Horsebox -What extras do you need/ can you not live without?

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DollyDolls

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Thinking of getting a horsebox & I can specify what extras I want.

Having never owned one before, I need to know what bits you guys cant live without OR what bits do you wish you really had?

Money is tight, so dont be thinking up wild ideas which only lehel supply!!

I would be using it for going to comps up to 50miles in distance & very rarely staying overnight.
 
going on what ours has, fridge, sleeping for 4, tack cupboard, food cupboards, sink. i would love a tv, but its not neccessery for us, although we do overnight.
 
Toilet & Horse shower
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Plus good lockable storage for tack etc.

The rest are nice to have - fridge, hob, heating etc but those 2 things I find I really apreciate when I'm at a show.
 
Tilt cab, plenty of headroom for the horses, loo (mine was £30 ish from Lidl, wouldn't be without it
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), and CCTV to the horse area - didn't have CCTV in any of my previous lorries, but I find it a real bonus in my current one.

If you are going for a lorry under 7.5t, remember that all the added extras (like fitted living) will increase your unladen weight and limit the number of horses you can carry
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Toilet.
Ideally cctv to horse area and fans, but not essential :O
Comfy seats in a practical colour.
Fridge
Tack lockers with doors opening to the side, not up.
Tie rings
an electric ramp is a godsend.
lots of cupoards inside
a hose outside
microwave/oven depending on your preferences.

Can I add, if your getting one built be very very careful.
 
in no partic order: loo. good tack locker(s). really good horse area. hob. seating area. storage etc. central heating is very nice. hot water. big water tank with hose to wash down horses. i really appreciate these things!
stuff i've had in the past and not used: microwave. shower.
 
Aiconditioned accomodation.....when it's 45 in the shade it's nice to have a cool spot to retreat to!

Microwave and toaster oven...can't beat a hot feed when it's cold and wet...

Queen sized bed! Hey if I'm stuck living out of the truck for days, I'm gunna be comfortable!

LOTS of storage space! never enough!

...two things probably not as important there...BIG water capacity and long range fuel tanks....not so bad going to shows, cos they are in towns, but if we head out to a search it could be 150miles each way and there for days with no outside supplies.
 
Mine has no luxuries - 6 extra seats, big vast empty space in the living for tack etc. and room for my horses and I don't feel the need for anything more personally!
 
plenty of storage space, rug racks etc. On the human side, a loo is brilliant. We have electric flushing one but previous to that just a portapotti type thing but even that was brilliant given the conditions of some of the facilities at some shows. (a very very very large event having the most disgusting loos imaginable). Have fun deciding.
 
As others have said, be really careful of the weight
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There was an article last year in HH: a chap bought a lorry from scratch, had it just as he wanted it, only when it was done he wouldn't have been able to take a Shetland in it without being overweight
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And he was a solicitor if memory serves me right.
 
Mine has a 3.5tonne payload, but for that I have an small empty living area and room for 2 horses or 3 ponies. I carry a camping stove for my cup of tea and bacon rolls and have a portaloo in the top partition. Suits me just fine, I only do day stuff anyway so can live very happily without more things to go wrong!
 
I have 2.5tons to play with, so weight ought to be ok. The height is 8', hence why we're looking at this one.
I've sent an email with my wish list (actually HHO wishlist) & we'll see what I can reasonably afford.
 
The most important thing is a sound general condition, I could live without extras knowing the floor/ramp is sound.
After that my essentials are a portapotti (vital if you're stuck at a show with no loos)
Hob so I can make a drink and heat food.
Reasonable heating system, we use a gas portable heater, not probably legal but so useful if you get cold and wet.
We would like outside lockers and will have to sacrifice the under sink area to make even a small one, as our horses are big and the lorry is 7' 9" wide so too narrow for lockers in the horse bit.
A sat nav system, though be warned it sometimes takes you some torutous routes for a box!
Finally the most useful gadget is the hose we wash the horses off with, it has a spray head and makes washing the sweat off a doddle.
My box is currently away having a new engine/gear box and clutch in, after we failed to check the mechanic had added anti freeze at it's last service. We did ask him to but he must have forgotten, and as a result I spent a day on the side of the motorway and the bill will be at least three thousand pounds...
From now on my most important extra will be antifreeze to stop the engine block freezing and splitting again..
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I went for a new build conversion last year as I could not find exactly what I was looking for.

I needed at least 8ft high and 8ft wide with no tack lockers taking up space in the horse area.

So my main requirements was the horse area being large, airy and safe, then I got them to quote for everything else I'd really love to have in the living and chose what I thought would be most useful to me.

Ended up with, Large over cab bed, bench seat and table that converts into small double by using the table top. Fridge, hob & grill, sink, couple of cupboards and a longer one for clothes. Shower, toilet, washbasin, tinted windows with 2 part blinds (keeps out midges in summer).

My hubby then installed me a CCTV / reversing camera and a good stereo with speakers in the living and an alarm system with a tracking device and wired it all for my sat nav and handsfree phone kit.

I have made good use of it all and wouldn't be without any of it.

I didn't bother with paying extra for metalic paint or fancy design and I'm pleased I didn't as it doesn't take long for them to be scratched by trees.
 
I stay over night so some things are more use for that, but during the day own loo is def number one,
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then gas hob and sink comfy seats, plenty of tack storage, tie rings,cctv to see the horses( makes for a relaxing drive if you hear a noise and can look to see the horses are ok) blown air heating hot water, fridge, and loading light, also nice is the remote start generator to run the microwave, toaster and charge the living quarters battery... hope this helps..
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