Horseboxes come in several sizes – singles, doubles and triples and can also be sized for a certain weight or height of horse. Obviously you’d want one to suit your own particular horse and the amount of travelling you expect to do, but you might be surprised how often you get asked “for a ride” to a meet or show so a little extra space might be appreciated by your new-found friends…
Single horseboxes: They’re a little cheaper, narrower and lighter, but restrict your options a lot as to what you can carry. Also worth noting is that some horses may not like to load into a narrow space.
Buying New?
Not all horseboxes are equal, the quality varies hugely as does the price of new boxes. One good way to narrow down your field of choice is to ask your horsey friends as to whether they’re happy with their make of horsebox though it seems the basic rules of purchasing comes into play here; “You get what you pay for” as well as “Buyer Beware”.
Arthur Daileys are not restricted to the second-hand car business. Check for a decent warrantee.
Buying Used?
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Ramp. Ensure it’s easy for you to lift and that the springs are in good condition as are their fixings. Also, check the floor of the ramp. This is usually one or more layers of plywood covered by a non-slip surface (such as rubber or coconut matting) with horizontal battens to give good purchase for the hooves. Check the battens are fixed solidly
and not rotten, and if possible try to check the subfloor as rot here can be damaging.
Ensure that the ramp fits snugly along the sides and top when closed, and that it lies square when down.
Also jump about on it – this may highlight any rattles or loose fittings and the sound may give you an idea about the condition of the subfloor if you can’t see it, don’t be worried about breaking it – if it can’t stand the weight of a person jumping up and down then you really didn’t want to buy it in the first place. Repeat this with the front ramp if fitted. Also ensure the top doors fit securely and don’t rattle, and that they can be secured open to stop the wind blowing them shut when you’re loading.
Make sure the ramp can be closed securely and if the fixings are the screw type, check the threads haven’t become stripped. -
Floor. Probably the most critical and most forgotten part of a horsebox. I cannot stress enough how important it is that the floor is in good and sound condition – a foot breaking through the flooring at speed is unthinkable and usually ends up with the horse being destroyed.
The floor is usually made of plywood, though planks can be used as well. The best, and most recommended layout is to use two floors, the second often being galvanised weldmesh which both supports the wood floor much better and provides a “hoof catcher” should the first floor fail. Try and lift the rubber to see the condition of the floor, and look underneath the trailer to see if a secondary floor has been installed.
The main failure of wooden floors is insufficient drainage, where urine and water can lay and rot the wood rapidly. Older Ifor Williams horseboxes have a known problem with some of their wooden floors rotting and giving way. -
Grooms door – is it lockable, do you have the key? Some grooms doors can be opened from within – is the design of the latch such that it could be pushed down by a horse and open the door?
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Brakes. All horseboxes must be adequately braked by law. Tricky to test without a mechanic handy, but ideally, reversing the trailer empty on a loose gravel road, without using the reversing lock, should lock the wheels, though in practice this rarely happens and modern autoreverse hitches may prevent brakes coming on in reverse at all. Also check the brake cables or rods for any corrosion or fraying. Newer boxes may have hydraulic brakes so with these check the fluid reservoir, the cap is tight-fitting and not perished and also the inside of the wheels for any leaks.
Hydraulic brakes in good condition are much more effective than rod or cable brakes and are worth seeking out. Retrofitting these will be expensive.
Check the reversing lock; this ensures the brakes don’t come on when you’re reversing. These are usually manual and should be easy to operate, some
require a PhD in illogicality to operate so if you’re unsure, ask the vendor for a demonstration. -
Chassis. Also very important – this should be checked for any corrosion, especially near load points, which on a horsebox also includes the loadbed under the floor. Checking this normally requires crawling underneath, or putting on a ramp for proper inspection.
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Weight. Is the horsebox up to carrying your horse(s)? Most horseboxes have an aluminium plate somewhere (inside or out) that will show how much it can carry. Don’t be tempted to exceed this – the consequences don’t bear thinking about.
