Will my car tow a horse box?

[nicenewone1]

I need the type of car I drive for work. It's a Ford Mondeo estate, automatic, front wheel drive.

I expect most of you tow with 4 wheel drives? Changing vehicles is out of the question.

Does anyone here tow with a front wheel drive automatic?

All vehicles can tow something; check the technical specification for your year, make & model of car.
Not all 4x4s can tow a horse trailer.

I towed a very light single horse trailer with a manual Passat Estate for a while. Largest pony I took was 14hh. I did a lot of miles but mainly on motorways rather than steep winding lanes. I suspect the car might have lasted longer if I hadn't used it to tow but.....I wouldn't have been happy towing a heavy Ifor Williams trailer with horses in it though!

Very useful thread here. Gives lots of useful info on the relationship between a car towing capacity and trailer weight, how you can get round the trailer max weight issue, what is safe, and which trailers are the lightest. Your mondeo has a max towing weight of 2000kg so you would need a trailer that has a max plated weight of 2000kg or less, and apparently you can pay a fee to get that done. There are trailers out there that only weigh 7-800kg empty, so you'd be towing no more than 1350kg if you put a 550kg horse in it, which is within the mondeo's 85% of kerb weight limit. (This is a limit of what is sensible rather than what is possible, iyswim.) assuming your horse is not a chunk 550kg should cover up to a 15.2 cob or 16.2 thoroughbred sort.

I have vested interest in trying to educate people that their car will tow a trailer. I'm getting slightly bored of having to make a detour to pick someone up every single time I seem to go out anywhere - the excuse always seems to be "but my car couldn't possibly tow a trailer!"

Just look at what people use to tow caravans.....

Thanks all for your replies, and box thanks for the link. Really really helpful, particularly the weights you've given

Cheval Liberté do a single horse trailer that weighs 500kgs. Obviously it will be less stable than a double one and a bit smaller inside, but may be an option if you have a pony or small, light weight horse.

I tow an Ifor Williams 510 with an 11.2 pony in it with a Citroen Grand Picasso. Wouldn't want to put anything more in it but we are managing and never been stuck on a show field though we are careful how/where we park so it is do-able

Your car will have a plate, normally just inside the door which will give you the specific max weights for that model/year of car.

Then add up weight of trailer and horse.

I tow a caravan with a Ford Focus. SIL tows a horsebox with two horses in it with a Skoda car ofmsome description.

I have a mare and foal ifor williams, weighs just about 750kg. My car ( 4x4 kia sportage ) can tow 2000 kg. Mare weighs 630 kg, loads of wiggle room for tack, water, me and still under the 80% guidelines.
I have previously towed with non 4x4s, only snag is you might have to wait for a tow out if it is muddy like the wagons.