When booking horse transport, it’s easy to focus on the price, the vehicle and the journey itself. But when you’re putting your horse in someone else’s hands, the safety features of the horsebox should be just as important.
At Nova Transport, one of the reasons we chose the Bloomfield Raceline Professional is because of the thought that has gone into the safety, security and flexibility of the horse area.
The horses are separated by a full-height grilled partition and head divider, along with two full-height grilled access doors. This design eliminates the need for a traditional breast bar and provides excellent visibility and accessibility within the horse area.
Why we chose the Bloomfield Raceline Professional
The Professional Raceline is also fully padded, helping to provide additional protection and comfort for horses during transportation, and features an oversized rear door — an incredibly important safety feature.
Why is a large rear exit so important?
The ramp is the normal way for horses to enter and leave a horsebox, but in an emergency, circumstances can change very quickly.
If the ramp area is damaged following an accident or incident, it may no longer be safe or possible to use. Having a large rear door provides an alternative route for removing the horse from the vehicle.
It can also be invaluable if a horse becomes panicked at the back of the horsebox and the ramp cannot be safely opened, or if another horse is positioned on that side of the ramp and prevents access.
In these situations, being able to open a large rear door and provide a clear alternative exit can make removing a horse significantly quicker and easier.
This is particularly important when transporting a large or nervous horse, or when travelling longer distances where you want to know that the vehicle has considered emergency situations as well as everyday travelling.
The sliding partition — another feature we love
Another particularly popular feature of the Professional Raceline is its sliding partition.
This is especially useful for transporters and studs who carry mares and foals.
The full-height partition can be effortlessly moved to the far wall with one hand and returned to the centre when required. This means there is no need for two people to alter the stalls — making the vehicle much more practical and flexible.
When the partition is positioned centrally, the four-point locking system provides superior strength and stability, giving additional reassurance when travelling horses.
Don’t just ask about the price — ask about the safety features
When booking horse transport, it’s worth looking beyond the price and asking questions about the actual vehicle you’ll be travelling in.
Especially if you have a nervous, large or young horse, ask your transporter about:
- The size and accessibility of the rear emergency exit
- What happens if the ramp cannot be used
- How the horses are separated
- Whether partitions are full height
- Padding and protection within the horse area
- Access doors and emergency access
- How the vehicle can accommodate different sizes and combinations of horsesYou may never need to use an emergency exit — and hopefully you never will.
You may never need to use an emergency exit — and hopefully you never will.
But it’s the safety features you don’t expect to need that can become the most important ones when something goes wrong.
At Nova Transport, we chose the Bloomfield Raceline Professional because we wanted a horsebox that wasn’t simply designed to transport horses from A to B, but one that offers thoughtful design, flexibility and safety throughout the journey.
