You’ve spent many hours, days, weeks preparing your horse, regularly checking them from the ground up. But have you paid the same attention to your horsebox? A few vital checks now will give you peace of mind that you are doing everything to keep yourself, your horse, and others safe when you travel. We’ve compiled our list of checks to help you.
Floors and Ramps
These areas must bear a lot of movement and weight; ensuring they are in good condition is vital. Drinking water, spray from the road. urine and lack of proper drainage can all cause damp. This in turn can cause rot and rust, not a good combination to a wooden or aluminium floor. Regular visual checks are advised, especially if you don’t use your vehicle often.
All Owens Horseboxes are fitted with stainless steel drainage holes to prevent rust but should still be regularly checked. All our vehicles are fitted with aluminium floors as standard, but we offer FREE checks on ALL floors; please call us for further details.
Tyres and Wheels
Tyres are incredibly important to keep you firmly on the road. Check your tyres every time you travel, this should include checking the tread (should be at least 1.6mm) and tyre pressures. Over inflation of tyres can be as risky as under inflation so be sure to check your vehicle’s handbook. Checking wheel nuts is also a 5-minute job that can reassure you.
Earlier this year, the government announced that tyres aged 10 years and older will be no longer be legal on the front axles of heavy vehicles over 3.5t including horseboxes. Tyres that are aged 10 years and older will become a failure item at your next MOT. And if your tyres do not display a date code, they will also fail, so we advise checking.
Electrics
It is very important to check your electrics are in good working order before you travel. All lights including brake lights and indicators should be tested before each journey. Connections and wires can become loose or worn over time.
M.O.T
Is your M.O.T up to date? Maybe set yourself a reminder in the months before your M.O.T is due, you don’t want to be caught out before travelling and risk a hefty fine. An M.O.T test will also flag any potential issues you may need to address.
Stall Safety
All Owens Horseboxes are fitted with protective wall matting as standard but before loading, it is worth checking there are no sharp or protruding objects that your horse could catch themselves on. Also check that all the pins in the partitions and breast bars are positioned correctly.