What Horsebox do you rate/drive?

[flump]

Can you reccomend me a horsebox please?

I am looking for a ladies box which will carry 2 horses and that I can drive on a car license!

Must carry full up 17.2hh
side load
ideally some sort of storage/day living
Easy to drive
be able to carry 2 horses if needed (rarely!)
forward facing if poss
Smart but not brand new

budget of 10-15k!!

Oh and cheap enough for a 23 yr old who has driven 5yrs to insure!!

Thanks guys x

 

[Holly Hocks]

Sorry but I think you're asking for the impossible if you can only drive up to 3.5t, as the max payload they have is only 1250kg (the majority are less than this). By the time you've got two horses in, driver, nets, tack, other equipment you won't be able to stay within the weight limit. I would either take your trailer test or your lorry test. If you go to any company which claims to have a payload over 1200kg I would check whether this was weighed with fuel and partition in as well....it's too easy to take the partition out, run the fuel to nothing and then take it to a weighbridge and get a certificate to claim that it has a reasonable payload...

 

[perfect11s]

Can you reccomend me a horsebox please?

I am looking for a ladies box which will carry 2 horses and that I can drive on a car license!

Must carry full up 17.2hh
side load
ideally some sort of storage/day living
Easy to drive
be able to carry 2 horses if needed (rarely!)
forward facing if poss
Smart but not brand new

budget of 10-15k!!

Oh and cheap enough for a 23 yr old who has driven 5yrs to insure!!

Thanks guys x

Forget the two horse bit and you're in with a chance or invest about £1200 in a medical and your HGV test and live happly ever after with a real lorry

 

[flump]

Wouldnt travel 2 full up horses in it at same time, just mean it must be able to fit as I dont want a cramped up one!! And i cant take HGV, I'd kill everyone, honestly i drove a 7.5tonne up the drive at work and hit 3!!!! fences

 

[Holly Hocks]

Wouldnt travel 2 full up horses in it at same time, just mean it must be able to fit as I dont want a cramped up one!! And i cant take HGV, I'd kill everyone, honestly i drove a 7.5tonne up the drive at work and hit 3!!!! fences

In that case, I would go for a Renault Master/Vauxhall Movano - low level for travelling, and horses generally travel well in them - but they are mainly rear facing.

 

[flump]

Have the renault master 'pony box' but after one climbing over i had heart failure (on my own on motorway!) I think the newer renaults are a bit more square tho and prob nicer to travel in!

 

[Tr0uble]

I test drove a new build Renault movano this morning, and loved it. Drove very nicely! Horse area looked nice and inviting, and safe.

 

[Holly Hocks]

That's something I dread, but my horses were 16hh + and were both ok in mine - they wouldn't have been able to get their heads high enough to rear and get over the breastbar. But I've got a pony now and she could get over if she wanted to. Fortunately she's never shown any inclination to....I always, always cross tie in them.

 

[flump]

I was driving on a34 and heard a massive kick and horsebox felt like it was doing a wheelie!! Luckily right next to services so pulled in to find pony hanging over breast bar!! back legs in air!! untied her head and she fell on me whilst lorry drivers looked on! I scrambled out and 2 fire engines,1 boss, 1 vet, 2 police cars later pony was walking round lorry park no worse for wear and neither did he care what damage he caused!! Fire fighters were fab but had to trash whole front to get her out!! Will never ever drive one in there again!! (bar minis!!)

 

[Tr0uble]

Tne ones I viewed today had a choice of the half height rear wall/breast bar, or a full height wall.

 

[perfect11s]

The problem is there are alot of dubious builders who know little about horses, personaly I think
these little rear facing boxes with low wall between the horse area and the grooms area then a tiny narrow door at the back ARE a death trap for horses !!! I would only consider
if it was a full hight bulkhead or a bigger door at the back so if the horse got over the bar aleast you would have some chance of getting them out but if I was building one the horse area would be all the way to the back with a sealed tack locker under the head area and the horses head to the back wall ...

 

[Holly Hocks]

As above - I think if I was getting another one, I would get one with a full height, or collapsible breast bar. Mine does have quite a big breast partition - pony can only just get it's head over! And I have double doors at the back too. I've never had problems, but will only allow horses/ponies in there that I know won't attempt it. I wouldn't ever travel something unknown which wasn't my own...

 

[1Lucie]

i hired a Theault to pick up my boy. My husband has never driven a horsebox and absoltuly loved it!!! V economical too!

 

[DressageCob]

Boss Horseboxes are lovely, but you're looking at £10k over your budget. Same with Alexanders.

The problem with skimping on 3.5t boxes is you don't get the safety specs you really need. E.g. Collapsable breastbars or similar so the horses can't get prone.

TBH I think the Boss one is the best bet- they fit horses up to 17.2 and can be upgraded to 3.9t (although you'd have to take a test for the extra payload).