Reputable horsebox dealers??

[iknowmyvalue]

excitingly I might be in the market for a little horsebox in the next few months. But having never had one before, where should I be looking?

In the market for a 3.5tonne box or van conversion. Will be mostly used for one slight 16hh horse, unlikely to ever need to take anything much bigger. Useful but not essential if would be able to take another horse occasionally. Decent but not enormous budget, up to £20-25k for the right box.

Anything else I need to be aware of? I know I should probably get an independent inspection done before buying (though not sure where to go for that either…).

Am keen for a chassis/engine with fewer miles on (part of the reason for changing from a trailer is because the towing car is getting on in age and miles, and becoming a bit of a money pit…) but most seem to have some mileage on. What would be considered low mileage for this kind of box?

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Oh and the closer to Devon they’re based the better!

 

[Jambarissa]

Look for Henning Horseboxes on Facebook. I've no experience with them but they've some very informative videos of what to look for when buying and they do prepurchase checks.

You're best off seeing what's available then checking the reputation of the manufacturer than trying toimit yourself to a few that are known to be good.

Beware of unrealistic payloads, you see some with 1200kg which are either made with the very best lightweight materials or more likely have skimped on reinforcement. 1t with tack area (not living) is probably more realistic and so would comfortably carry your 16hh, you, water, fuel, tack, hay but not another horse.

 

[Lady Jane]

Hennings are really helpful, he stopped me even going to see a couple. And good advice from @Jambarissa

 

[Boulty]

Polly Xantos (sp?) at travel 2 specialises in them (think her son also does conversions that may be within your budget). You’re unlikely to find one with payload to safely take 2 16h but might find one able to take that & a small pony. (If you need it to take 2 of that size you’d be better looking for a 3.9 or a 3.5 suitable for up rating)

My own experiences with Mr Henning do not seem to match with a lot of the rest of you… he missed things on a box I bought that would have made me walk away (he told me the floor was fine & totally solid… it wasn’t). He also gave me an inspection report that was literally 2 sentences long with half the wrong details on it (Probably breached GDPR in the process).

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Polly Xantos (sp?) at travel 2 specialises in them (think her son also does conversions that may be within your budget). You’re unlikely to find one with payload to safely take 2 16h but might find one able to take that & a small pony. (If you need it to take 2 of that size you’d be better looking for a 3.9 or a 3.5 suitable for up rating)

My own experiences with Mr Henning do not seem to match with a lot of the rest of you… he missed things on a box I bought that would have made me walk away (he told me the floor was fine & totally solid… it wasn’t). He also gave me an inspection report that was literally 2 sentences long with half the wrong details on it (Probably breached GDPR in the process).

I think I’m actually looking at some her son does at the moment, I really like the look of them, and the reviews I’ve found so far have all been positive. Travel2 seems to do more of the coach builds, and her son (Horsebox Workshop) seems to do more of the van conversions.

Being able to take two horses is less important, I only have one and whilst it would be nice to be able to offer a lift to a friend occasionally, it’s not essential. I’d need to take my HGV license to drive anything over 3.5 tonne and I’m not really in a position to at the moment, so need something I can drive on a B&E licence. Plus needs to be small enough to navigate the narrow lanes around the yard without too much bother, and I think anything over 3.5 would be a bit tight for everyday use.

 

[Lovethebeach]

Just a thought but if you find an uprated 3.5 to 3.9 it is an easy downgrade to 3.5 for your licence but if you do get your licence for bigger then you can change back again as all the work already done. We have a Citroen Relay converted with their Eventer long stall stallion design, steel reinforced, from Seeker Horseboxes that is uprated to 3.9. We are in Devon and they delivered down to us for a small fee, you don't pay for the box until it arrives with you and you have checked all paperwork, build etc which seemed very fair, was a 2011 chassis with verified mileage of 20K

 

[Identityincrisis]

I’m on the waiting list for an Equi Sport which are within your budget (they’re increasing prices shortly though) I went to their workshop and was impressed with the work that went into the vans and they didn’t try to over sell what I wanted, quite the opposite they’re on Facebook

 

[iknowmyvalue]

I’m on the waiting list for an Equi Sport which are within your budget (they’re increasing prices shortly though) I went to their workshop and was impressed with the work that went into the vans and they didn’t try to over sell what I wanted, quite the opportunity they’re on Facebook

I think the wait list is probably going to be too long unfortunately. Really need something that will be ready to go in the next month or two because the car currently has an issue which may be terminal and don’t want to be without transport for months and months

 

[Barlow]

Make sure that whatever you buy, you get the chassis mechanically checked, and look under the bonnet properly. I know someone who bought from one of the parties mentioned and was sold a bit of a dog, they didn’t do their homework so didn’t have much comeback.

 

[Squeak]

Personally with your budget and for a 16hh horse I'd go for a coach built rather than a conversion.

Mileage for vans is different to cars, I always think anything under 150k is ok, under 100k is good. As horseboxes we usually put hardly any mileage on them.

For 3.5t you can look at the MOT history of the van which can save you a few wasted trips, you'll be able to see if it's been well looked after, has any recurring issues and any hint of rust run away.

You can usually pick up horseboxes with half walls more cheaply than those with full walls/ stallion boxes but it is possible to get them altered so if it ticks the boxes in other ways then it could be worth considering.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Make sure that whatever you buy, you get the chassis mechanically checked, and look under the bonnet properly. I know someone who bought from one of the parties mentioned and was sold a bit of a dog, they didn’t do their homework so didn’t have much comeback.

Could you PM me who they bought from please?

I’m planning to have an independed inspection done anyway, I’m not mechanically minded enough to do it myself (changing a tyre and topping up wiper fluid is about as far as my knowledge goes!)

 

[fatponee]

Foxy Horseboxes have a good variety of nice boxes.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Foxy Horseboxes have a good variety of nice boxes.

They’re lovely, I know a lot of people with them, but all the ones they have in at the moment are out of budget

 

[Julia0803]

I’d definitely suggest getting it inspected first.

I’ve had a courchevel since 2017 and not had any major problems. I knew one other local equestrian who had one from them before me. I spoke to her before getting mine and she’d been happy with hers too.

It’s a v small sample size tho, I am afraid I don’t know anyone else with one for comparison.

 

[MissTyc]

I have a Travel2 custom converted to my specs. I've had it 3 years now, and had two previous horseboxes. Polly was realistic and honest and payload, safety, etc -- I haven't regretted my purchase.