Our horsebox caught fire today

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lizzieb

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We were on our way to our jumping competition today when a car overtook us and stopped us to tell us our lorry was on fire
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Luckily we were on the slip road to the dual carriageway rather than the dual carriageway so me and Mum whisked all 3 horses out while my sister and the man from the car salvaged all the valuable stuff from the lorry. Then it was a long wait for the fire brigade to come while black smoke was billowing from the lorry. It was really scary waiting as we were worried something was going to explode and scare the horses who would then be running loose along the dual carriageway.

After ages, the fire engine arrived and put the fire out. It took them quite a long time with their breathing masks on! Then we had to try and get the horses home. We have recovery for the horses in our breakdown cover but they weren't very helpful
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So Dad arranged to a friend to come with their horsebox and he would come with our trailer to pick us all up. But then, a horsebox started reversing up the slip road and it turned out that a lady who used to teach us at Pony Club was driving past and had space for our 3 in her 6 horse lorry and very kindly drove us home
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So we're all safely home now and none of our kit was damaged although the horsebox looks a it worse for wear! We left it where it was for the police to move. So we've got to wait now for the insurance to assess whether it's a write off. We're hoping it's beyond repair so we can have a new one!

As I was driving, I've got to take my licence and all the lorry docs to the police station this week
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Hope they're nice to me!

Well done if you got this far as I rambled on a bit!
 
insurance companies are crap arnt they?
i broke down once in the middle of bedford once with two horses on board. rang insurance company who sent out a recovery truck to collect us. i asked about the horses and they said we would get towed home.
recovery arrived and said they were not insured for lifestock?????
we had to let the lorry go, leaving us with 2 horses standing on a verge with 2 policemen that were scared of horses!!!!

we also had to get a friend to pick us up and she got stopped by police ofr speeding and had to prove she hadnt got horses on board!

nightmare! our insurance company paid us back the £30 we paid our friend to collect though!

i hope it all works out for you!
 
The fireman told Mum he thought it was an electrical short circuit as the leads from the leisure battery were melted. But the main fire was from around the rear axle under where the horses were so we're not convinced. I'm so relieved that Mum came as it was only as we were leaving that she decided to come with us. Without her there, my sister and me would have struggled. I don't know how I would have coped if I had been by myself as I often am.
 
That's appalling that they left you standing on a verge with 2 horses. We did it the other way and took the horses and left the lorry!

Mum's just told me that the breakdown man had just arranged a horsebox to come and take us home but then cancelled it when this lady stopped for us. So I can't say they're that bad then. But when my sister initially phoned them they asked what was wrong and Sarah said the box was on fire and the lady said 'You're joking'! We were not impressed.
 
Thank goodness you are all ok!!! very lucky that lady was passing with space!! After having to shut dual carriagways before you have my full sympathies - thank goodness these horses load well!!!

yep, had the lorry on fire adventure - that was after new air brakes ahd been fitted and they fitted them too tight!!! What was worse we were at gleneagles when it happened and the fire brigade nearly didn't come as it is a part-time one and they had been called out there already that day on a flase alarm!! And why is it with 3 mobiles we had zero signal on any of them on different networks!!

I can highly recomend equestrian support breakdown services http://www.equestriansupport.co.uk/ I travel frequently over long distances often on my own and have for many different reasons had to use them. they have arranged for a horsebox to come and pick us up and take us to our destination - 400miles in one case!!! They never put the horses on a low loader (unlike OHTO thats why I went for this one) and a friends one that would only take us to the garage and left us in the middle of nowhere at 2am!!! Its well worth it for the peace of mind and one callout makes it worth it!!! I do know lots of people all over the place but its never in those places you normally have "an adventure"!!!
 
I'm glad you are all alright and got horses and things out safely; our old Fiesta went up in flames so I remember how scary it all was and I only had me to cope with!

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I don't know how I would have coped if I had been by myself as I often am.

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It's lucky they were both there today so it doesn't affect you this time, thank goodness but isn't there now a rule that no horses should be transported by one person alone, even private ones or have I got hold of the completely wrong end of the stick? - which isn't unusual for me I must admit!
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Blimey MFH09 where did that come from? Never heard that tale before....can you check your sources before I have I heart attack please...I often travel alone with my horse to shows!
 
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Blimey MFH09 where did that come from? Never heard that tale before....can you check your sources before I have I heart attack please...I often travel alone with my horse to shows!

