Age alone rarely stops a horsebox being funded — what stops it is an unknown floor, a missing plating history or a body nobody can value.
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Yes, and far more used horseboxes are funded than new ones. Horseboxes are unusual in that a well maintained box can remain a serious working vehicle for decades, and funders recognise this, so boxes twenty years old and beyond are placed regularly. The assessment centres on the chassis service record, the plating certificate, the condition of the floor and ramp, and whether the body was built by a recognised coachbuilder. Private buyers are normally in regulated consumer credit; yards and professionals are on unregulated business terms. Buying privately rather than from a dealer narrows the panel.
Used kit: Yes — this is entirely a used market, and boxes of twenty years and more are funded where plating, floor condition and build provenance stack up.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Underwriters take a practical view of age in this market because the depreciation curve flattens early and stays flat. What they scrutinise instead is evidence. A current plating certificate shows the vehicle has passed an inspection recently. A service file shows the chassis has been looked after. A floor and ramp inspection, ideally by an independent horsebox engineer, addresses the single most common and most dangerous failure point. Boxes from known coachbuilders have trade demand behind them; owner built boxes on an old chassis do not and are valued far more cautiously. As always, the agreement type follows use — a private competitor is a consumer, a livery or transport business is not — and buying from a private seller rather than a dealer cuts the funder panel and adds ownership and outstanding finance checks.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Equi-Trek Sonic | Used 3.5 tonne horsebox |
| Equi-Trek Eventa L | Used 7.5 tonne horsebox |
| Oakley 7.5t horseboxes | Used British coachbuilt horsebox |
| Oakley 3.5t horseboxes | Used light coachbuilt horsebox |
| KPH horseboxes | Used British built horsebox |
| Bloomfields Prima | Used lightweight horsebox |
| Bockmann Big Horse | Used German horse truck |
| Whittaker Horseboxes | Used bespoke horsebox |
| Theault Proteo | Used French horsebox |
| Ifor Williams HB506 | Used two horse trailer |
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Most horsebox buyers, frankly. New boxes are expensive and lead times are long, so riders, yards and producers overwhelmingly buy second hand. The typical case is somebody who has decided a trailer no longer works and has found a tidy box through a dealer, a classified advert or word of mouth on the yard. The trigger is a season about to start and a decision that cannot wait for a new build slot.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
There is no fixed cut off across the market, and funders vary considerably. What tends to end a box’s fundable life is a failed floor, a chassis that can no longer be plated, or corrosion that makes repair uneconomic. A sound thirty year old box with a full inspection record can be easier to place than an unloved ten year old one.
The floor. Horsebox floors carry enormous weight and take constant exposure to urine and water, and failures happen without warning. Have it inspected properly from underneath rather than relying on a tap test in a dark yard. Funders on higher value or older boxes frequently require this before releasing funds.
It raises questions rather than blocking the deal. Funders want to know who fitted the body, when, and whether the vehicle was re plated afterwards. A professionally documented rebody on a good chassis can be an excellent buy. An undocumented one is valued on the chassis alone, which may fall short of the asking figure.
Only up to what it is worth as it stands. Asset finance is advanced against current value, not against what the box will be worth after the work is done. If you are buying a project, budget for the refurbishment separately and consider refinancing once the vehicle is complete and the work is invoiced.
Yes, and the funder will run one. It picks up outstanding finance, insurance write offs and theft markers against the registration and chassis number. On a private purchase this matters enormously, because buying a box with finance still registered against it can mean losing both the money and the vehicle.
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See everything we fund in horsebox and horse trailer finance →
Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.