Grand Prix dressage rider and in-demand coach Gary Lung has been travelling horses up and down the east coast of Australia from central Queensland to Victoria for the last 30 years. In that time, he’s learnt a thing or two.
When you’ve travelled horses for as long as Gary Lung has, you know that safety and equine welfare is paramount. Australian riders are often faced with travelling vast distances to competitions, and as a Queenslander Gary has certainly done his fair share of driving to the big shows in New South Wales and Victoria.
When it comes to driving with an equine passenger, he says one of the most important things is to ensure your horse has time to find their feet when you first get going. “In my opinion, when you first start your journey, you should always allow your horse or horses to ‘find their feet’. Introduce corners and increasing and decreasing speed first, so they become accustomed to travelling, whether they are experienced or less experienced travellers,” he explains.
“In addition, one of the biggest mistakes I believe people make when travelling horses is not allowing them to stretch their necks to prevent cramping and not allowing the head to stretch down so they are continually able to clear their respiratory tracts,” he continues.
And the biggest thing he’s learnt in recent years that he wishes he’d known sooner? “Lots of research has been conducted as to the best way a horse travels, and facing backwards is one of them. I wish I had travelled them backwards sooner. Most people travel their horses facing forwards or to the side, because the floats or goosenecks dictate you do this,” he says.
UTILISING 100 YEARS OF INNOVATION
In May this year, Gary purchased a new THEAULT Proteo Switch – and he hasn’t looked back.
“I was looking for a horse box truck that was well designed, well made with quality materials, safe and had a history of customer service,” says Gary of how he settled on his purchase. “I did extensive research and found all of these attributes in THEAULT. I like that THEAULT has been designing and manufacturing these horse boxes and trucks for the last 100 years from their factory [in Normandy, France] and exporting them around the world.
“I like that you can choose all the different options to suit your horse, to suit your needs and your budget. For example, I chose to fit an aircon in the horse section because I live in Queensland where it’s humid and hot,” he explains.
“I did extensive research
and found all of these
attributes in THEAULT.”
Having had the vehicle on the road for a couple of months, Gary says that so far, he’s found it amazing to travel with. “I love how easy it is to drive, the way it handles on the road and how easy it is to park… when I took the THEAULT out for the first time, the car park was full but I found it so easy to reverse into a tight spot,” he says.
“I am also impressed with the quality of the fittings and how the materials used in the horse box feel. You can tell THEAULT has used quality products, because it feels strong and well made. This includes all the handles, the doors, the flooring and right through to the sliding mechanism of the divider.”
However, the most important aspects for Gary are those that relate to how the horse travels. He loves how comfortable the horses load from the side and travel backwards in the Proteo Switch. As he mentioned earlier, the revelation of how horses are more comfortable with backward-facing travel has been an eye opener for Gary and something he wishes he knew about sooner.
“I love how easy it is to drive…”
Gary also loves how the design of the horse box allows the horses to safely stretch their necks and get their heads down – something he believes is so important when it comes to comfortable and healthy travel, especially when covering long distances.
Despite having spent 30 years on the road with horses, Gary is still very much aware that transporting large animals does come with risk – no matter how experienced or how careful you are. Taking that into account, one of the big positives of his new vehicle is the added stability and safety on the road.
“Towing anything like a float, a gooseneck, caravans or trailers have safety challenges. The risk of being overweight and then fish tailing, with the likelihood of an accident, has always been a concern of mine. Having your horse in a THEAULT vehicle takes all that away. It feels so safe and sturdy to drive and travel your horses around.” EQ
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THEAULT celebrates 100 years of innovation – Equestrian Life, April 2024
