Horse boxes

[Buttons232]

I'm looking at buying a horse box ( and changing my car ! ) Totally clueless so any advice at all would be massively appreciated. My horse is a 16.1 TB. She loads, unloads and travels well. Realistically would only need a single because it’s just her and I’m not planning on a second 😂 We’ve got a hybrid at the moment which doesn’t stand a chance of towing her but planning to part ex it for a hybrid which can. As a result I’m going for lighter weight over space / 2 horse capacity. It will be for local travel mainly although maybe up to 2/3 hrs journeys on occasions.

As I said I’m totally clueless. Is it better to buy new / second hand? Are there any makes you would/ wouldn’t go for etc?

Presume you mean a trailer rather than a box. Avoid equitrek like the plague.
Ifor aren’t pretty but are good, solid and hold
their value.
Personally I like the oldschool
workhorses to tow- Izuzu troopers etc, but probably not a great option if it needs to be your every day runaround

Thanks. I thought about getting an older, third car just for towing but I don’t think that’s going to work. We need two, reliable cars so I think we’re going to have to try and kill two birds with one stone and change one to be up to the job of towing. I’ve seen a few ifor williams single trailers that would definitely do the job.

If you’re looking for a single trailer the most common ones are Ifor Williams 403 (there’s a newer model but there won’t be many around secondhand) or Cheval Liberté mare and foal. They’re both around 700-ish kg so with the weight of the horse on top and some wriggle room you should be looking at something that can tow around 2 tonnes - you really don’t want to be towing with something underpowered. Both times I’ve bought a trailer I’ve gone for a secondhand one - they hold their value really well so if you decide to sell it in a few years then you’ll probably get close to what you paid for it. If you’re anywhere near Banbury let me know as I know a very good dealer in secondhand trailers there.

Definitely avoid Equitrek, so flimsy! Ifors are probably the best.
The only thing I would say is that if yours is an ex-racer they aren't usually used to travelling in a trailer and mine hates it. He loves a 3.5 tonne rear facing or a 7.5 herringbone but hates front facing trailers. For a horse who will load himself on the 3.5 + 7.5 he sometimes refuses to load into a trailer. So just something to bear in mind ie is there any chance you could hire a trailer and see how he loads?

I love my Ifor, buy second hand from a reputable dealer, get 12 month warranty and they hold their value well. Insurance is about £5 per month. I travel mine in without the partition and full bars, he loves his wheels!! 😁. My advice is think about the length as well as headroom. My chap is 15.1hh chunky monkey. He's fine on headroom in a 505 but only just fits length wise. So I would measure your horse and then measure the trailers. Otherwise you'll find him sitting on the tail bar, rubbing half his tail off and not very keen to get back in.
I'd also consider carefully whether your hybrid car has the weight and grunt power you need even with just one horse. I tow with a Mitsubishi L200 which I also love dearly and can tow an elephant!!!. I live in quite a hilly area and when Fat Cob is in the back I still really feel it going up/down hill. With daughters delicate fairy pony in back I hardly even register. Your horse makes up more of the weight than the difference between 2 horse or single trailer.