Transport dilemma

[Pleasedontdothat]

Just wondering what’s going to be the best solution for getting dd and her horse out and about...

At the moment the yard owner where her horse is kept is taking him in his trailer - his charges are a bit lower than hiring a self-drive horse box or box and driver and he’s on the spot so relatively hassle-free. However from about April onwards he gets quite busy so we’ll need to book him well in advance and it is still quite expensive so the number of trips needs to be limited.

I’m wondering if it would be better to get a single horse trailer - I’m ancient so don’t need to pass the test (but would obviously get some training), however we’d also have to get a tow bar fitted to our car (it’s not a 4x4 but it’s a strong estate which is often recommended for towing caravans). I’d love a lorry but there’s no way I’d get dh to agree....

I’m trying to work out what’s going to be most cost-effective and practical solution - what do you all do about getting out?

I'd get your own if you can afford it! So much nicer not to rely on other people. I guess only you know how often you will use it to work out if it's more cost effective. I haven't had a towbar fitted for a while but I think it was around £200 about 10yrs ago. You could probably get a decent single trailer for £1500 and it will hold value if you decide to sell it. Honestly I wouldn't bother to pay for training, just get a bit of practice with it empty, it's not hard (except reversing which is a bit strange to start with)

You need to add the weight of the trailer + horse + anything you have in the trailer and see if your car can tow that. It’s recommended that you tow at 80% capacity I believe (so if your car can tow 1t then your trailer / pony / extras should come to 800kg or lower)
You can get a single trailer that weighs about 650/700kg ish I believe. My double (Bateson) only weighs about 860kg so worth looking at doubles too as there are more of them!
It’s great having your own transport!

Thanks, I’ve checked the maximum towing weight of the car and the trailer plus horse would be well within the weight limit. I’m looking at single trailers as I like the idea of it being narrower than the car so I would feel more confident going through narrower spaces. However there don’t seem to be many secondhand ones around and they go for a lot of money compared to double trailers. It looks like they hold their value well which could be a useful persuading factor with dh!

We have a very small horse box. 2.4 t and I love it. Even our bad loader loves it. If you can afford it they tend to last forever. There's a Facebook page for second hand lorries and trailers too.

See if you can get a single Cheval Liberte - they are about the lightest trailers you can get. Someone who used to loan one of mine had one and towed it with the family saloon - absolutely fine weight wise, the only issue being getting out of a muddy field with it!

If you can source a decent trailer it is always preferable to have your own transport if you intend to get out and about.

Don’t worry about towing so much. Trailers are no wider than an estate car, you just think they are when towing, but anything the car can clear, the trailer can as well, so don’t discount a double.
When you first drive it, just ensure you park so you don’t have to reverse til you get the hang of it. Then when you are comfortable with it generally, practice reversing it empty in a field or similar. If you don’t need to pass the test and have a car that can tow, that’s your best option.
My DD onthe other hand tried and failed to pass trailer test several times, so got a dirt cheap 3.5 lorry. We had to replace the floor within 6months. Amazingly, it just passed its MOT, but it is not pretty! V powerful & no worries about getting it out of a muddy field (double axle)

Thanks .. the double trailer he’s been travelling in so far seems enormous . I thought that a single trailer would be good as he’d be loaded in the middle so nicely distributed weight, he’d have a bit more room, it would definitely be narrower than the car and I’d never feel guilt-tripped about giving other people lifts .... I’m not the most confident of drivers, although perfectly competent, and while i feel happy about driving our own horse as he’s beautifully chilled about loading and travelling, the thought of transporting two gives me the shivers!!

If the car weights allow just get a double.