Horsebox Recovery - Your experiances good or bad

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luce1

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Hi everyone,

I had to call upon my breakdown this weekend... Luckily I wasnt on the side of a road and was at my competition however couldnt get back.. I am with SEIB and they were very quick about sending out the breakdown and recovery truck for my horsebox however they couldnt get any company to come and pick up my horse :( (I pay for full breadown and horse recovery)

They tried a million different companies and everyone was flat out or not working so I called upon a frend to come and pick us up. I have since spoken to my insurance who said i was very rare they couldnt get hold of a horse transporter and refunded me the money I paid my friend to pick me up...

Has anyone else had a simlar experiance??
 
Mmm. Yes, unfortunately, horsebox rescue services don't have a fleet of boxes waiting to come and collect horses, the way that garages do have fleets of breakdown trucks available to rescue stricken vehicles. So the break down services will contract out to people with lorries and if those people are all busy, then they can't come and collect you.

I have used my cover once and I waited for three hours for trailer and horse to be collected. The man who came for the car was a bit impatient about having to wait, but actually v gd about it.

I don't know that switching cover companies will make a difference as I suspect they all use the same contractors. I think, it's better than nothing, but flawed, as you found out! Sorry, not sure what to suggest, but I sympathise and agree it's not great. I suspect they're right and it's rare that they can't find anyone at all, but of course it's pretty tough for you when you're stranded. Glad you got home!
 
I had exactly the same experience with HBTO. Was stuck at the side of the road on a sunday, they couldn't fix the lorry till monday (long story) and gave me the numbers of people to call to collect the horse, none of whom could. Had to call in a favour in the end, they said they'd compensate but didn't.
I don't pay for that service, now I have a trailer, I just make sure that someone with a towbar will be available...
 
Had a similar experience with SEIB's breakdown service. My box developed a fuel leak on the way to a show, so called the breakdown service. The driver (cant remember the company) wanted to load my lorry woth the horse on to a recovery vehicle - thank god I said NO !!! :eek:

It took him ages to get the box onto the lorry and for about 15 minutes it was at an angle of 45 degrees on the ramp !! :mad: I dont think the driver knew what he was doing as my mechanic found the fault straight away - a leaking fuel line from the engine !

My horse is good but I think even he would have flipped out at that stage.

I complained to SEIB some months later and they said I should have complained straight away and there was nothing they could now do.

I too understood that suitable alternative transport would be provided if the box was not repairable. Fortunately a friend came and picked me up as I was about 8 miles from home but had I been a lot further away - what would have happened????? Still dont have an answer to that question.

Not very impressed SEIB !
 
I have complained to SEIB and they assured me it is rare they can’t get another both out however it’s not the first time I have heard of this… Its worrying as I do a lot of miles on my own. I asked what would of happened if I was on the side of the Motor way to be told they would tow the lorry with my horse in it to a safe place to await recovery!! They had my lorry also up at 45 degree angle at one point to! They didn’t even attempt to fix my lorry before they said they would get it towed…..
 
Luce -the engineer who came to look at my box - barely got his hands dirty -my mechanic identified it straight away !

There is absolutely no way I would allow him to load my horsebox with my precious cargo inside on the back of his breakdown lorry and he couldnt understand why!!

The speed he did on the M25 back home was interesting to the say the least - until I told him I was married to a copper - then he slowed down ! I could feel the box swaying on the back!!!
 
Gosh what a nightmare!!!!

Has really worried me for the future :eek: I mean I do have good few friends to call upon in an emergency but if your a few hours away from home - its not much help is it!!!
 
NFU. no problems at all including M25 at 6pm on a Friday night on the way home to Worcestershire from RIHS.

NFU co-ordinated the motorway police, highways, tow truck, 2nd box with experienced handlers and a vet, plus 2 lanes of the motorway shut to protect us.
 
Im with academy and have thankfully only had to use them the once on a sunday afternoon at 5pm.. found them excellent when i got the right number that was my error not theirs. Sent wagon to pick up box and transporter for horse. they actually contacted me themselves to ask what time i wanted picking up as had just arrived at a x country schooling venue. Arrived bang on time they said and were extreamely friendly and professional. was a huge relief by the time i got back to yard my wagon had been dropped off for me. Scary to hear you had to wait such a long time tho i often go places on my own and wouldnt like waiting so long to be rescued.
 
Hi
I do recovery from horsebox breakdowns the problem both myself and the insurance companies are facing are drivers hours rules, which means insurance companies start calling round transporters the nearest first then radiating out until they find one who is available, has the driving hourse available, and it does not conflict with other work that is already booked, most call's come in late PM after competions are finished which means you have to work out, do you have time to do the job, get back, take your legal rest period and are able to do any work booked the next day. No one can afford to have a box and driver on standby just to service these requests, breakdown vehicles are exempt from tacho rules to some extent, I am afraid horseboxes that are called out to assist the recovery are not.
 
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DEFRA Guidance relating to Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport, implemented In England by The Welfare of Animals (Transport)(England) Order 2006 and by equivalent national legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland clearly states that "Breakdown vehicle operators attending vehicles carrying animals that have broken down or been involved in an accident should not attempt to move the vehicle with animals on board if it cannot be repaired at roadside…….”

