Tow it - yes .......stop it NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! The only thing they are anygood at towing are garden trailers and trailer tents, the engine gearbox and suspension are NOT man enough for the job, you would be breaking the law and if involved in an accident you will find your insurance null and void. These are little playtoy cars, good fun to drive but rubbish as a workhorse!!
For goodness sake!!!! In an emergency once, a friend of mine used her Mercedes estate to pull my trailer and 17.2hh to the vets. It was the most scariest drive ever.
My Isuzu trooper is one of the best towing vehicles and would never consider towing a trailer with horses in with any thing less than a big 4 x 4. It's just too dangerous.
According to a (may have been more than one) Toyota dealer, my friend can tow her 500kg horse in her lightweight one horse trailer. It manages, just, but I am convinced it's not legal. Of course she won't hear of it "because the dealer said he checked it out and it is ok" (he did check the weights as well).
I have exactly the same car as her and I wouldn't entrust my horse's life with it.
Oh, and it's a 3-door version.
i saw someone towing a bloody Ifor 505 with a massive horse on board with a Rav4 the other day - i just cannot believe the stupidity of some people. why risk your horse?
You need to take some professional horse trailer advice here, have a look at somewhere like www.horseboxworld.com and have a look at their FAQ's on trailers and transport law! There is loads to consider.
I tow with my RAV4. I have a M reg RAV 2L - towing capacity 1500KG. I only have a B licence, so had to keep weights at the back of my mind whilst looking for a vehicle. It pulls my lightweight trailer wonderfully - up and down dale, rarely goes over 2.5 revs, and the temperature doesn't move at all. My car is checked regularly by my MOT testing/mechanic father, and shows no wear and tear from the towing that you may possibly expect.
Now, I understand - dangerous and could pull 2 horses with this plucky little 4x4, however so long as you are careful it is more than capable.
My trailer is a Sinclaire Princess, weighing 650KG and have a 15hh Welsh cob weighing 450/500kg. My trailer has been down rated to 1200kg also meaning that I have a spare 50/100KG for hay net, tack ect.
My set up works perfectly well for me at the moment, until I am able to do my towing test and can then look at another car, and also up-rate my trailer again. I travel usually no more then about 1 hour trips and the car does very very well.
The RAV are much tougher than people think they are. I have towed, on private land with a bigger car, and an IFOR and didn't enjoy it at all. Sinclair trailers are lovely trailers anyway so maybe that helps me out... but I feel confident in my car, my trailer and my towing, and also my pony travels very well so I expect that helps also.
Again, I would like a newer engine should I tow more often - but for what I do, it's perfect.