Opinions on Equitrek Horseboxes please

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SydneyR

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Hi, newbie here and hoping for some help and advice!

My daughter and her 14.2 Welsh Cob are looking for a nearly-new 3.5t Horsebox. I'm new to the world of horsey transport and have recently looked at the top brands but sadly they are all around £40-50k + Vat (I can't reclaim the Vat) and out of budget. The Equitrek's caught my eye as you can buy them for as little as £38k inc Vat. Is there a reason why they are much cheaper than something like a Bloomsfields, Oakley, Theault etc? What I have noticed is the cheaper Horseboxes have Breast Bars - should I try and avoid these and look for a box with full height partitions? I have spoken to a few dealers this past few weeks and the impression i am getting is the Renaults are most sought after and hold their money best. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

ps - where are the best sites / places to search for a Horsebox?

Thank you,
Sydneys Dad :)
 
The Bloomfields One is 29,995 + VAT on a new chassis so would go for one of these over a equitrek any day or look at Equito horseboxes which are new builds in old chassis. Racemasters are also well built sturdy boxes on old chassis but much cheaper and better built than equitreks :)
 
Thanks for the quick replies!

Ha ha, just had a quick look at the Equitrek reviews and they're not too good. Mmmmm, may have to look elsewhere then..

Bloomfields is very local to me (Nottinghamshire). I think they start at £31995 + Vat now.

I also get the impression a lot of (good) boxes are sold by word of mouth and therefore not advertised. Please let me know if anyone has a nearly new 3.5t they wish to sell :)

Thanks again for the replies and please keep them coming!
 
I did contact them a few weeks ago based upon seeing the pic of the One at £29995+ vat but didn't follow it through when they said they now start at £31995. Appreciate it's only £2000 more but i am on a budget. At £29995+ vat I would go and see them this week.
 
We had a 7.5tonne for a few seasons and actually it was very comfortable. Silly things like one of the side locker straps pulled right off, and we removed the automatic ramp mechanism. It wasn’t the largest horse area so anything over 15.2 you’d need to herringbone reducing capacity to 2 horses. It drove very easily and the horses liked it, the inbuilt generator didn’t cause any issues and the heating/hot water also worked well. Towed our big trailer easier than the others we’ve had too. We sold it as it wasn’t great for our purposes horse space wise and now have a Bloomfields 4.5 tonne.
 
With a horse that size, it might be worth considering a van conversion, rather than a coach-built. They're generally around half the price of a coach-built. I know some people hate them, and I certainly wouldn't put anything over 15hh in one, but just putting the idea out there. (I have a conversion. I love it. My horse, sadly, point-blank refuses to load in it.)
 
Thanks again for the replies and recommendations - much appreciated :)

Firsthorseboxes are local to me - thanks for the heads up! I can't see anything on their site but will call them and see if they have any 1-2 year old boxes. In general there seems to be very little new or nearly stock out there at the mo
 
Can't speak for boxes but my friend paid £19k for a new Equitrek trailer 2 years ago delivered with multiple faults and missing parts that should have been standard and has also been back twice for repairs. I wouldn't touch them with a proverbial.

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SydneyR said:
Thanks again for the replies and recommendations - much appreciated :)

Firsthorseboxes are local to me - thanks for the heads up! I can't see anything on their site but will call them and see if they have any 1-2 year old boxes. In general there seems to be very little new or nearly stock out there at the mo
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I think you may get a new build on a not too old a chassis for your budget. Very knowledgeable horse people. I am down south but I had one built by them after a recommendation from a professional - they had a secondhand equitrek in but it was like a baked bean can compared to their own builds. I, like you, could not find what I wanted and it was worth a day trip to Firs Horseboxes - well pleased with result.
 
Peper Harrow get my vote.
Just got a 7t from them but they also do 3.5T, the build quality is really good and think the 3.5T would be in your budget
 
Equi-Wrek.... I cut my hand open on one of their demo vehicles tack lockers at Badminton one year (inside the horse area, where the horses head goes - the edge was razor sharp)
They couldn't have cared less when I pointed it out.....I couldn't have run further when they then tried to sell me one!
 
Check out Tristar horse boxes in west Wales. Their 7.5 ton stick sided box is very popular. A couple of weeks ago I was parked next to somebody who hah a 3.5 ton stick sided box built by Tristar for about £16k. And for that Tristar sourced the box . We have a 7.5 ton stick sided box built by them and we love it. There are plenty of pictures on their website
 
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John Oates have some nearly new ones for sale that could be in budget. They are well thought of.
I think I heard bloomfields will now be doing conversions on not brand new vans which will also make them cheaper, not seen any for sale as of yet though!
 
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