EUROPEAN TRAINER ISSUE 45 TRANSPORT_Jerkins feature.qxd 28/03/2014 08:17 Page 2
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORTING HORSES A heavy issue
No matter where we intend to transport our horses throughout the European Member States, we will find a pretty standard set of rules and an EU Driving Licence, issued since 19th January 2013, gradually replacing the former licences and clearly indicating our allowances and limitations.
H
WORDS: LISSA OLIVER PHOTOS: CAROLInE nORRIS, FRAnCES J KAROn
OWEVER, for most of us, driving licences that were issued prior to 1997 enable the holder to drive a lorry up to 7500kg (7.5 tonnes) on a standard car licence. Anyone who has held a UK driving licence for more than 17 years may transport their horses by means of their own trailer or lorry, but the question is – is this cost effective or do shipping agents offer a better alternative? In Ireland, driving licences must be renewed every ten years (in some circumstances every three years on medical grounds) and therefore all Irish drivers will, within the next ten years, need to update their EU licence to a BE in order to pull a trailer up to 3500kg, or to a C1 category in order to drive a lorry up to 7500kg. A category B licence will only allow you to drive a vehicle up to 3500kg. Although trainers with fewer runners may find a Jeep and trailer very cost effective, in terms of fuel and safety it could still be more value to use a shipping agent. As one smaller trainer in Ireland pointed out, the £330/€400 he could be charged to ship a horse to the UK was easily exceeded by the cost of taking a Jeep and trailer over on the ferry, without taking into consideration manpower and hours. He was also very aware that from his Jeep he had no way of monitoring the horses being towed behind in the trailer, while a dedicated lorry is fitted with cameras and the horses monitored
EU DRIVING LICENCE CATEGORIES Driving licence A Driving licence AM Driving licence B Driving licence BE Driving licence C
motorcycle moped, scooter and microcar passenger car passenger car with trailer lorry
Driving licence CE
lorry with trailer
Driving licence C1
'light' lorry (vehicle with a maximum authorised mass of between 3500 kg and 7500 kg)
Driving licence C1E
'light' lorry with trailer
ISSUE 45 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 21