A horse that sinks through the bottom of a trailer. It happens regularly and with that too often. Six months ago on the A58 near Ulvenhout. The horse was killed. To prevent these types of problems, industry organization BOVAG held a check at a horse event in Deurne on Saturday. “We notice that there is ignorance.”
Judician Luviek Maassen has its own company in trailers and trailers. He opens a white trailer about twenty years old and immediately starts pushing hard on the bottom at the valve. “These are often the weak spots,” he says. “You notice that the soil becomes too soft.”
Fortunately, everything is fine with the white trailer, although a place starts to be bad at the door. “But not yet for the safety of the horse.” The two girls who have just taken out their ponies can breathe relieved.
“Trailers come in where an accident can occur.”
“We notice that there is ignorance in people when it comes to the technical aspects of their horse trailer. And they often forget that regular maintenance is needed, “says Claudia van Engelenburg of BOVAG. “We see cars coming in, where there has been no maintenance for too long and then an accident can happen.” Often something is wrong with the bottom, but it can also be wrong with the tires, the braking system or the coupling.
“It is important to point out people there today. If people know what the risks are of saying to go out with an un maintained trailer, I cannot imagine that they do it consciously, “says Van Engelenburg.
“People are very shocked when we say what’s going on.”
Judge Maassen does have tips for the horse owner. “Just have it checked annually. You can press the bottom yourself in search of soft places. ” Maassen regularly sees bad floors, where horses run the risk of sinking through the bottom. “Fortunately, accidents do not happen much. But we regularly get trailers that we say, I would no longer transport a horse on it.”
According to Maassen, people often do not see on time that there is something wrong with the trailer. “You see the beautiful tight rubber mat, but it happens underneath, out of sight. And if people don’t know, then they will not find out. People are very shocked when we call them to tell what is going on. ”
“It is still possible, quickly, quickly, unprepared.”
Miriam Smits from Green Valley Estates, the organizer of the equestrian event in Deurne, finds the control very important. “You want the horses to arrive at the destination without a skin. Accidents sometimes happen. Not much happy anymore. Usually it is in order. But we have sometimes intercepted one. “
This trailer came from abroad. The door was so rotten that the horse kicked right through it. “That had catastrophic consequences,” says Smits. “The horse had torn the skin of his entire sock. The vet had to be added. If the tendon is still whole, the horse can still be saved. Otherwise not. “
According to Smits, some horse people underestimate the dangers. “Then they think, it is still possible, quickly quickly.” Smits believes that an annual check should be made in the Netherlands. That is not yet necessary for certain trailers. “In Belgium you have that control. Maybe that is also wise here. Just like the Auto-APK. ”
