Please talk to me about transport

[flashheartscanoe]

My 2 daughters ride and compete at a local level. So far we've managed without transport by getting lifts and riding to things but we are very limited. I really want to get a trailer but it means changing my car for a 4x4. This seems like a huge deal as I've always run a small car! The horses are a huge expense already but we could do so much more if we had a trailer. Can anyone share their experience? Is running a 4x4 as expensive as it sounds? And is driving a trailer really scary? Any words of wisdom here?

Have a look on the BHS website. There's a link to towing/4x4's on there.

I have an old 3.5 ton lorry which fits my small ex racer in plus tack etc (weight wise- head clearance/space is great). It is super cheap to insure and tax and if I use it 6 times a year then it is cheaper than hiring transport even taking into account any repairs as we go. A 3.5 ton doesn't need plating so goes through on a normal MOT which is much cheaper and easier to book in. It could work out cheaper than running a 4x4 in the long run and after a friend (who is very experienced) had a bad accident with a trailer on the motorway when it jackknifed I am quite anti them. Worth looking into especially if you have smallish ponies and could fit both in under the payload.

I'm sure you're aware, and Not sure how big your daughters horses/ponies are, but you need to consider their weight when you look at 4x4s or small horseboxes
We already had a 4x4, so a trailer made sense. Hubby is fine with it, I'm not so keen, and would love a little box if I could afford one!

I have just bought my first 4x4 although I've been towing with DH's work pickup for years now. For fuel, its actually not much worse than my old KA but everything else seems more expensive. It makes sense for me though as the country 'lanes' I have to go on to get to dpony are a little treacherous at times.

If you do go down the towing route, I'd highly recommend doing a course, I had to as I needed to pass the test but it improved my towing and confidence so much and after having a lift from someone who really should have done one it made me realise how valuable it was, for me and dpony.

I hate towing with a passion. I am not a wuss in other areas of life, but for some reason towing brings me out in hives. I have lots of friends who happily tow, and I can do it, but I cannot, to my shame, reverse the damned thing. And I am never supremely confident that I can hitch it up properly either.

Even when DH has done all the hitching, and he is driving, I still spend my time digging my nails into his arm.

My friend has a lovely little horsebox that drives like a dream, with a camera to see what the horse is doing. If I had the money ........

I had to start towing so the kids could do pony club, so rather like you. It got less and less nerve racking the more I did it. I won't deny it the first few months were tough and the kids found it best to sit in silence whilst i chain smoked my way about, forcing myself to drive at a minimum speed of 20-25mph. Bad times. About 12 years on, Ive given up smoking and don't bat an eyelid about the towing. There is usually someone about who will help you out with reversing in a tight spot etc - we all had to start somewhere. I have a landrover 90 and an ifor Williams 505 trailer. If I could have what I wanted, it would probably be a pick up truck. They usually have a max towing weight of about 2,700kg. My landrover can tow up to 3,500kg. To be honest, my Land Rover is quite old and is small compared to modern small cars, my now grown up daughter has a mini, and it isn't much smaller or narrower than the Land Rover, so don't worry too much about the size difference.