Nobody should be attempting to recover horses whilst they are still in the horsebox - replacement transport should be provided for the horses and the transport MUST comply with all current legislation. A recovery truck is allowed to move your horsebox to a place of safety - this would usually be used to move you off a busy dual carriageway or motorway into a service area where you could wait for recovery in a safer area.

The DEFRA guidance is there for very good reason. Unless the horses are extremely tolerant, the process of winching the vehicle onto a truck and then securing the vehicle can be very distressing and I have heard of animals being recovered long distances with the horsebox towed behind a recovery truck at an angle. It is also the law that ANYONE transporting an equine by road as part of a commercial operation (whether they plan to do this in a separate vehicle or on the back of a low-loader or flatbed) MUST have not only the correct insurance but also DEFRA / SVS Livestock Transport Authorisation. People need to ask whoever turns up either to transport the horses in a separate vehicle or on the back of a recovery vehicle whether they have this authorisation. If not, it is illegal for them to transport the horses.
 
mumoftwo said:
DEFRA Guidance relating to Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport, implemented In England by The Welfare of Animals (Transport)(England) Order 2006 and by equivalent national legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland clearly states that "Breakdown vehicle operators attending vehicles carrying animals that have broken down or been involved in an accident should not attempt to move the vehicle with animals on board if it cannot be repaired at roadside…….”

Nobody should be attempting to recover horses whilst they are still in the horsebox - replacement transport should be provided for the horses and the transport MUST comply with all current legislation. A recovery truck is allowed to move your horsebox to a place of safety - this would usually be used to move you off a busy dual carriageway or motorway into a service area where you could wait for recovery in a safer area.

The DEFRA guidance is there for very good reason. Unless the horses are extremely tolerant, the process of winching the vehicle onto a truck and then securing the vehicle can be very distressing and I have heard of animals being recovered long distances with the horsebox towed behind a recovery truck at an angle. It is also the law that ANYONE transporting an equine by road as part of a commercial operation (whether they plan to do this in a separate vehicle or on the back of a low-loader or flatbed) MUST have not only the correct insurance but also DEFRA / SVS Livestock Transport Authorisation. People need to ask whoever turns up either to transport the horses in a separate vehicle or on the back of a recovery vehicle whether they have this authorisation. If not, it is illegal for them to transport the horses.
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Thanks for posting this :D
 
AdorableAlice said:
NFU. no problems at all including M25 at 6pm on a Friday night on the way home to Worcestershire from RIHS.

NFU co-ordinated the motorway police, highways, tow truck, 2nd box with experienced handlers and a vet, plus 2 lanes of the motorway shut to protect us.
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Wow what an amazing service!!! Maybe I should switch to them!!! :D
 
luce1 said:
Hi everyone,

I had to call upon my breakdown this weekend... Luckily I wasnt on the side of a road and was at my competition however couldnt get back.. I am with SEIB and they were very quick about sending out the breakdown and recovery truck for my horsebox however they couldnt get any company to come and pick up my horse :( (I pay for full breadown and horse recovery)

They tried a million different companies and everyone was flat out or not working so I called upon a frend to come and pick us up. I have since spoken to my insurance who said i was very rare they couldnt get hold of a horse transporter and refunded me the money I paid my friend to pick me up...

Has anyone else had a simlar experiance??
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Luce1, were you at Crofton on Saturday? If so, I feel for you... you were waiting for ages! The recovery company seemed to be there for ages as well messing around with getting their truck in place! I hope it's nothing too serious and that you all got home ok in the end and you had a good day of stressage!:o
 
AdorableAlice said:
NFU. no problems at all including M25 at 6pm on a Friday night on the way home to Worcestershire from RIHS.

NFU co-ordinated the motorway police, highways, tow truck, 2nd box with experienced handlers and a vet, plus 2 lanes of the motorway shut to protect us.
Click to expand...

Another vote for NFU they were brilliant with us.
 
Used NFU after breaking down twice and very good service both times.
First time was on M6 with a tyre blowout. Then they were able to repair on the hard shoulder. The police arrived anyway as were routinely driving by and were able to cordon off road for repair garage to fix tyre where we were. So there was no need for horse recovery that time.

Second time was on A1 (I do like to pick quiet roads to break down on :rolleyes:). Problem with back axle that was quite soon deemed to be unfixable. NFU I have been told do not allow lorries to be towed with horses on - I don't know if it is true but it would probably tie into the DEFRA guidance and them being agriculture based. They contract the horse recovery to PRP so they then co ordinated a lorry to come and collect my horse. Again the police arrived pretty promptly of their own accord :o and in speaking to PRP and having discussed my horses temperament (luckily he is a saint in these situations) they did a rolling road block long enough for me to get him off my lorry and onto the one that was sent for him. I went back home with the horse lorry and the lorry came back on the tow truck to our local garage. All in all could not have been much smoother for a very stressful time.

I just had the renewal in and must admit did think it is pricey and briefly thought of changing but I put a higher value on peace of mind should I ever need it again!
 