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Hitch. Nearly always a 50mm ball hitch which is the standard in the UK. Some may have an eyehole hitch, check your vehicle can connect to it, though adapter plates can be fitted to larger 4X4′s which allow both. This should be checked for corrosion and ease of use. Sometimes the retaining pin can become bent which makes this difficult to fix. Also check that the securing fixings work and that the retaining springs, if fitted, are still there and working. A safety chain or cable should also be fixed in such a way that it activates the brakes should the horsebox become unhitched. This chain should be fixed to your vehicle separately from the main tow-ball.
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Check all hitching points, inside and out for fractures or bad fitting.
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Bodywork. Check it’s all securely fixed and doesn’t rattle when moving – this indicates a weakness or at the least, an annoyance to the horse that may make them bad loaders. Check for obvious leaks and holes, and that the ventilation points are operating and clear. Also check internal padding for tears and fit, and that the breastbar is secure and
if possible, adjustable to suit your horse. Also check the roof – it’s not uncommon for someone to forget the height of the trailer and wedge it under something, ours has a dent from when it got stuck under a low building in Totnes… -
Lights. Cracked lenses, frayed or repaired wires and ensure the connector is in good condition and that the inside of it doesn’t rotate. (These are commonly run-over and bent!) In the UK we have a common standard for trailer lighting which simplifies connection, but try it on your towing vehicle and not just on the vendors, as they may have wired both incorrectly.
Also check the condition of the connector, the contacts do get corroded, though a replacement connector is not expensive nor particularly difficult to fit – this shouldn’t put you off the trailer but may give you bargaining leverage. -
Stands. The two at the rear should be easy to operate and lock down securely. The jockey wheel at the front should likewise be easy to move into position and wind up and down smoothly. Make sure the wheel can move in all directions when a load is applied. A horse trailer is supposed to be steady and unable to move when disconnected from a vehicle so you can load a horse without it tipping or running away.
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Wheels and tyres. Check wheel nuts are tight, correctly fitted (The cone side should face inwards) and of the correct size, and check all the wheels and tyres are the same size, including the spare, and that they’re not cracked or damaged. Check tyres for inflation, cracking and bulging as well as excessive or uneven wear.
The test drive.
If the vendor refuses to allow you to test-drive the trailer, walk away.
First, ensure you’re legally allowed to tow and that your vehicle is rated for this trailer. The trailer should be covered by your own insurance (but check the policy anyway – there may be maximum value restrictions). An empty trailer won’t handle the same as a laden trailer, but should give you an idea of its condition.
Connect the trailer to your vehicle yourself. Do not allow the vendor to do it for you! By doing it yourself you will find out how easy it is, be able to inspect the hitchpoint and surrounding area for wear. You’ll also find out whether everything fits your vehicle – the electrics cable can be too short to reach some sockets! Ask the vendor to double-check if you’re
not totally familiar once complete.
Check the lights. Preferably with a friend in the vehicle rather than the vendor – and don’t rely on the vendor telling you they’re working correctly. (Sorry to be so negative to vendors, but I’ve had bad experiences…) Keep an eye on the vehicle lights too – if they’re pulsing incorrectly, it could be a sign of a bad earth in the trailer wiring.
Off we go!
Listen for any unusual noises, rumblings, gratings etc. Rattles and so forth too. Make sure your vehicle is happy with the weight and that you’re happy with the width and length.
Around 10 miles is probably adequate – try to mix A and B roads, maybe a bit of motorway if convenient.
Immediately upon ending the test drive, hop out and put your hand over the trailers hubs – all of them. If they’re hot, you have a problem – the bearings are failing. Bearings will run warm on all vehicles over a long journey and if laden, but on an empty trailer on a short run they shouldn’t get anywhere near hot. Replacements can be expensive, though on some they share common bearing races which are easily and cheaply sourced. (Land-rover parts are a favourite).
Haggle. List all the problems you’ve found and roughly guess how much it’ll cost to put right, or ring a mechanic and get a quote. Reduce the amount by that, unless it was previously made clear that there ‘was some work to do’. Despite trailers not requiring MOTs, they DO need to be roadworthy by law.
Simon Avery (2003, updated 2011)