Alison Sweetman from Preston was thrilled to be announced as the lucky winner of a brand new Equi-Trek Apollo trailer, having entered a competition on the Equi-Trek trade stand at The Great Yorkshire Show.

Horses have been a massive part of Alison’s life since she begged her parents for a riding lesson at the age of five and enjoyed her teenage years riding her own pony before going off to university, which meant she had to sell her pony.

As life became busy Alison took a break from riding but her passion for horses was still as strong as ever and seven years ago a special horse came into her life.

Alison and Victor, a stunning a 17.3hh bay Shire X with four white socks enjoy many hours of happy hacking with friends as well as taking part in pleasure rides and schooling clinics.

Every year Alison and Victor also like to go on a riding holiday with their equine friends so are very much looking forward to travelling in style next summer in their very own Equi-Trek Apollo.

Said Allison: “When you enter these competition’s you never expect to win so I was over the moon when the marketing team from Equi-Trek contacted me to give me the good news.

“Having our own transport will mean we can do so much more, so I am already planning the diary for next year.”

The Equi-Trek Apollo trailer is an aerodynamic trailer with a spacious and light horse area that offers enough headroom to accommodate horses up to 18hh.

It features aluminium flooring and lightweight ramps that are finished with a durable rubber, as well as closing fixtures that glide securely in place and a window on each side for excellent ventilation. The removable breast bars can even be collapsed from the outside in case of an emergency.

Advantages of Transporting Horses in a Rear Facing Position and Loading from the Side.

Equi-Trek's patented side loading ramps on trailers and rear facing travel across the range is being continuously proven to be preferential to traditional forward facing methods.

The loading and orientation of a horse within a transportation vehicle has been identified as a potential source of stress to both animal and handler. The use of a side door eases the loading of an animal into a vehicle. Rather than having the horse face a small, dark opening, which they may perceive as scary, they walk into a light airy space.

In the rear facing position, the horse's head is not constantly carried in an elevated position and the horse may use its head and neck to balance more effectively. It may also be advantageous that the forelegs are placed in the rear of the vehicle where they may adapt to the swaying motions of braking and acceleration more readily than the hind legs.

This "buttress" posture adaptation is commonly exhibited during grazing, whereby the shoulder provides better lateral support than the rear legs. Often, the rear legs engage in a side stepping action when responding to lateral pressure, such as experienced in a trailer navigating a sharp corner.

A study examining the response to travelling forwards or backwards during a one hour journey showed a significant decrease in heart rate in the horses travelling backwards.

These horses also tended to rest more often on their rumps in maintaining their balance. The forward facing horses held their heads in a higher than average position and also moved more frequently due to difficulty in balancing.

Interestingly, the forward facing horses vocalised more frequently. Heart rates increased at loading and unloading, and decreased during the journey as the horses became accustomed to the motion of transport.

The authors concluded that the forward orientation may be more physically demanding due to efforts implemented to maintain balance.

Above taken from:-Physiology, Balance, and Management of Horses During Transportation by Dr. Carolyn Stull, Extension Animal Welfare Specialist, University of CaliforniaEffects of transporting horses facing either forwards or backwards on their behaviour and heart rate by Dr Natalie K Waran, Institute of Ecology & Resource Management, University of Edinburgh

Did you know that you no longer need to take a test to tow a horse trailer?

This change to the law, combined with the cost of living rising at an unprecedented rate, has led to horsebox and trailer manufacturer, Equi-Trek, seeing a huge increase in the demand for trailers.

Years ago most horse owners dreamed of owning a horsebox with living accommodation so that they could stay away at shows and have plenty of room for all of their kit.

Fast-forward to 2022 and the standard of trailers that are now available are often much better options as they have excellent overnight accommodation, generous payloads and can be significantly cheaper to purchase, run and maintain.

Most 3.5 tonne horseboxes don’t have living accommodation or adequate payload to transport two large horses. However, there are several Equi-Trek trailers available that do and they also come without the expense of tax and MOTs.

Managing Director, Tom Janion said: “The standard of living in our trailers is excellent so many owners now find it much more affordable not to run a horsebox when there are trailers that have everything they need, including a bathroom, kitchen area and bed.

“Since the law on towing changed in December 2021people can now legally tow without having to take a test which has also been a further incentive for people to swap their horsebox for a trailer. We always recommend training before people start towing on the road if they have no previous experience.” 

The Equi-Trek range of trailers leads the way when it comes to choice and innovation. From the new lightweight, spacious and wood free Apollo to the luxury Star-Treka with exceptional living accommodation, there is a transport solution to suit every owner’s needs and budget.

Another popular trailer is the Space-Treka III which carries up to three horses or four ponies (depending on size and weight) whilst remaining compact and easy to tow. It also has a totally separate tack and changing area that provides ample space for equipment.

Equi-Trek trailers offer market leading payloads due to their design which utilises superior strength lightweight panels and aluminium flooring. Their ability to efficiently and cost effectively design for parameters such as space utilisation, comfort and light-weighting has become a key market differentiator.

Equine welfare is the top priority for Equi-Trek which is why the trailers are spacious and provide a comfortable experience for travelling horses, whether that is rear-facing, herringbone or forward-facing. 

Equi-Trek is now offering ‘Flexi-Tow’ on Apollo horse trailers to give customers ultimate flexibility for just £200 plus vat a month on a rolling contract requiring only one month’s notice to cancel.

Yes, it is that simple, you get a brand-new horse trailer for as long as you want it, for a simple monthly fee and nothing more than one month’s commitment that includes the following:

• Lifetime warranty
• All servicing and maintenance costs (excluding tyres)
• Insurance (Ts&Cs apply)

In the uncertain times we now live in, Flexi-Tow has been introduced to provide customers with peace of mind that should their circumstances change they are not tied into a long-term hire or finance contract.

Not only that but the trailer is covered under warranty for the full duration as well as all servicing costs. The only additions you would have to pay for is damage up to a limit of £1,000.00 plus vat.

Unrivalled for its strength and performance, the Apollo has a spacious and light horse area with exceptional headroom to accommodate horses up to 18hh. Horses travel forward facing and are unloaded with ease using the extra wide front ramp.

Featuring aluminium flooring and ramps with a durable rubber finish, the hard-wearing trailer maintains the popular Equi-Trek aesthetic to ensure that the Apollo stands out.

Both the rear and front ramp are easy to operate thanks to their lightweight design and the closing fixtures that glide securely into place. The Apollo has removable breast bars which can also be collapsed from the outside of the trailer in case of an emergency, a strong central partition and removable breech bars. The back portion of the partition can be moved for loading giving the horse a wide and inviting space to move into.

Available for collection from Sheffield, Epworth, Bury St Edmunds or Worcester, to secure your Apollo on the Flexi-Tow deal simply pay an initial rental of £200 plus vat on order and your first month’s hire fee of £200 plus vat on collection.

You will then pay the monthly fee on a rolling basis and can give your one month notice at any point after the first 30 days.

For full Ts&Cs or to order your Apollo now on Flexi-Tow please contact your local Equi-Trek hire centre:

 Equi-Trek Lincolnshire 

Tel: 01724 706900

hire@lincolnshiretrailers.co.uk

Equi-Trek Suffolk 

Tel: 01284 387000

hire@suffolktrailers.co.uk

Equi-Trek Three Counties

Tel: 01684 311811

hello@threecountiestrailers.co.uk

Equi-Trek South Yorkshire

Tel: 0114 288 4411

hire@hire-trek.com