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To pre-empt the forecast for much warmer weather I have added some information on designing horseboxes to cope with heat and a few pointers for horsebox ventilation in hot weather.

Designing primarily around horse safety and comfort, we dedicated many hours to the issues of heat build-up. There is without question plenty of research already out there on the effects of prolonged exposure at high temperatures and how it causes heat stress, heat stroke, dehydration, muscle spasms and colic. These are all avoidable issues if addressed as part of the overall ventilation design.

Heat and colour

From previous research and development, roof colour has to be white to reflect heat. Dark colours absorb heat, so avoiding a dark finsh is essential.

Head room

I cannot understate the importance of head room as part of any good ventilation strategy. It is a crucial aspect of any horsebox design. As heat rises, the hottest part of the horse area is always going to be nearest the ceiling. For our part we use 8’ up to 8’ 6” headroom. Not only does this make horseboxes suitable for the largest of horses, it keeps the hottest air high up above the horses head height, where ventilation systems can easily remove it.

Windows and air flow

Glass and especially colour play an important part again and tinted glass is preferable. It reduces direct sunlight that adds extra heat to the horse area, so tinted glass is good as long as it remains clear enough for the horses to see out. Widows are basically the starting place for good air flow and heat removal. Window size plays an important part in the cooling effect of air drawn over the horses. A good design will see one large horse window for each horses head and smaller higher windows at the tail. This window size difference is crucial as it allows air flowing past a moving horsebox to cause a greater vacuum on the larger windows than the smaller ones. This vacuum effect draws air into the horsebox through the small windows, across the horses and out of the larger head windows. However, it is worth noting that if both windows were the same size, air pressure would be equal both sides of the horsebox and little to no air would move inside the horse area. This effect is mostly for a moving horsebox with all the windows open. For a stationary horsebox very little air moves across the horses apart from that caused by wind. It is also noteworthy that for hot or stale air to leave the horse area, fresh clean air must have a way in. For example, closed tail end windows would stop air flowing in and being drawn over the horses, so no cooling effect would be present.

Roof vents and air flow

Let’s start with a hot horse area and a stationary horsebox. The hottest air is at the ceiling and cooler air low down. Opening a roof vent fully will allow hot air to flow up and out causing cooler air to flow in through the windows. A clever trick here and one we use in our own horsebox design maximises this effect by allowing much cooler air to flow in at floor height.

For a moving horsebox with a hot horse area things get more complicated still. Opening the roof vent and windows fully will remove some hot air, however, there is a way to move much more hot air out by tilting the vent. Actually opening fully the rear most part of the vent and closing the cab end of the vent fully will cause a considerable vacuum effect as air passes over the horsebox roof and tilted vent. At speed this vacuum effect will be considerable and as long as the windows are open the cooling effect will also be considerably increased, even removing more hot air more than an extraction fan!

Intake and extraction fans

These can be even more complicated depending on the size of horse area and the amount fitted. For a moving horsebox fans actually remove less air than a tilted roof vent. Where fans really shine, is parked or stationary traffic and even ferry or tunnel crossings where little air flow is possible. For small horseboxes with open windows probably one extraction fan is all that is necessary. For larger horseboxes intake and extraction fans are fitted and this negates the need for open windows. Remember fans use considerable power and if the engine is not running they can soon flatten batteries.

Air conditioning

This is the most controllable option and one we use for our largest HGV horseboxes. These only work as long as every window and vent is closed. They work by drawing fresh air in and cooling it to a set constant temperature for the horse area. These are a very good option but expensive and power hungry.

Lazy air

Muddying the water further and adding another level of complication to cooling is the fact that air is extremely lazy and this applies to all the options above with the exeption of AC. Now you have to bear in mind that your goal is to remove hot air and draw cooler air across your hot horses. I will use an extraction fan as an example here.

So, you are loaded with horses, all the windows are open and you turn on the fan to keep them cool. However, you have forgotten Mr Lazy air, he cannot be bothered to travel all the way across your horses and cool them, his far easier option is to take a direct route from the nearest open window straight to the extraction fan. Hot air will still be removed, but the cooling effect on your horses will be much reduced.
Now you have some trial and error ahead of you to get this working properly. Starting by partly closing the nearest windows to the fan, you should be able to even out air flow from each window so air has to travel over your horse to reach the exit fan.
For testing we did all this with a smoke machine and it was still surprisingly difficult, but very enlightening.

There you go, complicated but something to think on and I hope it helps.

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This guide has been produced by VBRA Commercial

With the changes in licences in 1996 that limited new drivers to 3500kg maximum there was a greater need for lightweight horseboxes.

