It is a credit to just how well made horse box trailers are today that the versatile design that is so familiar to Yorkshire roads has become the standard throughout the UK and in most of Europe.
Designed to be aerodynamic, spacious and comfortable, horse boxes such as the HBX Range are designed to keep your horse safe, comfortable and happy throughout their journey, providing support, space and multiple windows and doors so a horse can enter or exit comfortably.
They have evolved from early, more primitive models first invented and sold in the late 1910s, but by the 1970s, they had become not only the primary way to transport horses but the only option in the UK.
To understand why, here is an exploration of how horses were transported throughout the 20th century.
The Rise Of Railway Boxes
Following the remarkable nationwide success of the racehorse Elis in 1836, which was credited in no small part to his transportation to events via padded caravan, other horse owners and breeders began to invest in caravans so horses could attend more race meetings and potentially win more prize money.
The early rudimentary caravans evolved into railway carriages, which were used to transport horses for as long as the rail network existed in the UK.
Whilst they were far faster, they were also transported using cattle carts, which are uniquely unsuitable for transporting horses without distressing or potentially injuring them.
Professor J Wortley Axe, author of early veterinary, breeding and training guide The Horse in 1905, noted that the use of short tethers to keep horses confined, the shaky rattling and the loud noises of steam-power rail travel were so remarkably prone to scare horses that it seemed almost as if it was by design.
Many of the common pieces of transport equipment used today, such as shipping blankets, head bumpers and leg wraps were introduced as a result, and even as horse transit left the railways they are still often used when transporting via trailer today.
From 1905 up until 1972, they were the standard way to transport horses, to the point that British Railways designed a specially dedicated horsebox designed for the purpose.
It only lasted 12 years but it would prove influential to road and real horse trailer design.
The Fall Of The Railway Horse
The British Railways Mark 1 railway horse carriage was designed to carry three horses in excellent comfort at the increasing speeds that the British railway network was moving.
They were designed with the same height and characteristic curved roof of the Mark 1 carriages which meant that they could either be run as a dedicated service or attached to passenger and commuter trains.
They contained dedicated accommodation for three horses with moveable partitions to cater to particular space requirements. These partitions were padded to ensure that horses were secured and did not fall sideways in a way that could potentially hurt them.
There were also washing facilities, a saddlery, storage space for hay and fodder, as well as sleeping, living and toilet facilities for a groom and a sidesperson.
Alongside racehorse owners and breeders who hired them on a long-term basis, the British Railways Horse Box carried the Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry, the King’s Troop and even the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as part of a touring company.
They were very popular but ultimately lasted just 12 years from their initial introduction to the railway network to their withdrawal and removal, as the equestrian world changed far more quickly than British Railways suspected.
The first major change was the development of the motorway network starting with the Preston Bypass in 1958. This meant that there was a high-speed alternative way to travel across the country that would be more comfortable for horses and more versatile for drivers and owners.
Another major issue was that the railways relied on easy access to horse racing tracks, but as nearby stations closed in part due to the Beeching Plan, it meant that horses were travelling further by road anyway.
Finally, British Rail changed their policy surrounding the transportation of animals on their trains, which meant that by 1972, live animals were no longer carried via British Rail.
How Did This Influence Horse Trailers?
Travelling by road, particularly once powerful towing vehicles such as the original Range Rover became popular, became a more versatile, controllable and comfortable way of transporting horses, in no small part because elements such as padded partitions and multiple entrance and exit doors were adapted from the railway.