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Sorry, didn't mean to frighten everyone to death!
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I honestly haven't a clue where that came from but I remember being cross last summer as a lone woman was driving a trailer with two in and telling OH she'd be lucky not to be stopped so I must genuinely believe it mustn't I?
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Also, I remember thinking well it won't affect me as OH always drives the trailer even if I wanted to!
If none of you on here know anything about it, perhaps I dreamt it up unless it concerns transporters and not private people; there must be someone on here that knows for sure.
If I've spoilt anyone's Sunday night I can only apologise and sneak away before you all lynch me!
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Our horsebox hadn't had any work done since last May so we have no idea why it suddenly went wrong. I guess we'll never know. It doesn't get much use though as we usually take the trailer as it's cheaper.

Thanks for the breakdown company details. Depending on how ours deal with sorting it out, we might be looking for a new one next renewal.
 
It was K reg so 1992/3. We've had it for 5/6 years and have had very little trouble. If you do get a lorry, make sure you get an isolator switch fitted as we had problems with flat batteries until we got one. It's worth it to know it will start when needed.
 
Don't panic (and don't sneak away either
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...) I'm sure the clever HHO people will tell us about any rule changes!
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i think MFH_09 is right, i read something about it in H&H last year... i think that if you're travelling more than one horse, there's supposed to be 2 or more people... for eventualities such as this, i guess. may just be for commercial, i hope.
OP, very glad to hear that your horses are safe and you got everything home fine, how much good luck was it for a big enough lorry to come along with space just as you needed it! what a lovely lady to do that (although we all would, i hope!)
 
Very odd - would be nice if there was an obvious reason!!

You actually get the basic breakdown cover from ESS included in your insurance if you take it out with NFU - however that is only the very basic option which is pay as you go. I have the all singing all dancing "home start" cover. Apparently you can upgrade your basic NFU one for the more inclusive one (then you can be jump started from home!!)

I would say it is easy to spend 1k a year maintaining a lorry, particulaly if you have a blowout or something so can't shop around for price (and yes have had double blowout on the motorway!!!) Unless you are buying a very new chasis most will already have had a "career" before they become a horsebox. lorries are not really designed to sit around for long periods which causes things to corode and fail!!
 
Thanks everyone for your support. Hopefully the insurance people will sort everything out quickly and with no hassle.

I'll look up any laws about travelling multiple horses alone (probably in work tomorrow when I'm bored!)

Kerilli - the policeman told me that he's always amazed how many people in trailers/horseboxes stop and offer lifts when they do have incidents with horses. The lady who stopped for us was lovely as our house was miles in the opposite direction to her house. We will always be very grateful.
 
I ALWAYS stop, even if I am in the car. Mobile phones run out of bettery etc etc. I have been in that situation many times and wouldn't like to think i could have done anything to help and didn't.

Mind you, in all the times i have had "an adventure"!! only once has someone stopped for me, won't stop me building up my Karma points though....just in case!!!!
 
QR!
I'm pretty sure that the rules re numbers of people travelling with horses are for commercial/profeesional people only, ie if its just you, your two horses, your lorry etc rule doesn't apply.
I might be wrong though!!
 
OMG thats awful. It is so scary when things like that happen. I shut the M25 about 4 years ago when the front right tyre blew out on my lorry, was the most scariest thing I have ever had happen to me. Other drivers dont slow down and just hurtle past at 70-80mph, swaying the lorry from side to side. I was like a screaming possessed thing to the police, so they eventually closed the road till breakdown arrived.

Needed several vodkas that night. Was totally terrifying. I sympathise lots. Just try not to think about what could have happened. You're all safe thats all that matters. x
 
we broke down at the side of a duel carriage way.
I cant praise our insurance company and rescue service enough! they were with us within 5 mins, had the firebrigade then towed the lorry to a local bird sanctuary (at the next junction) where we could load the horses onto the new lorry without the risk (i have one who freaks in traffic and one who is a pain in the arse to load so this was by far the safer option).
 
We were lucky as we were on the slip road so the traffic got stopped from coming down so we didn't have that to deal with. All our horses are good in traffic and to load but it was still worrying that if they panicked they would be running along a dual carriageway.

Mum spoke to the insurance today and they're paying the storage charge at the recovery place which is good. Hopefully they'll get their assessor to it soon to decide whether it's repairable or whether we get a new one. Fingers crossed we get a new one. I think Mum and Dad are going to see it tomorrow to rescue our stuff so I've instructed them to take loads of photos as I'm in work (gutted!)
 
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