These horseboxes have little margin for carrying additional equipment that you may require on your journey or at your destination. When you acquired your horsebox, it should have come with a mass declaration, which is a mass in running order. This is the manufacturers defined payload under BS1646-2 or MTPLM-MIRO maximum technical permitted legal mass minus mass in Running Order. This has up to 5% margin of error so for instance if the mass in running order is 3000Kg it could leave the factory weighing 3150 kg.

What remains is the user payload. This includes people animals and what else you deem necessary to carry apart from the driver which an allowance has been made in the declaration of 75Kg.

What is your Maximum weight?

The maximum that your vehicle can carry is on the VIN plate or stage 2 VIN plate that is usually marked as GVW or Gross Vehicle Weight not to be confused with GTW which is Gross Train Weight which includes towing capacity and is a larger figure.

 The Problem with overloading is as follows.

 Safety, Stresses to components, greater stopping distance etc.

 Legal aspect if you are involved in an accident and are overweight you will not be insured!          

 Police and DVSA roadside checks, over 85% of small horseboxes, along with  vans and motorhomes suspected of overloading and there is a 90% conviction rate. Fines are up to £5,000.

 Next if you are overloaded on any axle the tyres may not be up to the additional weight / mass.

DVSA guidance on overloading fines

• Up to but not including 10% fixed penalty £100.
• 10% but not including 15% fixed penalty £200.
• 15% and over fixed penalty £300.
•  Above 30% or other road safety concerns = court summons.

 DVSA examiners should allow a 5% tolerance before fixed penalty or prohibition unless the weight has been exceeded by 1 tonne.

 For peace of mind and to stay within the law weigh your horsebox fully laden, be aware what weight can be safely and legally carried

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Horsebox flooring has been is an area of concern for both Horsebox manufacturers, converters, horse transport companies and horse owners who have their own lorry or trailer. We have put together some solutions as a best practice guide.

Problems seem to stem from either lack of experience when fitting floors, cutting corners to save money at the new build, or conversion stage from a box, parcel van, panel van or when refitting flooring, also from lack of inspection and maintenance.

Underframe.

We will start with the conversion (e.g. from parcel van) and below the floor, as many of this type of vehicle has wider bearer spacing than horse box bodies as much as 24”/ 600mm and perhaps even greater over the rear wheels. Horses have a large mass on a small hoof area and have a habit of lifting a foot whilst standing. This coupled with a phenolic floor (Buffalo board Wisadeck etc) of perhaps 18mm or Keruing 22mm planks is not always adequate for horse box application. The floor may require removal and fitment of additional reinforcing bearers, drain holes or drain channels and sealing all floor joints, cut edges and screws is one solution and is often beneficial on payload compared to double flooring.

Notes.

The bearer spacing determines the floor thickness so if the body is a conversion then the board supplier will spec the floor to the spacing already in situ. A manufacturer of new builds may space bearers at from 400 to 600 mm dependant on the size of horse to be carried with perhaps a closing up of the spacing in the vicinity of where the hooves will be when travelling and the board manufacturer should advise on the floor based on the spacing.

With “Rumber” the manufacturer specs the spacing at 300mm and there would no alteration from this as the flooring only comes in 1 thickness. This spacing must be adhered to.

Floor Overlay

Another route is an additional overlay of flooring which is often cheaper if you can afford the payload loss. Using Aluminium Five bar tread plate in either 3 or 4mm or another layer of Phenolic faced plywood or as a last resort marine ply certified to BS1008 and sealed on the face and underneath with a waterproof coating and in all instances incorporating drain tubes or channels, with all screws, joints and cut edges sealed. The floor rubber mats can then be refitted on top.

Fitting new flooring

The use of marine ply which is a poor substitute to the other flooring options and should be avoided, extra care must be taken on sealing not just edges, but both upper and lower faces of the board. Failure to install, seal and carefully maintain a marine ply flooring can result failure in less than eighteen months.

Next, Phenolic faced ply.  These boards come with cores of either far eastern hardwood or Birch. The Birch cored boards are the strongest, although both are made for hard use, choose wisely as there are different thicknesses and patterns of top resin veneer. The board manufacturer or supplier should be able to spec their best board for horse box use based on your bearer spacing. Problems arise from any cut edges and screw holes. Use the recommended sealer by the board manufacturer.

