Boxing clever

Choosing the right size of horsebox comes down to one key factor - how much you want it to carry. Bethany Stone weighs up the options

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BEING in a position to invest in your own equestrian transport is a boon. No more relying on lifts or tackling the gruelling admin of arranging, collecting and returning a hire vehicle – with a box of your own at your fingertips, you can take your horse out wherever you like, whenever you like.

However, with the gift of convenience comes the burden of the responsibility. Ensuring you choose the right size of horsebox for your needs is a major factor in this decision. A horsebox is a significant investment and one that comes with ongoing costs, so it’s vital that you consider all aspects of your choice.

SIZE MATTERS

IN generic terms, horseboxes can be categorised by maximum legal weight when loaded and on the road. The most widely available options are:

3.5t – stalled for up to two horses

7.5t – stalled for up to three horses

heavy goods vehicle (HGV, also known as a large goods vehicle, LGV), a term given to vehicles of a weight greater than 7.5t but not exceeding 32t – stalled for three to 12-plus horses

It seems simple enough that the number of stalls on a box equals the number of horses that can be safely and legally transported. But this isn’t necessarily the case, and there are numerous factors at play to determine the size that’s right for you.

A WEIGHTY ISSUE

ON the face of it, 3.5t sounds like a lot of weight to play with. If your horse weighs around 500kg, surely you could load him and have hundreds of kilos to spare? Possibly not.

To get a handle on this, it’s worth defining a couple of weight-related terms: