P.S

I am not a trailer dealer

After reading back over this post this morning a few things have really stood out.

1. This person absolutely does not understand that the roof is for keeping out water, not horses.

2. I have been to Quarter Horse Congress, World Show, NFR, NRHA Futurities. I can't remember seeing a Sport Model at any of the above.

3. I have never seen a commercial horse hauler using a Hawk trailer, much less one with "50 years" Experience.

4 Half may have had to much to drink last night

Hafl-... After looking at the pics posted, I believe the event happened as related.  As long as WE keep the discussion respectful and adding value, the thread lives... ( I hope... its been interesting to me)

I tend to agree with the owner here. A horses head can do a lot of damage with very little force. Exiss built the trailer to haul HORSES. Any owner would reasonably expect the trailer not to have catastrophic damage from typical horse behaviors. To me, it looks like a bad vent placement + poor reinforcement equalled a hole in the roof. Perhaps Exiss put the vent in the wrong place, or a bad batch of materials. Who knows. As for HWBar, do you know every commercial hauler in the country? Or, are you berating people for their choices in equipment like you did with people who own Ford 6.0 diesels. By the way, my 6.0 hauling a Hawk commercially has performed flawlessly.

I don't recall berating anyone over a 6.0, I may have pointed out to someone that they had a ton of Warranty issues. I do have a couple of friends that have them and have had problems with them, My Dad(70) has one and has had no problems.

I guess I stand corrected that Hawks are widely used in commercial horse hauling.  The folks around here(Horse Capitol of the World) are using 4 Stars and Turnbows? Sallee and Brook Ledge both have custom trailers made by a company in Winchester, Morton and Davis.

Hosspuller, thanks for your last post.  I do think we can keep this discussion adult and civil and respectfully disagreeing is ok.  I wish more felt as you do.  Perhaps this thread will start to head in a different direction.  Maybe not just about this particular trailer - perhaps, since "you get what you pay for" has been referenced more than once, it begs the question, is it ok to make a less than adequate trailer and sell it for a lower price?  Is that a wise business practice?  By providing a cheaper alternative that tends to attract folks who are new to the horse hauling world, are the manufacturers taking advantage of the folks who don't know better?  In my mind, it is not ok to use cheap materials and cut corners (such as not reinforcing a vent) for the sake of selling a new trailer at a bargain price.  As I have said previously, I did not buy this trailer, I'm just the one who was hauling with it (a very short local 15 minute haul)  The folks who bought it are new to horses and trusted their salesman - they thought they had found a trailer made by a reputable company that was safe to haul a horse in.  That is not the case. They are angry and they should be.  In hindsight, they would have done better to spend the same amount of money on a used, higher end trailer, but hindsight tends to be 20/20. 

I ask the following question in the hopes that someone on here has the answer.  Do horse trailers have to withstand any kind of testing/safety rating before they are marketed?  If not, should they?  Regardless of what some folks think my motives are, this really is about the safety of our horses....all horses.  Not just my own fancy show horses - people hauling their beloved backyard kids horse deserve to have their horses in a safe trailer too!

OK ..Bearing in mind that this board is sponsored by Exiss it is goin got be hard to find someone to sympathize with the original poster BUT I do!

So roofs keep water out???NOT IN MY EXISS...mine ruined thousands of dollars worth of balnkets and brushes and show curtains when the roof leaked to the point of filling THREE brush boxes FULL of water !! THe whole mass was frozen to the carpet in the peak!! (OOPS factory "forgot" to seal the roof) It smelled like a dank cellar! Parked the thing after the end of hunt seaseon and when I went to pack for FLorida...woohoo...everything was ruined! THis was on my FIRST Exiss before they replaced it with another one because the doors wouldnt shut and the windows would not open when I put four horses on my six horse trailer. Oh I have been here before and was shut down as a "troll" Yeah I get troll like when I am paying forty sonething THOUSAND dollars for a trailer that does nothing but cost me money every time I hook it up! Latest is the TWO blow outs I had (cheap light duty tires made in CHINA) in the way to and from Florida..I was told I need "heavy duty special order tires" (YA THINK??? on a SIX horse???) The last blow out took out the brakes (not encased in ANYTHING just bungeed to the axel)not to mention the body damage..Luckily no horses were hurt in the frey.  Oh I could go on and on about MY Exiss nightmare but since I was bannished from here the last time I posted about my personal Exiss tragedy I will spare you the trouble of banishing me and just dissappear again since I spend most of my time talking on the phone to Universal trailers trying to fix the latest thing that has broken/fallen off/failed on my trailer. I dread going on the road with the thing! I bought it so I wouldnt have to worry about being on the road with horses.  So go on with the slicing and dicing of this dissatisfied customer but there are PLENTY of us and just banning us will NOT make the problem go away. Try hiring engineers and HORSEMEN to design and build the product. Now that is a novel concept. And NO I havent had too much to drink, clearly I havent had enough kool aid to buy the hand holding koombayah singing Exiss love fest presented by some here!

