The Renault Master /Vauxhall Movano are my favourite type of small horsebox - I have been travelling my own horses in a Master for over fifteen years . They are perfect for the nervous traveller or driver! Due to the new licensing laws these can be driven by young drivers and the not so young!
There are two types of Renault Master /Vauxhall Movano horsebox - The Coachbuilt
and The Van.
Coachbuilt Masters/Movanos offer better headroom for your horse, (typically 7'6") and are slightly wider so again offer more room for a bulkier horse. The chest to tail measurement is also very important, we don't believe in stating a lorry is suitable for a large horse if it's not so for these we would only recommend the long wheel base, we only buy what we would be happy with using ourselves!
They are stalled for two, rear facing, generally with a grooms compartment that can hold small living. Sometimes these offer a storage luton but because these are above the cab, they aren't really suitable for sleeping in. The Master/Movano has the best payload of all the smaller horseboxes, with a gross weight of 3.5 ton and an unladen weight generally around 2.4 ton - (This is only an approximate guide as each lorry varies, if you are concerned about weight it is advisable to have the lorry weighed pre-purchase). They can be uprated to 3.9 ton to give you an even better payload if necessary.
In a Master/Movano the horse stands between the front and rear axles and, as it is low loading, it gives minimal sway. Recent independent studies have shown that travelling horses rear facing is less stressful and far more natural for the horse - we only travel our horses rear facing.
You have a split side ramp and door combination , sometimes there is one big door, a canopy or 2 smaller doors depending on who did the original conversion. The grooms door is normally at the rear of the vehicle and there are normally at least 2 windows. The dividing partition can be half or full height and normally there is an inspection door. We always use load guides as we feel it is safer however we have fitted alternatives onto other lorries in the past, such as belts and bars. We are happy to undertake work to a lorry for a customers specific needs.
More recently some of these boxes are being built with a separate groom's area and we do consider this a design improvement as long as there is provision for easy access to the horses. However we would always recommend a breast bar or partition for the comfort and safety of the horses and so not keen on the "long stall" model nor any that have the wheel arches in the horse standing area.
The Van is basically the same, but instead of having the van body cut off it is internally converted. The horse dimensions are smaller the headroom is limited and as the sides are sloping full height, usually 7', is only achieved in the centre.- (although many people claim they are big enough for 16.2hh horses our experience has shown that a small horse is about the limit, dimension wise, but we still consider them to be pony transport.). The other issue to consider is that they don't give the horses as good a ride as the coach built version, as they tend to rattle and bounce more. (Sit in the back of both versions to compare the two).
The payload is approximately the same as the coachbuilt although, as stated before, this depends on each vehicle and it is a sensible precaution to have them weighed pre-purchase. They travel rear facing as before with the same rear ramp and door combination. The vans often don't have as much living in the grooms area, however a certain amount can be fitted. Vans are generally cheaper than the coachbuilt version, and there are always more of them on the secondhand market . Both types are very easy to manage if you go to shows or events alone.