Taking your horsebox off the road: A checklist

During the long winter months you may well not be taking your horse far from the stables. Other times of the year, your horse might be recovering from an injury, or you may even be without a horse for a time. Whatever the reason, if you have no need to transport your horse for a lengthy period of time, chances are you’ll want to take your horsebox off the road to save on costs. When doing so, it’s important that you do a number of things to ensure that things go smoothly while it’s resting its wheels. To save you time, here’s a quick checklist of actions you should take when taking your horsebox off the road.

SORN – If you are not planning to drive your horsebox for a while, as with most vehicles, you should make a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) declaration. This is to say that you will not be using it on a public road, and will instead be keeping it in a garage, on a drive, or only using it on private land. It is important to do this, as without doing so, the usual vehicle tax, horsebox insurance and MOT requirements will apply. It’s worth noting that you may be entitled to a part-refund on your vehicle tax for any unused portion of it.

Horsebox insurance – Although you may want to reduce your horsebox insurance costs while you’re not using it on the road, it may be wise to retain a certain amount of insurance to protect you financially against a number of worst case scenarios. The vehicle could for instance be involved in a fire, be stolen or vandalised. Horsebox theft is an all too common crime, in part because of their relatively high value and also because they are often kept in remote rural areas. To preserve your peace of mind, it’s a good idea to have horsebox insurance which at least protects against fire and theft.

Disconnect the battery/ fit an isolator – By disconnecting the leads from the vehicle’s battery, or fitting an isolator, you should be able to prevent it draining when left unused for a period of a month or more. This will help you to avoid a situation in which you are unable to start the vehicle when it is eventually needed again. However, when doing so it is important to bear in mind that you may need to re-enter the code for the vehicle’s radio, and any data stored within onboard computers may be lost.

Apply a protective cover – If you’re storing the vehicle outside then it may be prudent to cover your horsebox with something that will protect against the weather and other external elements over the long winter.

Store it somewhere secure – As mentioned previously, a horsebox is a particularly attractive opportunity for thieves. If you can’t keep it in a secure garage then you should at least apply additional safeguards like a steering lock. Keep it somewhere close to your house and other buildings, preferably with a security light in operation.

Lubricate locks – If you’re leaving the vehicle untouched for a long time, particularly if it’s more than a couple of months, it’s a good idea to apply a lubricant to the locks and other similar mechanisms. Doing so will help to ensure that such parts are not seized up and difficult to operate when you return.

These tips should help you to resume use of your vehicle smoothly when the time comes. If you need any advice about horsebox insurance while your vehicle’s off-road, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Also, don’t forget to check out the relevant section of our website.