Suffolk Horse Watch is strongly advising anyone who owns a horse trailer to regularly check the condition of the trailer floor to make sure it is safe to transport horses in the trailer. This check should include not only the floor itself, but also the trailer / vehicle chassis; the newest strongest floor in the world is no good if the supporting structure is weak or rotten.
Robinsons Equestrian retailer has sent out more than 150 letters to all owners of its Requisite trailers with timber flooring, warning of potential problems following a story in Horse & Hound (news, 4 August). It has also temporarily removed the trailers from its website.
The letter, dated 2 August, states that Robinsons has “recently been made aware of a small number of instances where the integrity of the wooden floor structure has become compromised”.
The letter asks owners to check for extra “give” or a “springing feeling” from the floor to assess whether the trailer is at risk and to examine the underside of the floor, which is covered in a fibreglass membrane for signs of weakness. Robinsons started fitting aluminium floors last autumn — the company says the decision was part of a “natural progression”.
Managing director Jim Bentham said: “We fervently believe this is a bad batch of timber, and we are in conversation with our supplier, who has been on holiday.” He added: “I would be happy to travel my horse in a Requisite trailer with an aluminium floor or a well-maintained timber floor.”