Some manufacturers recommend an acrylic type sealing paint/compound which is applied 3 times and allowed to dry each time to all cut edges) or a suitable alternative

(e.g. Smith’s CPES epoxy sealer) combined with a One-part Polyurethane sealant/adhesive

(e.g. Sikaflex) between the sheets and down the screw holes. It can help to fit flange head screws to phenol flooring that will not crack the resin surface of the board as the screw tightens on the surface like a countersunk screw would. Its best to cover the area over the wheels with a thin sheet of GRP or Aluminium to help protect the flooring from the rain/dirt thrown up from the wheels before the fitting of timber-based flooring.

Keruing hardwood flooring is quite strong compared with phenol flooring and weighs only slightly more on the same thickness. It still needs to be dried out regularly to avoid rot and the only other issue is that horses lifting a leg can load just 1 board so for long term is best overlaid with phenol boards or aluminium sheet sealed as in the next paragraph.

When fitting Aluminium planks or sheets seal between all planks, sheet joints, cuts and holes with PU sealing compound. Drain tubes or preferably drain channels should always be fitted unless the construction deems them unnecessary. Aluminium flooring is not impervious to corrosion and any areas that have hollowed over time or gaps between overlays of matting can become filled with dirt straw etc which works its way between the sheets and holds onto horse urine greatly increasing the reaction between the urine and the aluminium. Note! To avoid Galvanic corrosion between the flooring (Aluminium) and dissimilar metal bearers (Steel), always use a gasket to prevent this corrosion.

e.g. Rubber, Fibre, Gaffer tape, PU Sealer or CT1 grab & bond, the same precautions must be remembered when riveting, do not use Aluminium rivets on stainless steel.

There is another type of flooring called Rumber which is a tongue and groove plank made from old tyres with some plastic binder added. This flooring would have to be imported as at present there are no UK stockists.  The bearers need spacing at 305mm centres and the flooring is the same weight as 27mm phenol board and 12mm rubber matting around

38kg sq. mtr. It will not rot and needs no further protection is non-slip and has a lifespan of around 20 years. With the additional floor supports it would add around 2kg per sq. mtr to the payload.

Floor overlay and maintenance

Floor overlays come either as lift out rubber mats or flow coated rubber type compounds. Each type has its downsides.

Loose rubber mats need to be taken out preferably after each use for best practice, and in any case at least 3 or 4 times per annum to allow the floor to dry. The floor washed out and all sealant around edges and drain tubes should be checked periodically.

Sealed flow-coat flooring needs to be washed out to inspect and should be done again on a regular basis also check the condition of the flow-coat for cracking/wear, as water, urine and chemicals under the coating will rot the floor in a very short time.

Inspection of the floor should be not only on the top but also on the underside for cracking rot etc including under the wheel arches.

Aluminium sheets/ planks are also affected from both urine, chemicals and cracking especially where there are large bearer spacings so don’t forget to inspect these.

How often is dependent on use but could be incorporated in the drivers walk around check if only used occasionally. It is cheaper to spend half an hour checking the soundness of a washed dry floor before using your horsebox than have the trauma of an injured horse.

Panel Van Conversions,

With this type of flooring laid on the panel van metal floor it cannot be checked from below. It is imperative that it has regular inspection of the sealing and of any cracking or wear in the floor. Some of this type of horse transport have flow-coat floors over relatively thin phenolic or marine ply, wonderful and robust until you have damaged the coating or have failing sealant. If you have had damaged flooring that has not been attended to quickly and does not look sound, the only option is to lift out the floor and inspect underneath. And whilst the top floor is out the metal van floor can be checked as the top floors are not always drained with properly sealed tubes so that liquid between the floors cause corrosion and rot.

Inspection Notice

It is good policy to put a notice in the cab/living or the horse bay entrance, on how to check and maintain the floor.

Remember the safety of occupants and animals should always be a priority. The horse can suffer trauma if it goes through a floor even if physically uninjured it could still be psychological giving future problems with both loading and travelling.

EXAMPLE:

• After every Use of this horsebox, Remove rubber matting (if applicable)
• Wash out floor and allow to dry!
• When Dry check seals around edges, drain tubes etc, and any worn areas of floor covering.
• Feel for any unusual softness/springiness in any areas as you walk over the floor.
• Check under the floor for rot, cracks, missing underseal if applied especially over large bearer spacings. 

Your first priority is the safety and welfare of your horses.

This guide is for the benefit of all Horsebox owners and users and all VBRA members are expected to adhere to this guidance

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This is a little talked about subject and applies to all fixed and portable cassette toilets, hopefully it is one you may find enlightening.

