old technology and not really "European" except that they may be the only ones still using it.

I gave such a trailer away in about 2008.  When I used it back in the 70's, it was pulled behind a car and the breaks always did a good job even in seriously hilly terrain.  The trailer was a little steel straight load two-horse with fiberglass roof and a very nice loading ramp system that I haven't seen on another trailer.  If you could find one that isn't rusted out, it was a good little old trailer. 

There are more reasonably priced alternatives to Brenderups that are lighter weight, offer more utility and more room. Electric brakes are far superior in winter and bad weather driving than surge. The electric brakes are not difficult to install in almost any vehicle.

Compare the specs of any two horse Brenderups to other two horse American made BP trailers. You will find their light weight claims are not convincing. Only the "Solo" is truly a lighter weight version, and is the only one of their models that could be safely pulled by a car.

Here's some previous glibs and the suggestion of a trailer I have personally inspected. The "Colt" is larger, lighter, more versatile and less expensive than a two place Brenderup. It is very well built and can be modified with any option offered in the main, Blue Ribbon trailer lines:

http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/forum/thread-view.asp?threadid=13625&posts=25

My husband and I have talked about this back and forth.  I like the top part of the Colt.  But the tongue weight is too high.  Same for many other fine US trailers.

I have been in Europe and seen their events.  VW Passats, BMWs, Opels (cars!) safely pulling the horse trailers.  (And many are nicely kitted out inside too: think Ikea.  I know the trailer regs over there, and they make sense.  The safety in towing a live load comes from the balance and inertial braking system.  In North America, we have always been able to afford gas-chuggin trucks, and rely on the strength of the tow vehicle. (bigger is better, so huge must be great). 

Aside: A few weeks ago I watched a small truck haul 6 bulls to an event.  (If you ever get a chance to see Cours de Camargue live...wow.  Only the fast and fleet of foot need apply).  Big, pronged bulls, in something smaller than a mail van here.  

They do things differently there because of the relative costs.  I guess my point is, I think manufacturers here are missing a market: well-intentioned amateurs who don't want to have a truck.

Take a look at any Euro distributor and the models they are selling.  I don't see how it cannot be economically feasible for North American manufacturers to jump into the same game.  B'up manufactures the chassis in Denmark and ship across an ocean to Texas for assembly.  I've been to Denmark and the cost of living there is very high.

Bockmanns are imported from Germany with partial assembly required.  German labour is only slightly less than Danish.  And neither of those countries are resource rich.  So the materials are mostly imported.

Now I am not trying to hurt B'up manufacturer, but this technology is found in every trailer manufacturer in the EU zone.  So what is preventing a widely-used and available technology from being transferred and used in North America? 

Transport certification and testing can't be that hard.  B'ups and Bocks got approval.

I know what want, but it isn't what the market is providing me.  I don't want to have to go to a "foreign" company, but I don't have a choice. 

200# is high? What do you think the tongue weight of a two horse Brenderup is?

Have you ever pulled a horse trailer with its high center of gravity and shifting loads behind a small car? Europe is heavily taxed by engine sizes and fuel costs, meaning that to afford both, you have to own small. They also caravan with small campers, which most Americans would consider too small to be comfortable. Many roads can cannot be traveled by what we consider a full sized truck. Many of their delivery lorries are smaller than our minivans. A standard sized automobile in Europe would be akin to our compact sizes, and many owners have what are subcompact sizes, with engine displacements of a single litre. (61 cubic inches)

Their circumstances are much different than ours.

Even in the EU zone inertia Brakes are considered low tech. Larger trailers are not allowed to have an inertia braking system in the EU zone. They do have certain advantages though, as well as disadvantages.

Inertia brake trailers will typically have a wiring harnesses of 4 or 5 wire. Advantage will be less wiring. Inertia brakes are also a self contained unit. Any tow vehicle can pull the trailer without additional equipment. Hydraulic brake axles will be more expensive than electric brake axles. The inertia brake coupler is also more expensive. You have to include a brake master cylinder as well. All of these parts are more labor intensive to install as original equipment.

Electric brakes are the norm here for horse trailers. Axles with electric brakes are less expensive. There is no special coupler or master cylinder to install. They will be ran on a 6 or 7 wire harness. The tow vehicle will have to have a brake controller installed. This is a fairly simple straight forward installation.

You can most likely order any brand and have inertia brakes installed, but be prepared to pay more money for them. Many people will consider inertia brakes a great braking system. Most people will consider the electric brakes a superior system.

