Equestrian vehicle security - have you got it covered?Check out the links below to find a whole range of security products at great prices!
As with any precious item, you need to make sure that your horsebox or trailer is suitably insured and take realistic precautions against theft and damage. As explained in the Insurance section of this site, some companies offer discounts if certain vehicle security measures are taken. Others will simply not insure your horsebox or horse trailer if measures are not in place!
A vital security measure is to make sure that vehicles are stored behind locked gates (even if just a field gate) and there must be a lock and chain on both sides of the gate, so the thieves can’t simply lift the gate off its hinges! Another important thing is to try, where possible, to store the vehicle out of site. Other than that, there are lots of products to choose from and many of these will depend on where your vehicle is stored and what the ground conditions are. For example, security lights are a good deterrent, but that’s of no use if there isn’t access to electricity close to the vehicle. In other words, decide on your budget and choose products to suit your vehicle and storage conditions.
I now have a fence post in the ground to which I have wrapped around a twisted (braided) wire cable (with plastic coating) that is wrapped around the back bar of the trailer and secured with a security padlock. I also have a wheel clamp (a must for most insurance companies) and an anchor and chain to secure the front of the trailer to the ground! This sounds a lot, but doesn’t take me too long to unlock and hitch up. I just hope that it’s sufficient to put would be thieves off!
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There are various security measures that can be taken and they don’t have to cost a fortune. Having had some experience of theft (my sister’s trailer was stolen a couple of years ago), I’m now very conscious of reducing this risk with my own trailer. I researched companies selling various products and read articles and reviews to help me to decide which items to buy. One of the key points that I kept reading about was that there is generally a window of opportunity with thieves that has a time limit. The general impression is that thieves will check out your vehicle and decide if they can break into it and steal it within a few minutes. If they think it will take too long, increasing the chances of them getting caught, then they are more likely to walk away. In other words, your main aim is to slow them down!
