Horsebox query: tack lockers into horse area - yeay or nay?

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nelliefinellie

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I have just read on a few posts on here that some people don't like tack lockers into the horse area and wondered why? I'm hoping to upgrade my lorry, quite like the idea of a nice big external tack locker but wonder what the disadvantages are?
 
They're great in theory but means that you can't easily get underneath the horses as their chest will be against it and their heads over it (hope that made sense). That said if you have a few onboard then it keeps all their stuff out of the way!
 
Ah so it's more about inconvenience then? Someone told me that the horses could break their legs on them . However this was someone who was trying to sell me a lorry without one, which may have had something to do with it!
 
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Ah so it's more about inconvenience then? Someone told me that the horses could break their legs on them . However this was someone who was trying to sell me a lorry without one, which may have had something to do with it!

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A friend of mine had hers rear up and get it's front end on the top. Stupid horse if you ask me and wasnt tied up either.
 
I have heard some horrors of Horses rearing up and getting stuck on the ones with the flat tops and not being able to get off them. Most tack lockers now are slanted on the inside so if that happens they "slide" off, does this make sense???. Im not sure whether the stories are true though!!!
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My lorry had huge tack lockers (into the horse area) but the shape of the partitions allowed enough room for me to get under them to tack up etc

I think people don't like them protruding into the horse area because of lack of space to attend to the horses also because horses have been known to rear up, stand on the lockers and put their heads through the ceiling, I think in older lorries they tend to be much lower than mine were though !!! I have always had them in my lorries and love them, personal preference I guess.
 
oh that is interesting. My horse paws the ground a lot , I don't know if having a locker in front would stop that or make it worse
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The trouble I won't really know till I've used it and then is too late if not right!
 
Nay!

They take up space that I would much rather have for the horse (not to mention moving around in the horse area whilst unloading/loading etc).
 
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oh that is interesting. My horse paws the ground a lot , I don't know if having a locker in front would stop that or make it worse
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The trouble I won't really know till I've used it and then is too late if not right!

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Any chance you could borrow or hire something to find out?

Personally we've never had a problem with tack lockers and I like it that the top of mine can be made into a water trough if you need to stop on a long journey.
 
I had always liked the idea of them until I broke down with my car and trailer and was picked up by a lorry with them. I found it really difficult to try and get around them when loading and unloading, tieing the horse up etc and it put me off a lot - you could probably make things easier by repositioning the partitions however.
 
can't stand them, have heard 2 horror stories - 1 of a mare who climbed on top, first time in new lorry (owned by horsebox manufacturer who told me the story) and stuck her head clean through the roof...
another of a horse who climbed on top and went through the top of the locker.
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i like the locker up the front, intruding into the living area, so i can tie the horses at the back, anyway.

the horse transporter who collected me and my horses on Thursday told me that the new Defra rule is going to be that Commerical Transport lorries (for hire and reward etc) with rear tack lockers protruding into the horse space are only going to be legal for transporting ponies. won't affect private users though, apparently.
 
We have a box that has the lockers into the horse area...i find it fine, enough space to get through, tack up etc.
Also never had or heard of anyone having problems with horses getting front feet up, had some bad travellers in it too but maybe not quite that stupid to put it's front feet on top.
 
A Nay from me also, always wanted them but on looking at loads of lorries side by side all the ones with lockers in the horse area looked really claustrophobic, also heard stories of horses standing on them to create sunroofs for themselves. Mine has tack locker at the front, room for all the gear and horses have maxium space.
 
I've got external tack lockers on m lorry which protrude into the horse area and I manage to manouver about and tack up my 17.1 monster while he's on the truck. I also have to have him in quite tight because he can feck about (and he's already ripped a chunk of padding of one of the partitions
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All of ours are happy enough with tack lockers into the horse bit, we need it for the room to store stuff.
Only problem we've had is when a vet thought it would be a good idea to inject my lad on the lorry..didn't go down well and he did end up with one foot on the locker and then rolled off the lorry, lucky not to be injured but obv that's not a normal use thing.
HAve also had one pony climb on top and break the window..he was a silly pony though!
Aside from that, 5yrs use and no problems!
 
weve got a one in ours, only extends into one of the 3 partitions though. I find that if you have 15.2hh plus horses of 13hh or less ponies then they are absolutely fine. Unfortunately for my 14hh cob, his head is uncomfortably high when put in that partition
 
Dont think it would bother me but I have also heard legit stories of a horse getting one leg on top and being stuck and also one that went through the tack locker.
 
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I have heard some horrors of Horses rearing up and getting stuck on the ones with the flat tops and not being able to get off them. Most tack lockers now are slanted on the inside so if that happens they "slide" off, does this make sense???. Im not sure whether the stories are true though!!!
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I know someone who has had to repair her lorry 3 or 4 times because her horse stood on them and put its head through the roof and on one occasion got her feet through the windows.

I have a big horse and think they would restrict his space too much. It is a major concern for me as I am looking to buy a lorry to replace my trailer.
 
In my next lorry i won't be having them if it is avoidable!

I have had one of mine get on the lockers on several occasions, not good for horse or other horses on lorry.

My friends horse got on the locker and nackered its coffin joint

My trainer has one that repeatedly gets on the lockers so has to have a rope acros partitions to stop it getting up

Also when you get a big 17.1 horse in their it makes it a bit of a tight squeeze.

They can be hassle with naughty horses, but other than that their fine and give you loads more space!
 
A friend of mine has a very posh HGV lorry with tack lockers as he is a keen show jumper. One of his Grade A's got on the locker and its foot went through. If it hadn't been wearing tendon boots it would have probably been put down. However now the leg won't heal and the horse is probably going to have to be a 'loss of use' case.

Since then he has reinforced the top of the lockers with thick checkerplate.
 
See i wouldnt travel a horse inclined to rear up, i'd be finding out why and putting a stop to that rapidly.
 
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See i wouldnt travel a horse inclined to rear up, i'd be finding out why and putting a stop to that rapidly.

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Well that's marvellous, but how do you stop a horse that gets itself on the top of the lockers because it is just plain stupid? When it's not scared or in pain or anxious or whatever, it just likes to play and arse around and is lacking in brain cells so doesn't stop doing it?
 
We made the mistake of putting a horse locker on the outside of our trailer... Great, except that you can't open the doors probably without messing around with the jockey wheel and you can't see the horse through the window, so you have to have trailer cameras installed or worry whether they are ok adn stop every five minutes on the way there!
xxx
 
Thanks for all the replies. I think on the whole more nays than yeays, so gonna go for lockers into the living I think. I am assuming there are no horror stories of people climbing on top of them and putting their heads through the roof.....
 
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