A Compact&Convenient Way to Haul
By Karina Rapp
person. Trailering to arenas, the vet clinic, the show or a trailhead all require safe transport. But traveling with your horse, even for a quick trip, is rarely simple. Backing up the truck just right, plugging in the electrical connections, making sure the truck and trailer are ‘speaking’ the same language…it can be a struggle. Towing a trailer also requires a fair bit of instruction for the inexperienced. But what if horse travel could be different and more
H
convenient? What if moving your horse could be as easy as driving a car—no special lessons required? In Europe, it’s popular to use horse vans instead of trailers (the smaller vans are also known as horseboxes, and the bigger vans are called horse lorries or horse trucks). What are some of the pros (and cons) of owning a horse van as opposed to a truck and trailer? We turned to Lynn Roberge of Equi-Trek-Portland and Keith Hughes of STX Vans to find out more. Lynn is the U.S. representative for Equi-Trek, a U.K. company that is the largest horsebox manufacturer in the U.K. and the official supplier for Team GBR (the Olympic team for Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Keith is the U.S. representative for STX Vans, a Belgian company that is Europe’s leading horse transport manufacturer and a branch of Stephex Group (known for Stephex Stables, as well as the Knokke Hippique and the Brussels Stephex Masters events). Both companies produce small two-horse vans that comfortably fit Warm- blood-sized horses. The vans are on U.S.-made chassis with European horsebox components adapted for American regulations. In the past, famous western stars like Gene Autry and
Roy Rogers made use of flashy touring vans to move their equally famous steeds across the country for events. Today, some of the top riders in show jumping, dressage and
aving your own trailer with a truck capa- ble of pulling it safely is both a blessing and a necessity for the serious horse
eventing use horse vans. Kent Farrington, Rodrigo Pessoa and Eric Lamaze own STX Vans, and Brit- ish athletes Nicola Wilson, Carl Hester and William Fox-Pitt are sponsored riders for Equi-Trek. McLain Ward (2017 USEF Eques- trian of the Year) even sent his undefeated mount HH Carlos Z to a well-earned retirement in an STX horse van.
Top: Gene Autry and his original horse Champion, circa 1939. They appeared in films from 1935 to 1942. Bottom: Roy Rogers and his Palomino Trigger also traveled and performed across America in the 1940s and 50s. Gene and Roy each had their own custom horse vans before the ‘truck and trailer’ became popular.
Horsebox History Horse trailers have been in use since the late eigh- teenth century, beginning with the transport of the legendary British race- horse Eclipse. Early trail- ers were horse-drawn, and
they were used mostly for the transport of racehorses and as ambulances for injured horses. They transformed into motorized vans and trucks in the early 1900s, but towed trailers had to wait for more powerful engines available in the 1950s. Horse vans have remained popular in the U.K. and Europe, but somewhere along the way, trucks and trail- ers took hold in North America and horse vans became few and far between.
Popular in Europe In Europe, horse vans are popular because of tax consid- erations, gas costs and just plain practicality. For start- ers, in the U.K. there is a hefty vehicle excise duty (VED), a tax that affects most types of vehicles used or parked on public roads. The VED is based on emissions, engine size and weight, which means bigger and more powerful trucks are taxed more heavily. Horse vans in the U.K. are specially
Warmbloods Today 49
Ed Haas
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