Nowadays many horseboxes have integrated cassette toilets in their washrooms or on some smaller ones, portable toilets hidden in lockers. They will have either a dedicated fresh water tank, filled separately or take fresh water from the main drinking water tank. If it is a dedicated separate tank, you can add a nice smelling pink chemical that helps with smells and flushing (do not use this pink chemical in the drinking water tank!). The majority of these toilets have an easy to remove cassette that is the waste holding tank. Some of the larger waste cassettes even have a handle and their own set of wheels for ease of transportation when it’s time to empty. 

Toilet smell

There is a plethora of additives to add to the waste holding tank (cassette) to help with the associated smells. These additives actually have two main purposes. Firstly, they are to mask smells and secondly, they break down waste. There are two types of additive and the one you pick is ultimately dictated by where you empty the waste cassette. These additives are readily available from camping outlets and the internet and they fall into two categories. The first breaks down waste and deals with smells using chemicals like formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde or a biocides and the second (and my eco-friendly preference) is the much greener, non-toxic, non-irritant and safe for pets, uses natural biological activity in the form of friendly bacteria. This is much like the process in a septic tank.

Emptying your chemical toilet

The first rule of cassette toilets is that, whilst away from home, you must only empty them in a specifically designated place. Apart from the obvious hygiene issues, the additives that use chemicals should NEVER go straight into the sewerage system as the chemicals kill the bacterial process of breaking down waste. The same applies at home, if you empty this type into your septic tank, it will kill your friendly bacteria! Happily, the eco-friendly version is fine to empty into your home sewage system. Nowadays, many events have Chemical Disposal Point or CDP to empty your waste cassette. On some sites, it might appear as an Elsan Point (if you can remember the old air-raid shelters, Elsan was the go to toilet of choice). A good point to remember is that when emptying the cassette, there is a very handy air-valve button that allows air to flow into the cassette while the waste flows smoothly out (the last thing you need is it sputtering).

Go green

I hope this is useful and just in case you wanted to know, the chemical used in the photograph is the eco-friendly one that we use for camping and in our KPH Horseboxes.

Author: Kevin Parker

Owner of KPH Horseboxes

Manufacturer of Aeos & Helios horseboxes and prolific blogger on horse transport safety

https://www.kphltd.co.uk

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Buying the nearest fit can have implications that will stretch you to breaking point many times in the following year. There are few things worse than living with a compromise or outright poor build. I have highlighted below a few items worth considering and many that at first glance may not be too obvious.

Starting the hunt

Before you even look at the first horsebox, it is prudent to make a comprehensive list of your individual requirements. Getting something down on paper is always a good starting place. It is then a very good idea to split your list into priority ‘must have’ items and your more frivolous ‘that would be nice’ items. This helps prioritise the important bones of the horsebox. Having said all this, this approach only works as long as you can keep focus on the import facts and not become distracted by the first horsebox you see.
So, armed with said list and the best of intensions, it is time to start looking. Remembering at all times, the road to Hell has been paved with good intensions, or should that be, good intentions butter no parsnips! The fact is with ought straying from your overall goal, buying a new horsebox is a minefield and much worse than buying a new car. Outward appearance is the first thing customers see and can often influence a decision to buy. In reality, although outward shape and paintwork is important, the focus should be on safety and the construction of the horsebox first and colours, shapes and fittings should be secondary.
Once you have a handle on what horsebox you need, the very best protection to start your search is research and then finally a little more research. By all means check the websites, unassociated reviews and owner recommendations. Asking questions on forums and social media always helps. Finally, visit at least a few manufacturers and ask for a tour of the factory floor. Actually seeing the manufacturing process, cleanliness of the workshop and customers horseboxes in progress speaks volumes on quality and how they treat the goods entrusted to them.
You will find designs, shapes, quality, materials and safety features will vary vastly and it will still be a difficult undertaking just to find a horsebox with a payload capable of legally transporting your horses safely. More difficult still is finding something reliable and rugged with plenty of longevity to protect your considerable investment.

Horsebox size

There are several factors here and cost to purchase and run will be a major consideration, as will the number of horses, sleeping, cooking and shower/toilet facilities. Probably the main one is your driving licence as this will determine what class of vehicle you can legally drive. As an example of licence requirements and horsebox sizes here are some links with descriptions:

• 3.5 tonnes (with category B licence)
• 4.5 tonnes (with category C or C1 licence)
• 7.5 tonnes (with category C or C1 licence)
• 10 to 26 tonnes (with category C licence)

Horsebox payload

Next, above all other considerations I would jump straight to payload. Payload is the amount of horses, people, tack, water and fuel you can legally carry. To calculate the payload, you need to know the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM), often referred to as the Gross Weight, or GWT of the horsebox and subtract the un-laden weight (how much it weighs empty from its weighbridge certificate) from the MAM. This calculation gives the payload.

