Horse Box Hire Advice

[BethCarlton]

Hi Guys, my name is Beth and I am a new member although I have been through lots of forums many times before now. I need some advice as I am struggling with finding an answer...

I currently loan an 18.2hh shire cross who I am absolutely loving riding and doing my own thing with. He can be hard work but very rewarding. Loves his jumping, he's a powerhouse!

The owner has a lorry which will be usable once fixed, but I was wondering if anyone had hired a horsebox for a horse the same size and can recommend anything/anyone to hire from in the Cheshire area? I have been doing lots of research and i'm getting a bit overwhelmed as some people say a 3.5t is big enough, others say they wouldn't put bigger than 16hh. I haven't managed to find anything bigger (so far) than a 3.5t to hire and not sure if I can drive bigger on my licence. Even when the owners lorry is fixed, I don't think I can drive that on my licence as mentioned and there's shows I'd like to go to mid-week, so this isn't ideal for the owner as she would need to be off work as well

Any advice, recommendations etc will be greatly appreciated

thanks in advance x

 

[Leandy]

You need to think about weight and headroom and length. How much does your horse weigh? Most 3.5t have a payload of between about 850 and 1200kg (mostly towards the lower end of that) ie for horses, driver, passengers, all your clobber and fuel and water. You may find you are pretty close to that depending how chunky your chap is. Then there is the question as to whether he physically fits. Many 3.5t have more headroom than bigger lorries but not all. There is also the question of whether he fits in lengthwise. It would be worth asking how movable (or removable) the partition is as he may need to travel diagonally. When you find some hire companies in your area, it would be best just to ring them up and have a discussion about it. The last thing they will want is for their lorry to get damaged so I'm sure they will advise how doable this is for their lorry. Does he travel well? I have to say I wouldn't want to put a very large horse which may throw itself about in a 3.5t, you will certainly feel that driving which may make it unstable and many I have seen would not be robust enough. Maybe see if you can hire with a driver first time to see how it all goes? Then if it works out you can do self hire for future dates, and if it doesn't you have someone experienced on hand.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Give Mustang horse transport a call. They are based near Chester.
They hire (both self Drive or with a driver) very sturdy Marlborough Hunter 3.5t stallion boxes.
They have transported 18hh heavy horses singly, but not sure whether one as big as yours.

 

[BethCarlton]

I'm not 100% sure so this is something I need to check as he is a big chunky lad, shire cross, I'd likely be going with someone else so I could always pop things in their trailer if needs be I suppose... A few people have suggested taking the partition out and having him stand diagonal as well. He travels well, but can sometimes be a bit difficult loading. I haven't delved into what issues he has when loading, so I will find out more
I think having someone drive for the first time like you've mentioned would definitely be the best bet. I haven't driven one yet, so i'd want it to be smooth sailing for both us

 

[BethCarlton]

Thank you. I did see on one of their pictures they were unloading a Shire horse so i'll give them a call