Horseboxes with gadgets

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GeorgieGurl

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With both my daughters competing frequently with their horses and ponies, its really time I upgraded from our titchy trailer! I'm honestly fed up of travelling miles with a trailer swaying around behind me and booking cheap and nasty hotels to stay the night in! I would vedy much a like a whittacker horsebox. I want ALL the extras! I've been waiting long enough for my horsebox and want a good'un! My question is: What gadgets aretheir available? Anything that makes my life easier is welcome in my box! But how outrageous is to outrageous? What do you see people using and think 'honestly, what is the point.' So excited! Hurry up so I can get bespoking!
 
In ours we have a reversing camera, and I love it, its brilliant for seeing what's behind and reversing confidently.

I don't see the point in automatic, electric ramps, if you are young and fit, get your muscles going!!
 
I actually think automatic ramps are the best! The last thing you want to do after a busy weekend is arm work lifting those heavy ramps!

A nice gadget is also a removable tack box with automatic lift. They usually occupy one of the side storage spaces and are super practical. You just arrive at the site, press the button, the tack box is lowered to the floor and you roll it to the stalls! Plus this way you don't take up any horse space when traveling with more equipment.
 
A light ramp is a must doesn't have to be electronic. Just bought a new box and the things we needed ( not gadgets as such) a loo , hob, a grill and microwave oven. The old box had an oven but used it so rarely and took forever to heat up ready or home cooked meals. 2 double beds. Heating.On board generator and electric hook up.

In horses area easy to move partitions, head boards, rug rack and external lockers. Horse wash. Drain holes so floor and walls can be washed down !

A TV is a luxury but love it ! Leather upholstery but dark not white/cream. Easy to clean. Loading light and a light outside of grooms door to enjoy those warm summer evenings:rolleyes:

All this must be combined with a payload to live the whole weekend in and carry two large horses.
 
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if you want it then who cares what everyone else thinks :D

we have a reversing camera and a camera in the horse area.
we also have a horse shower which is great for hosing off legs etc.
the best gadget we have is a solar panel on the roof. :o
other than that, we're pretty basic - toilet/shower, hob, microwave and mini fridge in the living.

in the horse area we have the ceiling padded (one of mine panics and goes up) and an extra light over the ramp.
coat-X is a brilliant idea - we just hose down the floor and walls and they come up like new.

underfloor storage is good to have as well - I fling rugs, head collars, travel boots etc in it to keep them clean.

to be honest, the payload is the biggest thing. it's frighteningly easy to end up overweight.
 
Have all the gadgets you want but please remember the weight. It's all very well having all the "mod-cons" but it's no use if you haven't got enough left for the horses, plus tack, water, diesel, humans etc etc! Sorry to be a bore but sometimes people forget about that!

And just because I would love it in my lorry after a weekend away in sub-zero temperature, heating is a must if you want luxury!!! :p
 
Love our electric ramp, my mum is only small with back problems, so it allows her to still to go out and about by herself without relying on people to put a ramp up!
Would also love a horse shower.
 
I wouldn't go with an electric ramp, I want to be able to get that down as fast as possible in an emergency, plus I've heard of them failing and horses being stuck on the lorry, get a light ramp :)

Our horsebox isn't swanky, but having been in many nice ones this is what I'd go for:

Awning - invaluable for rainy days for waiting, and even for the horse to get under if needed
Heating - you'll appreciate it in winter, in summer too most of the time :p
Tv
Hookup to make longer stays worry free
Decent partitions
Lockers under the living not in horse area, let the horses travel in luxury as well as you and let them have some leg room
Racks for everything
Cupboards in living for every conceivable thing, hat, whips, jackets
Lights outside for long competitions and loading in the dark
Switch outside for internal horse area lights so if its only you you can switch them on before loading, most won't load in the dark
Bed above the toilet - these can be a bit coffin like, but good for added privacy for someone
Easy to clean floor in living
 
My lorry is really basic but one thing I do have and love is a hose for washing off the horses. So handy and no need for buckets!
 
I'd avoid tack lockers that encroach into the horse area, seen plenty of horses need rescuing after getting legs stuck up on top of them and I know of at least one that has had its useful ridden life ended after sticking a foot through the top of the tack locker.

The one thing that struck me when looking round a posh horsebox on display at HOYS (must have been Oakley or Whittaker) was how incredibly poky the horse area was! Human part was amazing, but you'd have struggled to fit anything much above 15.2 in the back!
 
i really like having my horse shower, also the awning on the side and my fave is the whole side where the horse windows are opens outwards so gives them loads more ventilation in summer when they're stood on board at a show.
 
In my bosses truck he has

-a generator (which I love!!) to run power and such
-a BBQ
-reversing camera/horse area camera
-Auto levelling (handy when at events with uneven ground)
-Awnings
-Rug racks
-stainless steel interior walls (so easy to keep clean)
-Full head dividers and padding
-Holey belt dividers (rubber matting with holes) down to the floor to protect horses from kicks and knocks
-window protection bars
-rear tarpaulins
-interior tack cupboards (they don't encroach on the horses as they are under the chest bars)

inside the living area there is heaps of storage for food, utensils, clothing, gear and people etc. There is a double bed above the cab of the truck, the dining room table folds down to become another doubl bed and there is a single bed behind the seats in the cab.

There is heaps of external storage too, the saddle blanket rack and tack box don't encroach on the horse area either as they are incorporated into the area under the chest bars along with the interior tack cupboards.

