Is there anyone out there that actually owns one of the Euro-style vans here in the US (e.g. horsebox USA, Equitrek, Eurovan) that can provide an honest review. Interested in longevity, ease of loading/hauling, getting the van in and out of tight places.
I think this has been discussed here. Have you tried a search?
It’s not mine, but a friend at my barn has a Stephex. No issues at all - it’s easy to load, easy to drive, etc.
They are very common in Europe and they are SO easy to drive, get in and out of small places, etc.
Longevity is going to really depend on the brand of the actual lorry on which they’ve built the box.
A very large percentage of UK horse owners use vans rather than trailers. They are simply easier to drive: no need for special training to reverse or to find the hitch. Most vans are built on commercial van chassis so can handle the weight of horses with ease. They are easy to park, easy to manoeuvre, often have surprising good space for living. Horses travel in them really well, easy to load, unload, travel etc. In fact, I find it a bit strange that they are so rare in the US.
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back in the 1970s vans were fairly commonly used for horse transport at least in Kentucky.
The issues that can weigh heavily on the disuse would be today it would require a CDL and the associated requirements of logs and limited time behind the wheel. Also, once a person has spent $80,000 for a pickup truck which can be used for multiple uses having a van which is specific use makes a hard sell for the average individual.
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I live in Europe and have driven a few. I hate driving them, our roads are much narrower and I feel like I’m going to hit things all the time! BUT otherwise when you have space they are easy as long as you’re not trying to get out of a muddy field after a show.
horses love them and travel well and tack storage is generally very good.
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Unless you can find one of the oldies floating around (which end up being a maintenance sinkhole), the cost is probably the main reason they aren’t more popular. $75k+ for a single use vehicle doesn’t make sense, when you can spend a third (or less) of that and buy a truck and trailer.
I would love one. Pop my pony in and go. I do not love the price tag, even the used ones are still $$$.
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I have one. Mines a 4 horse with full living, including a bathroom.
It’s a heavy rig, but I love it. Nothing beats the comfort of being able to have a nap and coffee between classes. It’s actually easier to manuver than a trailer. The only downside is that because mines so big it’s very expensive to register and maintenance is a little more expensive
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In British English a “van” is a small vehicle, usually two horse with some limited living while a “horsebox” is generally a larger vehicle able to carry several animals. BrokenArrow ^^ has, in UK terms, a box. Horseboxes can grow up to be vehicles costing many multiple K, fitted out like an ocean going yacht with sufficient room for the post event party as well as your half dozen 5* jumpers travelling in computer controlled smoothness and comfort… Lesser mortals can drive a van with no need for extra licence or training.
If interested, check out www.oakleyhorseboxes.co.uk as many consider them top of the line.
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I can’t imagine why anyone in the US would EVER have one at all. Pickup trucks are HOT in the US in all markets as daily drivers and of course all of their other practical uses. Big ones with huge tow capacities, most never even haul a bag of mulch or are hitched to a tiny u-haul trailer ever even once in their lives, are very very popular. This means that horse folks have a huge new and used truck market from which to buy and sell. Both of those markets are good. Most people finance their tow vehicles and they are a good, predictable investment in value because of the market. Specialized horse vans have almost no market, even among horse people in the US. Not sure why they ever would.
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yes I am familiar with the smaller horse vans, but the use is still limited. If a person has a place to park the unit and has the money it becomes a choice. The horse box or small van would have greater upkeep than a trailer and most likely much greater deprecation. There are many people who have bought quality horse trailers that have sold those for near or greater than what they purchased the unit for… which I would not expect a horsebox with 30,000 miles on it to ever approach
Even our 14 year old steel two horse bumper pull trailer which looks new since it is well cared for could even today be sold for more than what we paid for it
also I realize that some people have the money so its not a big deal, but to insure my horse trailer it is actually pennies per month… less than $5.50 per year… and that is at an agreed upon value of 125% of what we paid for the trailer.
I have a horsebox. I love it. It fits 4 horses and is a much nicer ride for them. It doesn’t require a CDL, just a regular license.
I also have a two horse straight load. It’s a great trailer, steel, built in 1980 and will probably outlive me. But, It’s a pain to back up, I can’t control the temperature inside it like I can in the horsebox, and it’s kind of loud in there. It pulls nice though and the horses seem to really like it.
My newest crazy idea is I’m going to build myself a horse van. Two horse straightload, inside of a Ram promaster. It’s done in England a lot. I’ll be starting once the weather gets a bit colder here and I won’t be miserable wearing all the protective gear when I’m welding.
