A top German magazine has judged that a horsebox made in Britain is the best in Europe.

It came out on top in a tough series of tests as part of a survey conducted by Cavallo, a leading German horse magazine.

The judges gave the HB506 from Ifor Williams Trailers their seal of approval after concluding it was the most comfortable, horse-friendly horsebox among the seven models they tested.

They used an old runway close to Stuttgart as the setting for the tests and placed two 500kg weights inside the trailer to replicate the weight of the horses.

Sensors recorded the effect of the vibrations on the trailer whilst driving over bumps.

The judges were particularly impressed with the leaf spring suspension on the British horsebox, which they said, "gives the horse a particularly comfortable ride".

They added that the horsebox from Ifor Williams Trailers "clearly compensates for lateral rocking very well" and "was the best in category".

The judges also commented that some of the other horsebox suspension systems caused side to side movement which was not comfortable for the horse.

In addition, the Ifor Williams horsebox performed well in relation to noise levels where it was the second quietest of all of the horseboxes when towed at 50mph.

The HB506 was recommended ahead of six other manufacturers, four German and two French. They were the Top Master by Böckmann, the Pegasus from Humbaur, the Nevada Alu from WM Meyer and the Compact from Thien. The French contenders were the Provan E by Fautras and Grand Confort Gold by Cheval Liberté.

John Mikisch, the journalist who wrote the Cavallo article, said: "The editorial team sought to find the trailer in which horses suffer the least from stress in a comprehensive test.

"They tested the noise level inside the trailer and the extent to which unevenness in the road is transferred to a horse's legs and body.

"In addition to these comfort categories, Cavallo tested the trailers' stopping distances at 50kph and 80kph in order to assess how safe they are on the road.

"Overall the HB 506 is the winner with two second places for noise and shock absorbance as well as first place for lateral rocking in the three comfort categories."

In recommending the HB506, the judges concluded that horses were given a "particularly comfortable ride" in the horsebox made in Wales.

The result of the survey was the source of great pride to John Williams, the Managing Director of Ifor Williams Trailers.

He said: "We’re naturally delighted that the judges decided to recommend the HB506 ahead of all the other horseboxes they tested.

"When we designed the new horsebox we applied the standards of top car manufacturers because we believe that horses deserve to have the best comfort levels when they’re on the road.

"Although the look and styling are contemporary, the heritage of the company that has been built on quality and durability is plain for all to see."

The good news delighted Wales’s Deputy First Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, who said; "I think it’s excellent that the company has had so much success with their horsebox in Germany and I hope it helps them generate more sales in other countries.

"I think that everybody realises that the company has high standards and we hope that this will help them move into new markets."

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News » Horsebox is Best in Europe