There so much choice in horse trucks these days. Horses can travel facing forwards, backwards, sideways, or herringbone style. Ramps can be on the rear, the side, or both. Different sizes suit different needs; professionals on the move for much of the season need a decent living and sleeping area.
In safety terms, the gross vehicle weight cannot be exceeded, so you must know what your payload is. This is the weight you can put inside your horse box and includes equipment, facilities, and your horse. To find this out, take it to a weighbridge without your horse in. If your 7.5-ton truck weighs 5-ton, you have 2.5-ton payload to play with.
We asked Robyn Vey, marketing manager at Stephex Horsetrucks in Belgium some questions about transport.
Q: What are the benefits of a horsebox over a trailer?
A: Obviously, you need a car to pull a trailer. If you tow two horses that’s a lot of weight, so you need a car powerful enough to tow that also fits in with your daily life. Insurance is quite affordable for a small horse box compared to a larger sized truck and anyone can drive a 3.5t, you don’t need a trailer licence.
Q: What are the differences between a coach-built horse box and a conversion from a commercial van style vehicle.
A: Here at Stephex we never carry out conversions, we coach build which means we buy a chassis from a manufacturer and build from the ground up, whatever the size. We focus on the safety and comfort of the horse as a priority. With a conversion you can’t guarantee it offers the right insulation or ventilation for those really cold or really hot days.
Q: From a weight point of view is possible to have two horses in a 3.5t horse truck?
A: It depends on the size of the horses, if you put in two big horses plus tack then you could be overweight. You can add a small trailer to the back of the box which you wouldn’t need a licence to tow, but would take some excess weight out the van. Stephex is a very forward-thinking company, we are always developing new materials to make a lighter model, this will help people who like to pack as much as possible!
Q: For someone buying a horse truck, what advice can you give them?
A: No matter what, people should look at the company selling. Stephex has a 25-year history of safety; the company should be established and reputable. They should look at a company who knows about horses and cares about them, that’s the point. Check the materials used, you do not want plywood on a floor in the horse area. Check the partitions, the padding, the ventilation. Check the service history and the engine. Try the ramp yourself and test the cameras, make sure it all works. Go inside where the horse will stand and make sure you can move the partitions easily, make sure there is no obvious damage, you can always get a mechanic to come and look to be certain.