Since you decided to quote me, I'll return the favor. I do not own an Exiss trailer, I don't even own a trailer built by Universal. I own a 4 Star. I owned Kiefer Builts before that and Ponderosa's before that. Do you see a progression in the quality of trailers that I have owned. When I only had the cash to buy a Ponderosa, I understood what I had behind me. I believe if you have a legitimate warranty issue that there are lots of dealers lurking around this site that will speak up and address the issue you have. They have done it many, many times before. If you have a different agenda when you get on here they will shut you or the thread down, they have done it to me, when I have said things that in hindsight were not real smart. The roof of any trailer IS NOT a stress point. It is to keep water out, if yours leaks, I say you have a valid complaint. If a horse rears up and hits it with his head, that's your fault, I, nor do you, want to pay what it would cost to put 1/4 aluminum on the roof of a trailer. You also say the brakes are bungeed on, this is just an OVER THE TOP LIE. Say they didn't use the right hardware whatever you want, but a ridiculus statement like that just will not fly. Also in order for any trailer manufacturer to get the proper weight rating for the trailer the tires have to match the weight rating, what was the weight rating of the "cheap light duty tires made in china", that tells us nothing and you will be called out for it.

Deleted as not worthy of the forum... 

Tx. Vaquero ...

I believe her.  It looks like a horse bumped the area of the vent.  The vent then pulled clear of the roof skin, ripping it.  My objection is her attempt to blame the trailer for not being horse or bullet proof.  There is NO way a trailer can be completely horse proof.  No one could afford it if Exiss tried to build it anyway. Nor want to pull such heavy padded trailer.

I'm trying to help people realize horse manure happens.  Then deal with it without hysteria and innuendo.  It is part and parcel of the Horse.  There are many folks that have higher sensibilities than horse professionals like you.  I don't mind folks buying "Gourmet Organic Cookies" as horse treats.  It's their money to spend. (I buy cheap bulk carrots for our meals and give the big woody ones to the horses.  They seem to enjoy them) The problem is when they project their emotional response onto the rest of us.   Like the horse slaughter issue, or the method of euthanasia, or any number of issues that they can afford to get into… Or "Discontinuing" the Exiss “Sport” line of trailers.  Thereby, taking away a choice of trailer to all of us.

Bridget ... In an earlier post, I asked "What is it you want from Exiss?"  Your trailer is being repaired by insurance.

I await your response ...

1. You are the one that needs to be acoountable. It was your horse.

2.The trailer gave way because a 1000lb. horse hit a piece of aluminum that is just about as thick as a piece of cardboard.

What gives you the notion that this is being dealt with with hysteria and innuendo? So far the lady posting this information has been much more in control and proper than some of those answering. I really appreciate hearing reports of this sort before shopping for such an expensive piece of equipment and knowing where to look for weak points. In fifty plus years of being a multiple horsetrailer owner and hauling horses I have never had more than a small dent result from a horse banging their head in a horsetrailer, even when they pitched a fit, as does not sound like the case here. Horsetrailers are made to contain and haul horses in and would expect them to hold up under much more "abuse" than reported here. As a consumer this is not a brand of trailer I would consider and there are lots of other better made choices available.

If a horse was able to do this with his head, what would happen in an accident.  I am getting ready to buy a new trailer, and have never had an aluninum trailer, and thought I wanted one, now I'm wondering if I should stick to steel.  My steel trailer has hauled some pretty rank horses in it and never was damaged like that. And I know the roof of it got hit pretty hard a couple of times.  I guess my question is - is aluninum or steel suppose to be the stronger?

Bridget... As for accountability, I predict you're gonna be sorely disappointed with Exiss.  Even more than you are now.  I doubt that Exiss is able to add any more than what has already been posted as to the cause of the ripped roof skin.  The “Sport” line is definitely a lower quality line of trailer than their “Event”.  I just looked at my Sundowner Valuelight.  A steel frame, aluminum skinned trailer.  After some consideration, I’m more sympathetic toward your view.   I noticed two differences.  (I’ll try to attach a photo) 

1) The vent is framed, spanning the entire width between roof bows. 

2) The location of the vent is offset from center. 

I believe Exiss has the vents centered.  A horse would have to throw his head and body vertically to impact the offset vent.  In a rear, the horse is sitting back so I think the head is moving up and back toward the center.

In summary; “You get what you pay for”    Perhaps the dealer and the Exiss rep could have handled your calls with more finesse and tact.  Let’s agree it wasn’t their finest Customer Service effort. (You’re PO’ed)  I think your site would serve the public better if you emphasized this is a “Sport” model.  Are the “Event” trailer vents different?   Using a broad tar brush on Exiss is a disservice to the other trailers that have served people well.  Then let the market decide if the “Sport” models should be made.  I don’t believe you or anyone else should take that choice away from folks.  Only Exiss and the market should make that decision.

This is an example of Hysteria...  Throwing a whole brand of trailers to the trash heap because a low end model trailer had an unlucky horse bump his head in an unlucky spot.

Thanks for making my point...

Answer: Steel naturally.  It's harder, stronger in tension or compression.  But have you ever seen a RR locomotive fly a thousand feet off the ground?  A Boeing 747 weighs more (max take off weight 910,000 pounds) yet flies because it's made of aluminum (+ other stuff).  Made of Steel, the 747 might carry a couple of happy meals instead of the hundreds of passengers (568) an aluminum 747 does.

Good points, hosspuller.  I will amend my site and limit it to the Sport as I truly do believe that this is where the problem lies - with the Sport model.  I have friends with Exiss Events who are pleased with them.  The differences you made note of are important and what I noticed in both the Event and in the Sundowners is as you have listed with the placement, framing and reinforcement around the vents.  As for customer service, yes you are correct, not a shining moment and I sincerely hope that Exiss does take note of that as I know I am not alone in finding their customer service lacking. 

Will this Thread ever end?????

Besides that alot of good info was brought up due to it creating other threads.

Enough said....