As a very quick example, the MAM of our Aeos Hybrid is 4.5 tonnes and the un-laden weight is 2.7 tonnes. So the calculation for permissible payload is 4.5 (MAM) subtract 2.7 tonnes (un-laden weight) and this gives 1.8 tonnes payload.
The marketplace is flooded with overweight horseboxes. Overloading a horsebox affects cornering, suspension, brakes, and voids insurance. They represent a significant threat to horses, passengers and other road users. Fortunately with a more informed equine community, both new and used horseboxes that are overweight have become considerably harder to sell and this is one of the reasons we only take our own horseboxes in part exchange.

I would add a word of caution here as a healthy payload can be achieved in two ways. The more expensive route is manufacturing using the latest materials and designs, in a manner that actually makes the horsebox stronger as well as lighter. The other route is to keep the overall price down and cut corners wherever possible, this often includes removing safety features and structural strength which results in a build that only needs to outlast the first year’s warranty period.
My advice would be to approach any sales meeting armed with the payload you require and to be on the safe side, remember to leave a little spare capacity.

Horsebox weighbridge certificate

The sensible route here is to only buy a horsebox with a current weighbridge certificate. However, always bear in mind heavy items may have been added over the years, or before taking the horsebox for weighing, items like partitions and horse doors may have been removed to boast a higher payload …and yes it does happen, I have seen it!
The best possible options here are either buy from a manufacturer who can weigh the horsebox in front of you, or drive the horsebox to a local weighbridge. This way there is no gray area and you will have full confidence in your purchase.
For our own part and to be as transparent as possible we weigh each horsebox onsite and everything we manufacture has a weighbridge certificate. We even offer our customers the option to weigh their horses and tack.

Horsebox safety

This is a difficult one for customers because they do not look with the eyes or experience of a coachbuilder. At the very least customers should have a good look underneath the horsebox at how it is protected from water and salt. Pay close attention to welding and around bolts for rot or cracking, especially if it is an aluminium construction. Bearer spacings should be at 300mm centres or less. It is common to see converted delivery wagons with bearer spacing out as far as 600mm, these are not suitable for horses unless a good deal of extra strength has been added to the floor above.
I make a point of showing customers underneath our horseboxes where we spray oil resistant paint, stone chip and Waxoyl. I would add a further warning here, do not believe the hype that aluminium or galvanised steel does not rot. Regardless of whether it is aluminium, galvanised steel or stainless steel we paint everything.

Used horseboxes

An inspection should include tyres, steering, clutch and brakes. A visual inspection of the tyres should highlight tread depth and individual tyre condition and don’t forget to check for cracking on the tyre walls, inside walls too. A short test drive should highlight steering, clutch and brake issues. I would also look for oil and water leaks and if it has air brakes, it’s a good idea drain the system down by pumping the foot brake when the engine is off until the low air alarm sounds, then start the engine and let it fill up again until the buzzer goes quiet. At this stage it’s probably worth testing all the gauges, fans and lights etc.
In addition, service histories are of benefit when available, however many used horsebox chassis have been maintained fleet vehicles so service history is notoriously hard to come by.
It is always sensible to start with an HPI check.

Horse area

Horse safety should be part of any inspection and must be high on any list. Horse partition strength is important as are edges on cappings and any metalwork. Ramp condition, angle and fastening mechanism should be checked and take special care looking at the hinges, it’s where most horseboxes have major problems later in life and these are expensive to fix. If you buy a horsebox that is used test the weight of the ramp. Often used horseboxes will need new springs to make them easy to close. New springs are a fairly easy fix and sometimes just altering poorly set up hinge points is all that is needed.

The horsebox living area

Living areas can vary greatly from horsebox to horsebox, but the main items to check are the water system, 12/24 volt and 230 volt systems and all gas appliances. A current Gas Safe certificate should be included and this should be renewed yearly. For your own protection a carbon monoxide, smoke detector and fire extinguisher should be fitted for safety. There should also be a number of ventilation points to the living area.

Where to buy your horsebox

It is also worth considering the pros and cons of buying from a dealer or buying privately. Buying privately may be the cheapest option but is almost always sold as seen, whereas buying from a dealer often has some warranty and will come under the Sales of Goods Act 1979.

Finally I would add if you are going to buy a horsebox and have any doubts or question please drop me an email from our Contact Us page and I will be happy to help.

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