Towing Advice

[pinkcauliflowercat]

I'm looking for advice on buying a single horse trailer / car for my 14.1hh Welsh pony. Ideally, I don't want to drive a huge 4x4 SUV, as I'm only 4ft10 and have been driving a Fiat for the last 8 years, so I feel overwhelmed by larger vehicles. I'm considering whether it's possible to tow an Ifor Williams 403 (which weighs 767kg) with a smaller car, like the Mini Countryman 2.0 4WD, which is rated to tow up to 1500kg. My pony is estimated to weigh around 350kg, bringing the total weight to approximately 1117kg. Does this seem manageable, or would a smaller car struggle with towing this combination? Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[fairyclare]

It’s not the towing, it’s the stopping.
Have a look at the cross over SUV’s, a Ford Kuga AWD, or a Audi Q3 Quattro, VW Tiguan etc.

 

[blitznbobs]

Don’t tow with a small car you are at risk of the “tail wagging the dog” which can be deadly… minis and the such like are not designed with towing in mind and to put an animal in such a position is not wise

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

How often do you intend travelling? I would always go for the maximum possible when towing. I've had discos for years. Parkers will give you the necessary information for towing weights. Even with a single trailer you want a decent vehicle to pull, as someone has mentionned you have a live animal to consider. Safety of that precious cargo is paramount.

I have now downgraded slightly and have a Honda CRV which is a 4x4 and I may tow one pony occassionally. (I only went out 3 times last season)

 

[ihatework]

With a small set up like that I’d be inclined to look at something like the Audi Allroad, the 4 series has 1.8-2T. Or VW Passat has something similar. Or Skoda Octavia Scout.

 

[[151802]]

I know a lady who tows one regular sized horse with an Audi Q3, without issues.

They’re really not big cars and you can probably pick up a well maintained example for not a lot more than a Countryman.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Maybe get hold of a good caravan magazine and familiarise yourself with towing weights, nose weights and braking capacities. You need a vehicle heavy enough to cope with a horse or pony moving around, and not come to grief on sharp corners.

 

[maya2008]

I have a Freelander and a light French make of trailer. I’m 5ft4 and love my little 4x4. It does the job beautifully pulling two ponies. Trailer weighs 750kg, car tows 2T, a 14.1hh would weigh approx 400-450kg. So tow weight 1200kg.

 

[Allison]

I have a Freelander and a light French make of trailer. I’m 5ft4 and love my little 4x4. It does the job beautifully pulling two ponies. Trailer weighs 750kg, car tows 2T, a 14.1hh would weigh approx 400-450kg. So tow weight 1200kg.

Do you find your freelander thirsty on fuel ?

 

[Windy day]

I tow with vw tiguan can tow 2.4 tonnes, I have a single trailer and a 16'2 warm blood. I go out by myself it's a really easy set up to tow, if the car fits the trailer will as it's no wider than the car
Car tows easily

 

[Gloi]

I've pulled my 401 and pony with a volvo v60, v70 and now a 2l ciroen c6 without problems.

 

[kerrieberry2]

I work for BMW and was looking at the new Countrymans which have a 2000kg capacity but I just don't think it would be safe to a horse trailer with a small car like that. i currently tow with an X3 and have also towed with a 5 series touring (the big estate car) you could also look at the 3 series touring, as they're not as big and can tow up to 1800kg.

 

[Time for Tea]

I think you need your towcar to have a decent kerbweight to counterbalance the weight of trailer and horse. Otherwise as someone said above, you might have a tail wagging the dog situation. I’ve done years of towing, with old Volvos, Toyotas, Discos, and a Daihatsu 4trak. They were all quite solid cars and I never had any trouble with them.

 

[jhoward]

If your worried by a bigger car how do you think your feeling towing extra length behind you that moves around?

It is also worth noting that your weight limits also include yourself, fuel tack etc so the chances are you'd actually be over weight with such a set up.

I strongly advise a towing lesson and a good chat with an instructor about weights etc

 

[Widgeon]

I've pulled my 401 and pony with a volvo v60, v70 and now a 2l ciroen c6 without problems.

Same here, I tow a 401 with estate cars too (very happily). So I'm another one who'd say you don't need a mega-car for towing. But I wouldn't fancy towing with a Mini, even one of the big new ones. Our cars are both tow capacity 1800kg and I wouldn't like to go much lower than that.

(Having said that - re the kerb weight comment above - I've just looked up the kerb weight of the new Countrymans and they're a minimum of 1, 460kg! Crikey! That is one fat Mini. Not, in fact, Mini in any sense. Sorry, I digress slightly)

 

[Widgeon]

If your worried by a bigger car how do you think your feeling towing extra length behind you that moves around?
It is also worth noting that your weight limits also include yourself, fuel tack etc so the chances are you'd actually be over weight with such a set up.
I strongly advise a towing lesson and a good chat with an instructor about weights etc

Couldn't agree more with this, I know lessons aren't cheap but they're so worth it. You can practice all the slightly hairy things - towing up steep hills, maneuvering, pulling away at roundabouts etc - with someone there to give you the skills and confidence to get it right.

 

[Compasses]

Definitely get some lessons and you definitely want something with more oomph than a mini. However just to say height doesn’t matter, you can be small and drive a big car!