In my opinion, I would much rather have seperate control of my trailer brakes than to have to apply my vehicle brakes in order to apply my trailer brakes. I have been in a situation where that ability kept me from having a wreck. I know of other people here that can tell you the same.

You know, I wouldn't want to step back 40 or 50 years and pull an inertia brake trailer, especially if i had to pay such a premium for it.  For minimal tongue weight trailers, there were the in-line trailers back then, too. 

I've driven a lot in Europe and England and, as was pointed out above, it's quite different, even within the counties there. 

There is one particular equestrian enter near me.  I often follow one rig or another coming  from that center.  For some reason, the people there regularly pull trailers with substandard pull vehicles and those trailers wobble all over the road.  It's been quite an education for me watching how unsafe so many of those expensive rigs are. 

For me, I love the electric breaks and the stable rig, and wouldn't go back to the old technologies when such great advances have been made. I gave that little trailer away in 1998 - and hadn't pulled it for a couple of decades before that - for a reaon. 

If you buy a Brenderup, you should pull it loaded with your horses before you buy it.  I've loaded horses in one that was at my friend's boarding stable (when the horse owner couldn't load her horse into it)  and it seemed OK, but I've seen another one that goes up and down the road in front of my house being pulled by an suv.  That one was being pulled pretty fast (40 mph or so) and was wobbling all over - maybe that was the driver, or maybe it was the rig, or maybe you have to drive very slowly, or maybe they needed a stabliser hitch or some other reason - but I'd sure want to know why that one wobbled all over the road like it did.

At a minimum, you can look at the suspension on your minivan to see if it can be made suitable to hold at least minimal tongue weight. 

To Gard,

I thank you for the suggestion and the Colt looks sweet.  But neither the weight nor the tongue weight are in the specs.  I was guessing that the total weight was more than 2K lbs.

http://www.blueribbontrailers.com/trailers/horse/horse-trailers-colt_trailer_specs.html

To others:

Maybe the crux of the issue is tongue weight and gross trailer weight.  Is there a listing of "light" trailers?  Add it here!  I can't become a more educated buyer if the information is not in spec sheets online.

In the link I previously provided, Blue Ribbon posted the "Colts" trailer weight of 1900# and a tongue weight of 200#. Here's the spec sheet on Brenderups that does not include tongue weights:

http://www.coloradohorsetrailers.net/text/technical-data.html

I am a late comer to this discussion but there was an all aluminum trailer manufacturer in Canada that designed and marketed a small 2 horse trailer that they had manufactured under license in Europe.

They built a few here in Canada and shipped them to Europe and Asia.

The trailers were built to the same standards as passenger carrying compartments for people so in the unlikely event of an accident the horse had a high probability of surviving.

Most fiberglass trailers simply disintegrate in an accident ,especially Brenderups

I do not know the specs or tongue weights of any trailer, but I can tell you that I could lift the tongue and move my Brenderup trailer by myself, which made hooking up a breeze!

Disclaimer....I am neither a bodybuilder nor a weakling.

This seems to be a "light in weight" trailer, with electric brakes..  http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/home/trailerdetail.asp?ID=305988

******WEIGHS IN AT 1575 POUNDS******

To the OP ... The Dodge minivan is a poor choice for towing.  According to this :

http://www.dodge.com/en/towing_payload/2011/

the standard towing is 1000 pounds. Some how they list 3000 pounds as an option... Be very careful on how the 3000 pound capacity is achieved.  Personally, my experience with Chrysler minivan transmissions is very disappointing.

No messy fluid with the Brenderup mechanical brakes.

No brake controller needed as the Brenderup's brakes are self activated. The trailer brakes work similar to surge brakes found on boat trailers. But instead of the tow vehicles change in motion pushing the trailer coupler into the hydraulic plunger to activate hydraulic brakes, Brenderup's coupler pushes in to move 4 cables which activate the trailer brakes. It's called "all wheel Inertia®."

From underneath, trailer brakes and park brake have a  rod connecting to a cable from each wheel. The chassis and frame are hot dip galvanized steel including the independent torsion axles with shocks. Brenderup's have a low center of gravity with most of their weight at floor level. According to Brenderup, "Only BRENDERUP REAL® TRAILERS employs INERTIA® 4-wheel brakes designed to operate as the driver comes off the accelerator pedal and before getting to the brake pedal. Under ALL circumstances whenever the trailer tries to push on the tow vehicle the trailer brakes are being applied in direct proportion to the weight of the trailer at the time and the rate of deceleration. The INERTIA® brake system also has an independent parking brake, emergency breakaway and antilock characteristics."