Most of you will want to carry your prized and much-loved animal in the safest most comfortable transport available, within your price range. Received wisdom is that the Renault Master/ Vauxhall Movano provides a perfect basis for a 3.5t two horse box, whether as a Conversion or a New build. The low centre of gravity provides easy access and stability and as a mechanical unit they are powerful, reliable and long lived.
Safety and solidity should be very high on everyone’s list of essentials when looking for a 3.5t box but this is always a trade-off between the next highest priority which is Payload. (Payload is the weight that can be legally carried in the vehicle which is not actually structurally part of the vehicle, its Unladen Weight. This is obviously your horses, but also includes anything else that you are carrying as well, i.e., fuel, driver and passengers, tack, feed etc). These things can mount up so it is best not to be complacent when loading for a trip. The maximum legal payload for a Movano/Master is unlikely to be over 1100k. This is where good design and a thorough knowledge of horses and modern materials combine to maximise the balance between the two.
Modern lightweight materials have made strength vs weight ratio a less taxing problem and our current builds are some of the strongest and lightest on the market. The secret to getting the best possible payload/safety ratio to your box is a synthesis of design, technology and sensible expectation. What extras are necessary and which are only desirable. The beauty of these 3.5t boxes is that they can be driven on a simple car licence. The 3.5t can be easily and cheaply be uprated to 3.9t but this will, unless the driver has passed their test before 1997, require an additional test to be legally driven, which somewhat tempers the original advantage.
Marlborough Horseboxes started making 3.5t horsebox conversions in 1975 when” two horse” boxes were almost unheard-of in these islands. Their introduction proved to be a revolution in horse transport, providing a light, fast and manoeuvrable vehicle, which quickly became the first choice for amateur and professionals alike. Early adopters were the sport horse fraternity, Pony Club, show-jumping and Hunting. Racehorse Trainers were a little slower to catch on but there is currently not a trainer in Britain who does not own at least one “Two Horse” box. They are very convenient for nipping around and moving horses short distances but are also fast and comfortable, which makes them perfect for long Motorway journeys.
Theault, a French firm, had been one of the forerunners of handy two horse boxes in the seventies. Coach built on new, generally Citroen, chassis they were the “Rolls-Royce” of the sector and were much copied in the early days of development. Marlborough were at the forefront of the 3.5t revolution in Britain. There was an ever-growing demand for an inexpensive alternative to either trailer or cattle truck. Marlborough were the first to provide a well-designed, practical, conversion of a Renault Master. Badged as “The Sport”, a version of which is still made today, it proved to be a very popular “reasonably priced” box. In 1980 Marlborough were voted one of the top three best value boxes, by the Daily Telegraph motoring section. It is testament to their longevity that there are much loved Marlborough Sports still running around today.
These boxes were designed by horse people with the horse as the first priority. Years of experience of good and bad practice in horse transport and a thorough knowledge of both the psychology and physical needs of the breed, informed the design. These principles have been continually revised and updated over the years but the same attention to the needs of the horses is brought to the design and production of the current Marlborough boxes.
The original “Sport” is now complimented by:
The Marlborough“Stud box”
The safest way for transporting Stallions, mares and foals and young stock.
It has bespoke full height partitions, with front opening gates for a safety exit through the wide back door. The centre partition is made of a stainless-steel frame, giving it a very safe, solid structure, and the side wall has a strengthening bar the full length of the horse area.
The bulkhead behind the driver is reinforced with steel and covered with waterproof panelling and soundproofing and EVA matting, which again gives strength and safety.
The Marlborough “Hunter”
Built with strength and safety as our highest priority. It is a coach built 3.5T horsebox (easily upgraded to 3.9T) with a turbo diesel engine and a 6-speed manual gearbox with a carrying capacity of over a ton.
The horses stand rear facing and with the horse area being 7’ 3” long it gives plenty of room for horses up to 17.2hh.
The box is fitted with a reinforced bulkhead, and a side wall strengthening bar. The 4’ 6” breast bar divides the horse area and the groom’s area which has a wide rear door. The full partition is both moveable and removable with3 fixing positions. There a viewing window from the cab, allowing sight of horses, but there is also an option to have a horse and reversing camera. In the horse area there is rubber matting throughout, and the two roof vents and an additional window give further ventilation. There are 2 internal lights and a red travelling light.
The Marlborough “Carriage Box”
This design makes life so easy for those of you who want to travel your horses and carriage together. We extend the chassis which allows the horses to stand at the front and the carriage in the rear space.
Any of these Boxes can be built on a brand new or a lightly used second hand chassis. We do our best to source donor vehicles with not more than 100,000miles on the clock (300,000miles is generally considered to be the lifespan of a well maintained Movano/Master).
Much of the decision making in terms of the fine tuning a design, is down to personal preference. Barn doors vs up and over doors, for instance, tack lockers, and of course, colour and decals design. Stitched leather seats are offered as an extra, as is an upgraded paint treatment alloys and twin cameras.
Within reason, the boxes are configured and finished to suit individual needs, but again it is worth emphasising that appearance or payload will never be prioritised to the detriment of safety. Our aim is to provide the best possible box for the safety of the horses and the customer’s budget.
An indication of the build quality of Marlborough boxes is that a significant number of our customers are in the professional horse transport business and the majority of these are return customers some on their 4th or 5th boxes.