Avoid Horsebox Repairs
The clocks have gone forward and spring has sprung once more. And with the warmer weather and longer days, if you’re a horse owner then your thoughts are inevitably turning to the outdoors and the opportunity for taking your horse out for a hack.
Chances are, this may involve moving your animal from one location to another, or even embarking on a horse riding holiday to the other side of the country. But before you do, it’s important that you get your horsebox ready for the spring and the many months of riding ahead.
As with any vehicle that is left unused for months during the cold weather, your horsebox may need a little TLC and extensive checks before you should consider it safe to take on the road, much less transport your horse in. This kind of regular maintenance can also help you avoid any expensive horsebox repairs.
‘Waking up’ your horsebox after winter
Because it hasn’t been used for some time, months have likely passed since you checked things like the tyre pressure, and it’s quite likely that your tyres have deflated considerably in this time. Your first step in getting your horsebox ready for spring then should be to check these, and get them up to the correct pressure.
Your next step should be to check the brakes, as it’s possible that these may have seized up after a long winter. Check both handbrake and footbrake before taking the vehicle out on the road, and make any adjustments as needed.
Make sure that your horsebox’s floor is safe
Horse & Hound recently ran an informative cautionary article, entitled ‘Is your horsebox floor safe?’ The article recounts a recent incident in which a horse narrowly escaped serious injury due to an unsafe floor. The vehicle was travelling along the road in February when one of the animal’s legs fell through the floor of the horsebox.
Fortunately, the owner noticed the incident via the internal camera, and was quick to stop the horsebox before an injury occurred. The horse was however trapped for many hours, with its leg stuck between the inner and outer wheels, and had to be anaesthetised so that it could be eventually freed by the local fire brigade.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue animal rescue officer Jim Green told Horse & Hound that this was a ‘timely reminder’ for horsebox owners to check the structural integrity of their vehicle’s floor before loading their horse.
Check the doors
Doors can also seize or become unreliable after months of not being used, and it is important that horsebox owners ensure that they are in good working order before travelling with their animal. Failure to do so could result in either the horse becoming trapped in the horsebox or the doors even swinging open while in transit. This is really important for obvious safety reasons, but also to help save on expensive horsebox repairs.
Horsebox insurance
Finally, remember to check your horsebox insurance before you hit the road, First of all, make sure that your insurance is still valid and has not lapsed over the winter. Secondly, take a few moments to remind yourself of the specifics of your insurance and what you are and are not covered for.
If you’d like any advice on any aspect of your horsebox insurance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Park Insurance.