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This is the basic consensus in the USA, but I do find it a bit strange. I know MANY people that buy a truck specifically for hauling, then they also have a “daily driver” vehicle. It’s even been suggested as options on various truck and/or trailer threads here in the forums. If this is such a common occurrence, why is it such a crazy thought to do this exact thing, but instead of a truck+trailer for hauling, a horsebox?
I, for one, would LOOOOOOOOOVE to have a horsebox. I’m constantly scouring the internet for a used one that doesn’t look like absolute trash. When I’m ready to buy a new truck, I definitely have half a mind to buy a small horsebox. I work from home, so typically my once-per-week exit from my property is to pick up hay or grain, so might as well take a horsebox even as my “regular” vehicle! I’m sure the gas mileage is about the same as my old 2003 Expedition, anyway.
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I own a truck for hauling and a daily driver. But the truck also ends up doing plenty of other chores - hauling things from the garden center, taking items to our dump, being borrowed by family members to move or pick up an appliance or other tasks. You could do all of those things with a horse box I suppose, but a truck is easily driven by everyone and requires no special thought for using it in non-horse activities.
One of the reasons I would never consider a horse box is that while they are probably great for one-day haul-in shows, if I’m staying for several days I would then have to drive the horse box everywhere - to the hotel (I’m not a camper), out to dinner, etc.
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I think if it was $25-50k instead of $75+ for a base model, you’d see a TON more people buying a van instead of a truck and trailer, especially people who board. If you don’t NEED a truck for anything else, it might make more financial sense to buy a van.
We need at least one truck here, horse trailer or not. I would do some shady stuff for one of the new vans, but it makes zero sense to spend that much when I can go spend $5-10k and buy a nice used trailer to attach to a paid-for truck we already have.
I did see an old (late 70’s/early 80’s) horse box for sale nearby recently, but I don’t like the super high deck on the old style ones (or the super steep ramp it takes to load) and DH-the-professional-mechanic said he was absolutely not interested in trying to keep the thing running. :lol: Licensing, insurance, tire cost, etc. made it unworthy too.
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In my house the truck is the daily driver for one of us. But even when it was not the daily driver it was the sometimes normal driver. It also can pull a camper or the utility trailer, which it does from time to time.
As a person who is trailer backing challenged, I would love a horse van. But not financially possible for me so I will stick with my older model trailer and the mutli-use truck.
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Before I bought my trailer I looked at a forty year old International and it was $30k. @Willesdon they are prohibitively expensive here and in some states, you do need additional licensing.
Then there is the insurance, yearly excise tax, and the fact you can’t use it for anything but hauling a horse… Meanwhile I use my truck for going camping, kayaking, moving large items, picking up hay, round bales, etc… I’m not limited to only hauling a horse with a truck, which is a big bonus to go the truck + trailer route even if it seems more expensive on paper. My truck was $8000 and my trailer was $6000. Still less than the lorry and I get way more utility out of both.
My truck is not my daily driver, but it is a farm truck. It’s used to drag, to plow, to haul horses, get hay, move heavy equipment, etc… I couldn’t do that with a lorry. The height of the lorry makes loading/unloading anything that isn’t live difficult. A truck bed has the best utility IME.
Mileage of the lorries depends; my truck gets better mileage than most lorries but not all.
The pros of a lorry, though, is that I think traveling is easier on the horse with them, and it’s much easier to get in/out of tight spots. I drove one briefly for a trainer to a couple of shows and I loved not having to go through the hassle of hitching/unhitching the truck, and one of the shows had tight parking and it was so easy to just glide into my designated spot!
The answer being someday when I am disgustingly rich and making those six figures, I’ll have a lorry – but for now, their limited utility makes the truck + trailer more appealing.
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My newest crazy idea is I’m going to build myself a horse van. Two horse straightload, inside of a Ram promaster. It’s done in England a lot.
I bought a Promaster (AKA Ducato and others in Europe) when first available in US in 2014. It has turned out to be a reliable, nimble vehicle. Have used it to pull a horse trailer and carry a carriage inside. When I camp, I roll the carriage out and camp in the back. I have a fiamma awning, a roof fan, insulated walls, solar panels and an electrical system. Cassette potty. I would love to follow your progress.
The Promaster forum has lots of helpful people on it. https://www.promasterforum.com/
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EquiTrek makes a horse van that sells in the US for $69k
https://usa.equi-trek.com/products/vision#prettyPhoto
