Vehicle Burst into Flames While Towing Horsebox

A second-hand 4×4 being used for horse transport burst into flames near Ab Kettleby, Leicester. Fortunately, no one was injured in the December 30 incident involving a mother and son returning from a riding event. The occupant of the horsebox was unharmed as well.

According to the Leicester Mercury, the pair were driving home around 2 pm when the mother smelled smoke. When her son confirmed what she smelled, mum pulled the vehicle over only to see flames immediately erupt from the bonnet. She and her son quickly exited and flagged down other motorists to help them disconnect the horsebox.

Unfortunately, the 4×4 was declared a total write off as a result of the fire. As for the horse, a local farmer offered to board him for free until the owners could make other arrangements.

It’s never good when these types of things happen, but it’s nice to see people volunteer to help in any way they can. We sincerely hope this mother and son are able to secure another vehicle so as to allow the boy to continue competing with his horse.

Expect the Unexpected

If nothing else, this incident serves to remind us that plenty of things can go wrong during horse transport. There are vehicle breakdowns, potential crashes, bad weather, and even health problems involving the animal. Towing a horsebox trailer requires the driver to be prepared for the unexpected. In this case, the quick action of the mother and son clearly demonstrates as much.

At the HGV Training Centre, we teach students how to safely operate a horsebox or a vehicle towing a horsebox trailer. We teach students how to successfully manoeuver their vehicles, how to drive according to weather conditions, how to share the road with other motorists and so on. It is comprehensive training that more than prepares our students to properly handle a horsebox.

Keep in mind that horseboxes offer special challenges because the cargo is a living creature. One must be careful about driving these types of vehicles, knowing everything they do can potentially affect both their horses and other drivers on the road. A proper amount of caution and care should be taken with horseboxes.

Do you need an upgraded licence to operate a horsebox or horsebox trailer in the UK? You may, depending on when you passed your initial driver test and the combined weight of the vehicles you will be using. If you are not sure, you are welcome to contact us. We will be more than happy to answer your questions.

If it turns out you do need an upgraded licence, there are new classes forming at the HGV Training Centre all the time. Our classes will have you completely trained and ready to take your final test in a matter of weeks. All you need to do to get started is contact us using the free phone number here on our website.