There is also portable yards that fold away to be stored underneath the truck, which saves on yard/stable hire when at events.

The only thing I would change about the design is to make it self cleaning... :) haha
 
SOmething I had never thought of but wish we had - A light over the living door to light the way when staying away...

Heating/ generator/ hob/oven/grill/ toilet/ shower (and don't forget the hot water!) horse shower. Effective tack storage and 'stuff' storage.
 
How about a battery isolator? It's a simple key thing so that you can completely disconnect the battery when parked up.

Plastic drawers for lots of bits and bobs like spare gloves, plaiting bands, first aid etc.

Have a look on the Lehel website, so nice!!
 
VRIN. You could probably quite easily get a light added. My other half added a light over the personal door and also a light above the ramp

Our lorry is a home build so basic but plenty of storage vital with a place for everything
 
Well....our lorry isn't called the party bus for no reason! :D

We have LED strip lights fitted on the steps to the living and spotlights fitted under the kitchen units and round the seating area that change colours and have different sequences :p

Its so attractive even Louise Whittaker wobbled her way in at Scope "because of the pretty lights and music" and fell asleep on the chair!! :D thats one way to attract people in haha
 
We sell horse boxes and to be honest if you can afford it you can have it!!
That said if you are serious you do need to think about resale value.

So on a 155k box you could add a further 26k in options !!
which with VAT is ... £217k!!!

Air con in cabs
Automatic gearbox
front air suspension
rear air suspension (s)
front fog lights
persnalised graphics (s)
leather cab seats (s)
mechanical diff-lock (s)
remote door locking
stainless steel light bars - for the snazzy american front look!
stainless steel wheel trims (s)
12v solckets for charging phones etc
240v hook ups
air con in living area
automatic generator
coolbox
Docking/loading lamps
Electric flush loo
electric fridge
extra water capacity
fire blanket (s)
fire extinguisher (s)
first aid kit (s)
fridge extra capacity one (base is standard)
generator lock (s)
large skylight roof vent (s)
leather upholstery (s)
microwave (s)
oven large
passenger seatbelts living area
seperate guest room
shower cubicle (s)
tv/dvd player (s)
wash basin/vanity unit (s)
diesel heating (s)
additional skylight in horse area
awning
digital camera (s)
Sat nav
digital reversing camera (s)
easy clean entry mat (s)
electric roof extractor fan
extra height safety loading doors
flush glazed windows
full depth partitions
horse shower (s)
horse urine waste tank
hydraulic ramp (s)
large rug rack (s)
padded 6m walls
padded partition (s)
metallic paint (s)
rear grooms entry door
side ramp
extra storage rack
sulky bracket
tinted windows
tracker unit (s)

Plus a welcome hamper with the obligatory coffee/wine/corkscrew and lucerne treats!!

And if you are wondering waht a sulky bracket is my OH says
"It is to hang sulky wives and daughters on to for the return journey after an unsuccessful event guaranteeing husband peaceful cab and drive home to enjoy copious amounts of well earned beer and food after days of grief and stress!!!"


Alternatively it carrys a trap verticaly on the rear!
 
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Those pop out sides always look quite luxurious...
Air con would be my luxury. Stuck on the motorway crawling along on a hot day - would be lovely for humans and horses to be able to keep cool.
Oakley lorries have alarms on the fold down step - so you remember to.put it back up before driving out the venue gateway and remodelling it...
Wouldn't have an electric ramp for anything. They will fail when you arrive at competition and can't unload.
The electric detachable tack locker sounds amazing, but tbh I'd just spend the money on a lovely travelling groom instead!
 
My wee horse box was very basic - nothing fancy but as I did most things on my own, I had an electric ramp which I felt was necessary rather than luxury! I did add a camera as well. Just a second hand b&w one, but I felt happier knowing I could see my boy was happy.
 
Go on Sovereign horse boxes an have a look at their top of the range... Everything you could want.
They even have heating and lighting systems which can be controlled from your smart phone.
Plus the bathrooms are rather swanky with very nice mosaics.. Not that I'm biased.
But seriously take a look at sovereign they are amazing and Mitch is a great guy to deal with too.

Whittakers aren't all that and have heard of lots of problems with the electrics on them.
 
Oh, a handy and very practical thing our lorry has (not really a gadget) is that we can lock the ramp from the inside. Handy when staying away at shows so you can keep stuff in there without the thought of someone being able to drop the ramp and pinch things!
 
jess_asterix said:
Go on Sovereign horse boxes an have a look at their top of the range... Everything you could want.
They even have heating and lighting systems which can be controlled from your smart phone.
Plus the bathrooms are rather swanky with very nice mosaics.. Not that I'm biased.
But seriously take a look at sovereign they are amazing and Mitch is a great guy to deal with too.

Whittakers aren't all that and have heard of lots of problems with the electrics on them.
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Omg! Completely won over by Sovereign! Highly considering an 'Empress' just for the slide out! They have literally thought of everything! (Would a 10 tonne carry 3 ponies + all the gear would you think?) http://www.sovereignhorseboxes.com/index.php/the-sovereign-empress Make you all jealous ;) Going to do some number jiggling :) If the budget won't stretch will have to rethink! Don't want a 18-26 tonne box! Has anyone got an equitrek endeavor elite? Supposed to carry 3 horses (7.5t) and have a pop out side?
 
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