Wow what an interesting thread.... We broke down at a lesso , our clutch cable snapped just as we arrived the recovery man came and wintched the horse and lorry onto the back of his flatbed truck, reading this I would never allow this to Happen again but at the time I didn't know what todo and assumed they knew best as they did it all the time?!
 
I agree totally about driving hours but I rang the breakdown service at 9am in the morning! I really wasn't very impressed either with the mechanic or with SEIBs lack of response.
 
I broke down on the M25 last year (luckily managed to roll onto a services slip road).

I was with RAC for the car and PRP Horsebox Rescue for the trailer.

Apart from both RAC and PRP arguing about whom I should've called first, RAC sent a local Recovery company to collect the car and a driver with a Shogun to tow my trailer - they pretty much turned up at the same time (1hr) thank goodness, as the recovery man was very pushy about hitching my trailer to his lorry and towing it home - no bleedin way, not the way he drove!!

The chap that came and towed my trailer home was lovely! I said my pony was a bit of a 'special' traveller and could he go particularly slowly round bends. He did and we had a safe journey home.
 
lovely thought about sighing up to a buddy register, Here's the issue, hire and reward. Those of us that do breakdowns and run transport companies pay large insurance premiums for our vehicles, care custody and control and public liability. People seem to forget not only do we have these over heads and as mentioned before the drivers hours regulations. Sometimes with the best will in the world all the i paid my friend to come and get me stories really annoy, it is allowed!
 
redheadkelj said:
Luce1, were you at Crofton on Saturday? If so, I feel for you... you were waiting for ages! The recovery company seemed to be there for ages as well messing around with getting their truck in place! I hope it's nothing too serious and that you all got home ok in the end and you had a good day of stressage!:o
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haha yes that was me :) did seem forever - luckily my horsey is quite relaxed about the whole thing :D apprantly its the slave cyclinder -hoping to get it back home before the weekend as heading to sparsholt on Sun! are you going??
 
luce1 said:
haha yes that was me :) did seem forever - luckily my horsey is quite relaxed about the whole thing :D apprantly its the slave cyclinder -hoping to get it back home before the weekend as heading to sparsholt on Sun! are you going??
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No, not going to Sparsholt! Weekend off for me and my lot. End of the eventing season has taken its toll on me what with trying to fit BE and BD in as well as riding club stuff so going to relax this weekend! Good luck at Sparsholt!:)
 
Thank you!! Hoping to get some last minute points then have a couple of weeks off competing.... And lorry should be fixed before weekend, lol hope it goes more smoother!!!

And for anyone that is interested I asked anthony evans for a breakdown quote which was very reasonable however they said they cannot guarentee a seperate box to pick up the horses and they would be towed! Will be looking elsewhere!!!
 
Another vote for nfu, absolutley faultless also another contender for a M25 breakdown on a Friday morning (I wasn't popular)
Police called, highways, lanes shut and overhead signs all lit up for little old me!!! Lol
 
NFU have been great with us when sat at the side of the A1 with a flat tyre, it took a while for it to be fixed (2 hours) but it was a sunday and you need the guys with the air jack etc, and the right tyre to replace it. They rang me every half hour to check if horse was ok and whether I needed a recovery truck to take him before the tyre was fixed. Luckily horse was stuffing his little face and wasn't bothered at all. Wasn't pleasant being on the side of the A1 but I had a hi vis vest on, and collected some left road cones for behind the lorry.

Only other time was when my friends trailer flipped on M1, they didn't have recovery, but you'll find things sort themselves out once the police and fire crews are there, they can't leave 2 horses stood on the verge all day! Firemen even brought an icebox of drinks with them as it was such a hot day, and one of them was reallly attractive too! Recovery horse box took about 3 hours, so may have been quicker if they had the cover, or it may have been that he was stuck in the HUGE traffic jam that we caused :o
 
Stencilface said:
NFU have been great with us when sat at the side of the A1 with a flat tyre, it took a while for it to be fixed (2 hours) but it was a sunday and you need the guys with the air jack etc, and the right tyre to replace it. They rang me every half hour to check if horse was ok and whether I needed a recovery truck to take him before the tyre was fixed. Luckily horse was stuffing his little face and wasn't bothered at all. Wasn't pleasant being on the side of the A1 but I had a hi vis vest on, and collected some left road cones for behind the lorry.

Only other time was when my friends trailer flipped on M1, they didn't have recovery, but you'll find things sort themselves out once the police and fire crews are there, they can't leave 2 horses stood on the verge all day! Firemen even brought an icebox of drinks with them as it was such a hot day, and one of them was reallly attractive too! Recovery horse box took about 3 hours, so may have been quicker if they had the cover, or it may have been that he was stuck in the HUGE traffic jam that we caused :o
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I never thought to pack high viz and cones for the lorry - such a good idea especially If your in a horrible place...

Sounds very traumatic re. trailer - glad people and horses were ok...

I have just taken out addtional cover with "The Organisation of Horsebox and Trailer Owners" have heard some great things about them :D hoping to never be in a position to call them but better safe than sorry!!
 
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