Looking for some advise re: the pros and cons of both.

We have a 16.3 horse who as far as we know and have experienced loads fine into a box (Luton 3 horse type) however when we bought him we were told he would not do trailer. We are now looking to purchase some form of transport for him and have the following to consider:-

We have between £10,000 - £15,000 to spend and have 2 options

1. Buy a defender as we have nothing suitable to tow which would also come in handy for the other half as he is taking up shooting again and his current car could not house a shotgun in the boot which is a legal requirement (defender is not included in what we spend on horse transport). Some people have said of course he will go in a trailer it's just a matter of getting him used to it. So we have looked around and will consider the Equitech which combines not only a trailer but also a small living area. There is also a German make beginning with B (advertised in this months British Dressage magazine and H&H that looks idential size wise. Both are like the Big American style Trailer.

2. Opt for a 2 Horse lorry preferably herringbone for the horses with a small living area. Obviously that requires plating, etc on top of the insurance, running costs etc. However would the running costs be lower than that of a defender and trailer.

The maximum we would travel time wise is at the mo approx 1 hour and it would be used for pleasure rides to the Wyre forest etc and also competitions all unaffiliated.

So what would we be wiser spending our money on?

ooh Lisa....one of my pet subjects!!!
OK defender...if you go pre- TDI they can be high costs on fuel, but if you go Tdi then 200 series is best (older) 300 series notiously bad :( and of course the 500 is drop dead gorgeous! Re trailers: well if its an ex race horse then its likely the reason it wont load in a trailer 7 you will have to staret from scratch We get quite a few ex racers come through here & they are always fine in lorries but pigs in trailers. If you can solve the trailer loading issue then go for the ifor wIilliams hunter type....I have the smaller one think it s called HB505, but they do a bigger one, wish Id bought that one....think its a HB510. They are fab trailers & with my defender you dont even notice its there. So superior to the old rice type or those really big heavy things that are new on the market.

Obviously with lorry you have to think along lines of tax/plating/insurance etc & the costs are definitely higher than running a trailer/defender. and if you feel you need the defender anyhow.....well you cant go wrong!
If you do decide to go for a lorry then Man, VWn are good...bedford TK and Ford are bad!!! Of course lorries are great if you are away overnight etc & they have some living in them.

OK weighing it all up then i would go for landy & trailer option :D

Lisa,

Another thing to consider is what type of shows will you be going to and what time of year (ie mainly summer or throughout the year)

If you are going to be doing a lot of show jumping or going to shows through out the year I would recormend a lorry as you will find the living invaluable when hanging around and the extra room in a lorry makes it easier to tack up inside in the wet.

But if you are going to doing mainly dressage & pleasure rides & in the summer then go for the trailer option as they are cheaper to run.

HTH :)

Tracy (Who has spent many winter days at shows hiding in the living of the lorry making cups of tea! :D)

Hi
Why do you say his current car will not house a shotgun in the boot??

Julia & Hooligans

Hi Julia, he has a 2 seater german sports car and the boot (so to speak) as at the front under the bonnet as the engine is at the rear. What space there is will hold a small overnight bag so no chance of a shotgun. Whilst the police are happy with the gun cupboard/location they are not happy that the gun would have to be carried in the passenger area of the car.

I can understand the logic behind at so we need to look at ways around it, if he goes for the landrover he can have a gun case bolted onto the floor and they are happy with this.

Yeah OK I can understand that.

I know in some areas the police are particularly picky over things that are not actually law (like here) but if you can show a good case they usually back off. However I can see why in this instance.

Enjoy the Landrover if you get one. Incidentally Shoguns are a good bet. They hold the value well and are very capable of towing. The internal fittings are excellent and then you have the niceity of a "proper car" as well.

Julia & Hooligans

but Julia...they wont go half the places a landy will...plus if you have a wet muddy spaniel in the boot [$ you are soaking wet & filthy after a day shooting in the field, then the last thing you want to worry about is getting the upholstery & carpet dirty! With a landy its not a problem ])

Don't know that they won't go where a landy will, mine seemed to go OK, but you're right about the wet dogs.

I now have a vectra estate and the back is covered with tarpaulin then a big duvet cover full of straw. However it would be much easier if I could hose it out at the end of the season:)

I was really thinking about a vehicle that could do both jobs .

Sorrry but it has got to be a landy or nothing else. Other half is mad about them and having in the past owned a freelander, discovery and rangerover he won't touch any other make of 4wd. As he puts it why have imitation when you can have the best. His opinion.

Now we are trying to see if we can hire/borrow a trailer to try him in. He seems ok and happy we will go with the landy/trailer option which will of course be cheaper and other half will have to forgo his idea of sitting in a warm box with a bacon buttie and cup of tea whilst I do a prelim test in the pouring rain.