What transport do your little darlings have?....

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redmerl

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Do you have box or trailer?

Especially people who have a 3.5T.

Do you like your box/trailer? What make/model do you have? What size/weight horses do you travel? Im looking for any pros/cons really?
Thanks
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Have a theault 3.5 ton but just about to uprate it to 3.9 ton. Travel my warmblood hoping with the uprate will be able to occaisionally travel two. Not sure of his weight but a good doer!!
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Never had a trailer and always travelled in HGV ginormous boxes before. Sometimes feels a little tight but I am fairly uncorodinated/organisationally challenged!!
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Horse area very well built no fancy living or anything like that but very nice to drive so far and very economical. Has a very powerful engine. Ramp is a dream easily lifted one handed!!
 
IW 510 but will upgrade to a lorry when funds allow.

However I personally would want a min 7.5T to avoid the whole hassle with weight issues and would also want a decent bit of living. I would rather cough up the £1k to do my HGV and then have more choice when it comes to boxes as I don't believe the running costs are all that different.
 
I have a trailer - Ifor 505 - does the job, easy to manouvre, use it for my 14.2 ponio and 15.3 horse. No regular costs other than maintenance - wouldn't mind the room of a lorry tho for when it is pouring lol!
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I have just sent a Renault Master off to a friend (who is a steel fabricator) and he is going to convert it for me! I have puchased all the items needed i.e. windows, roof vent, rubber matting - I'm expecing it to come in at about £5000 less than what I would expect to puchase one from a company for!! I puchased a 53 reg to convert - a facelift model. They are so much more economical than anything else to either tow or drive!

I'm only planning on ever carrying my one horse so don't need anything more than a 3.5t.
 
We have an 18 ton Scania - takes 5 horses and is 10.5 ton unladen.

I learnt the hard way, I had a lovely 7.5 ton Merc, all mod cons and I loved it, it was stalled for 4 but I only usually had 2 or 3 in. Took it down the weigh bridge after having it fot 4 years in blissfull ignorance, turns out it was 7.4 ton without me in it let alone any horses. I enen took the spaniel out!

Whatever you buy, take it to a weigh bridge before you part with any money!.
 
I have 3.5t renault master. It's a really fab little wagon with a day living but I did live in it for a week at scope. I carry a 16.1hh about.

Tbh unknown to a lot of people, the 7.5t are just as likely possibly more likely to be overweight than the 3.5's as they usually have more living and more weight generally as longer etc, esp if coachbuilt. If you wish to carry 2 or more I reccommend weighing the wagon 'empty' (full fuel) also taking water to shows - remember there's a lot of weight in the 15/20l tubs. Just bear in mind.

Another thing to bear in mind is the internal height, i know there are some specific rules about the gap between the withers and roof but don't know what it is - not a prob in my wagon it's 8ft4 internal!
 
I can't afford any 3.5t boxes that would accommodate Maggie who is a lady of larger stature (17.2hh) - nor can I afford to take a HGV test, so a trailer it is. Before buying one I had to do huge amounts of research to find the lightest, largest (and not stupidly expensive) trailer possible, and now have a Cheval Liberte XL2003, which is absolutely fab, and the biggest you can get (although I think the new IW ones are slightly wider, but no less high, and considerably heavier to tow). Maggie travels very happily in it despite her being so big, and anyone else who has towed the trailer comment on how light yet sturdy it is. Highly recommended.
 
i have an '07 3.5t master conversion by GC Smiths, looks just like an equitrek but cheaper! Great to go up hills etc. Only ever travel my one 16.1hh (previous bad loader who now runs in) in it but she has masses of room length and height wise. No living but you could sleep on the luton if you wanted.

Not sure if i have enough payload for another one, def a pony i think but not taken it to a weigh bridge yet.

Only criticism is the haynet hangs into the tack/changing area and everything gets covered in hay along the way!!
 
I borrow a theault 3/5t and I love it ! My 16.3/17hh tb and his best bud a 15.2hh cob travel quite happily in their together and we aren't over weight. It is used for racehorses and like somebody else has said the horse area is very well built and padded and the human part is basic but for going out for the day it is perfect. For longer journeys/overnight I can also borrow a rather old ford cargo . It is stalled for three but has been converted to take a carriage so the third stall is unusuable because of the winch for the carrigae. Still gives a good ride though and has basic living so always good for a cup of tea and a bacon sarnie.
 
OH and I had a trailer (505) for 6 years. Used it most weekends. WE converted to a 7.5t horsebox 3 years ago and would not go back to a trailer. At the same time I swapped my thirsty 4x4 for a diesel saloon. Net result is the total running costs are about the same. Having the lorry gives us a much greater peace of mind when traveling on motorways to comps. All just feels more secure.
Added benefit is I can use the living steps as a mounting block
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Ozzie8Nov0901.jpg

PS please excuse my boys belly and lack of muscle. Only had him a week so very much work in progress.
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we used to have a 7.5t horsebox and sold it to buy our 510 trailer.

love the trailer, nothing to maintain, everything loads into it, easy to reverse etc.

i thought about a 3.5t box but i am too worried about the payload and also have a 17.1hh 3yro and when i looked at the dimensions i couldn't find any he would fit in!
 
