New to horse ownership - transport question!

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DaisyO

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Hi all
So after years and years of day dreaming of having my own horse I have finally taken the plunge! So far it's going great. I may be poorer, but I'm happy haha!

Previously I had a sharer/part loan and her owner had transport if we fancied going anywhere. Now I've got my own horse, I've no transport. I really like the idea of going out maybe just a couple of times a month for some fun. So my question is what is the most financially sensible way to do this?

My partner has his towing license, so we could sell my car and look to buy a 4 x 4 and trailer (though we wouldn't have a massive budget for this). Just wondering is this worth it?
Can you hire a trailer on its own, so we would only need to buy the 4 x 4? Or is it cheaper to just hire a horsebox if I'm only planning to go out maybe twice a month?
I'm based in Bristol if anyone knows of any local hire places they can recommend.

Sorry this probably seems like a daft question but this is a whole new world for me and its quite overwhelming at times!
 
Yes I hired a trailer a couple of times before I bought. If I remember it was about £50 a day. Main problem was collecting and dropping it off as that added significant time to the day. I have no idea about hiring a lorry.

I guess you need to do the sums and see if hiring a trailer/lorry would be more cost effective than buying your own depending on how many times you go out.
 
First of all congratulations on your horse purchase!

I had all the exact same thoughts as this prior to buying my 4x4 and trailer. You do need to bear in mind that if you want to hire a horse lorry or trailer, especially at short notice, there may be none available as other people may have booked them - this is especially pertinent on the weekend when everyone needs transport to events etc.

I looked into buying my own 3.5 tonne lorry but found the cost was prohibitive unless it was ancient, and I didn't want an ancient one as more unlikely to be unsafe and cost a bomb in repairs.

In the end I did my towing test, bought a big old 4x4 and paid £1500 for a trailer which if you think about it is the equivalent of hiring one 30 times. It's been great and I have the freedom to go out whenever I want. The 4x4 I got wasn't an expensive one as it was old (I have spent a lot on repairs for it, but that's another story entirely!!). Yes tax/insurance/fuel costs more than when I had my little car but I've had it for so long now I'm just used to paying it. Also I don't think I could go back to having a little car now anyway as having a great big 4x4 is SO useful - tip runs, camping, you name it, everything fits in that car!! Trailer has been used for all sorts of other stuff also like helping friends move house and collecting railway sleepers for the garden etc.
 
Oh and whenever I ever looked into hiring a 3.5 tonne box it was always about £110-£120 per day at the weekend, for me it just seemed way more sensible to just get my own trailer.
 
If you are just transporting your own a single trailer could be hired or bought which can be towed with a larger normal car. I've always towed a single trailer with a 2L saloon or estate no problems. You just need to check the weight of your horse and trailer are within the car's limits.
 
I either rent a single trailer and tow that (I have a small 4x4) or if it’s a long journey I rent a box, there are a couple near me that do really good deals on weekend hire and the normal going rate for mid week is between £70-100 a day. I much prefer taking a box because I detest towing! In Jan I will be looking to buy my own transport it will work out much cheaper in the long run and will have so much more freedom so if you can afford to now I would.
 
OP, you dont need a 4x4 to tow a trailer. Perhaps just look for a car with ample towing capacity and buy a trailer (you could go for a single box also).
 
I tow with a Skoda Octavia Scout 4x4 car, and it has a 2000kg towing limit so I can either legally take two ponies or one horse.

Good luck OP, its great having your own transport....

As a teenager getting my first horse, I was offered either a cheaper pony plus a trailer or a more expensive pony. I picked the plus transport option, and have never regretted it, being independent is worth its weight in gold.

Fiona
 
We tow a single trailer with an estate car (Mercedes e-class). When we were looking at transport options it was the most cost-effective. We wanted to go out 2-3 times a month to reasonably local places (no more than an hour and a half away). I couldn’t justify spending upwards of £30K to get a 3.5 lorry which had been properly and safely built plus all the extra costs associated with running another vehicle.

We considered putting aside some money to hire transport when we needed it but the costs mounted up pretty quickly and it meant we had no spontaneity. We found a nearly new single trailer and it’s been great - it just needs a yearly service and has been a really good decision.

I’d still hire a lorry for longer trips or if we get to the stage of staying away but for now the trailer does the job.
 
It's usually about 40-50 a day for a trailer, vs 100-120 a day for a 3.5t box (for me in the Midlands).

Vs your own transport you need to work out how much your fuel/tax/insurance costs will go up, do you have somewhere to store the trailer or would you need to pay, then divide by how much you see yourself using it.

Also factor in convenience, is there anywhere nearby to hire from or will you have a lengthy round trip to collect/return the hired option?
 
Unless you're going out a lot, I would stick to hires. Quite a lot of places will allow you to collect the evening before which helps

I have my own 3.5t as I (pre lockdown) was out a minimum of twice a week. This would be costing me about £1,000 a month in hire fees. That said, it is another vehicle to maintain and things go wrong. I am just about to pick it up after £1,500 worth of work needed after a service
 
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