We had a trailer for years but whe n we bought a 2nd horse we decided to change to a lorry with living as we now stay away at shows occasionally. A lorry can be expensive to maintain but providing you keep on top of it it isn't so bad. Leaving everything until plate time is bound to hit you in the pocket. We'd not go back to a trailer now, everything's easier with a lorry.
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I have a Rice Trailer. I have been looking at lorries but I don't have enough money to get a half decent one. I have driven miles to see absolute rubbish. I have come to the conclusion I will have to get a newer trailer which is not really what I wanted. I only travel one horse but I would love a small bit of day living.
 
I have a 3.5 ton ford transit conversion with day living and I love it! Reversing trailers was not my strong point and I had several hitching accidents that resulted in dents, damaged tail gate on pick up and smashed lights (I am clearly a liabilty where trailers are concerned!).

I love having a little wagon and my horse is much happier to travel in it. It is easy to drive and cruises along nicely on the motorway. On cold or wet days being able to get changed inside and make yourself a cuppa is priceless!
 
505 classic - mare travelled with no partitions - only way she'll travel....
i need a 4x4 for the shoot so have a trailer - if i was rich enough and could afford it i'd get a small lorry... not really sure why lol! prob just so i had more room etc
 
I have an old Richardson trailer which has been fantastic over the past 10 years and still going strong. Costs naff all to maintain , think it's total cost is about £800 over those 10 years which includes a new floor and the body work tidied up last year.
I would love a 5T or one of those shorter 7.5T lorries. Would just be nice to have room for 2 small horses and overnight living.
Money means it will never happen, luckily I usually manage to blag a spot in YO's or other liveries lorry.
 
We have an Equitrek and our 4x4 uses LPG so it's very much cheaper than a lorry currently. However, I think (despite OH's protestations) that when we move house, I'd really like to get a 7.5T lorry. Would be nice to have a bit more living and also to be able to take 3 horses occasionally, eg. out hunting or whatever. The only problem is that it will work out more expensive so will have to think it through.
 
7.5T Iveco, think unladen it is somewhere around 5.2T? It has a nice living with a toilet, but nothing overly swanky (or heavy!). The horse bit has just been revamped so have lovely big white partitions with padding now, and nice 5ft wings on the back. Also had a tack locker put in underneath the living bit which makes live a whole lot easier.
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I would never be able to have a trailer, but would have a 3.5T if I only had one horse to travel (or one horse and a small pony)
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I have a single trailer (Ifor Williams HB401) and my mare seems to really like it. She'd been a complete nightmare to load when borrowing my friend's Bateson but stomped onto "Trev" happily the first time we tried her in it! (having geared ourselves up for a marathon session!
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She has the same height and length room as a 505 and the width is effectively 3/4 of a 505, so a "partition and a half" which gives her room to stand diagonal and just enough room to put tack on if it's miserable out, but it can be a bit of a squeeze to do boots and I wouldn't do that on a horse I didn't trust!
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If I had more money I'd love a little lorry- 5t or 6t would be just great for getting two horses on but without it being huge.
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I have a 1996 7.5T Iveco, 4 horse, but only carry 3 at the most, all are lightweight TB types. Well maintained, love it, couldn't got to a trailer or smaller lorry as one of mine doen't like confined spaces, she travels happy in this lorry........
 
I have a 5.5 ton Dodge, see siggie.
It's slow, loud and doesn't have power steering (although that is going to be rectified soon
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But, it's reliable and roomy, and I can find it easily in the lorry park
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We brought Vaya an old (1990!) VW35 3.5 ton 2 horse lorry with side ramp and forward facing. She would get lonely in a trailer on her own and decided she didnt want to load so we got this lorry because it was small enough for me to drive on my car licence and had the cut through cab so I could talk to her and jump in the back if necc.
Its very basic and probably wont last that much longer but its a lovely light, sturdy lorry to drive, very spacious for the horses (easily fit two 17hh horses in it) and the lack of living or frills means it stays light. Id love to get a newer version of it because its so horse friendly.

We had 2 16hh horses in it and all the gear for a 3 day away show when we got pulled over by the transport police on the M4. They weighed us and we were fine!
 
we have a 7.5 tonne horsebox, Iveco Cargo, reg R. bought it from Andrew Sayweel at Select horseboxes. It is a fab little chunky blue lorry, amazing at going up and down hills, just trucks along and usually overtakes big lorries when we go up hills, has no problem with that
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can carry 3 horses without an HGV license. no living, as we dont really need any...but it has a tack area with a small seat, clothes pegs, saddle racks, space for water/haynets etc. ovely little lorry
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we travel my horses, usually only 2 at a time, but the odd occasion all 3 may go out.

we wouldnt get a trailer as my mum really doesnt like driving them...doesnt think they are 'sturdy' enough lol, she prefers a big truck
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I currently have a 7.5t Iveco and carry everything from my 14hh Highland to my 16.2hh trakehner in it, and absolutely love it, previously to this we had a 3.5t Marlborough and only got rid of it because my young warmblood refused to stop growing, would definitely have another one though, they are amazingly cheap to run and keep, and drive like a car. I used to love driving the Renault around!!
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My pickle is that trailers are cheap and can aford a nice shiny new once with plenty of light airy space-down side is I will need a monster 4x4 to pull two and are Im worried about a trailer being sturdy.

Little 3.5t box are nice to drive, sturdy and no extra test (not really a massive issue) but are alot to buy a good one, internal hight/ payload issue for 2 and cost of another vehicle to run.

How do you ever make a choice??!!
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