This article is from the October 2019 Horse Deals magazine.
Article: Anna Sharpley. Photos: Julie Wilson.
Tina, a Victory Five Equitrek is powered by a 180hp Peugeot six speed manual diesel engine and is 2.92m high, 2.22m wide and 8m long. The sleek aerodynamic design looks good and also helps with fuel consumption. “She has plenty of power and is extremely economical.” says Kerry.
Kerry and Rob Clarke have been involved with horses all their lives and grew up on either side of the country.
Kerry from Perth where she was very successful and involved with showing and many time Team Manager for WA at the annual Nationals conducted every December at Werribee, a position she now fulfils for the Victorian team. Rob too has ridden with success since he was a boy and together, they are based at Mansfield in Victoria. They are both Racing Victoria accredited Thoroughbred retainers and as such they need a reliable horse transport. Enter “Tina Tiny Truck”, the “horse transport of my dreams” says Kerry. “It was more than we were anticipating, but once I had a drive of the Equitrek, I had to have one. This came up in Australia with only 12,000 on the clock and we snapped it up. I can drive it on a car licence and I never have to hook up another float. Also from my experience of traveling to and from Perth I think it is better for horses to travel backwards as they do in Tina, the horses love it. It turns on a dime and we can get to Sydney on $80 of fuel.
“We have seven horses at the moment and we are both keen to show, but we only take one horse to a show, because we love the sport and don’t want it to be stressful, so one of us rides and the other straps and it works really well. The living area is really comfortable and has all that we need. It can take a lot, it is just a matter of how you pack it. We sleep in the bunks, but if we go somewhere without a horse, or even if we do, we can clean out the horse section and we can fit a full sized queen bed in longways with room for a bedside table and room to move around and go to the loo etc. It really is a tiny house and if you were on you own you could easily live in it.”
In the five seater cab there is a reversing and internal CCTV camera, as well as a heat sensor for the horses. All can be reviewed from the cab.
The back seat area can be converted in to a double bunk. The slats for the top bunk are pictured above.
The living entrance with a step up.
“Tina Tiny Truck” is a home away from home. By day this is a comfortable sofa in the living area. By night it converts into a double bunk.
The double bunks made up in the living area for a sleepover. You can see the fittings for the ladder on the side of the top bunk.
No, its not an ironing board, its a dining table. But you could iron on it if need be. A table for two, the fold down dining table all set up.
The stylish, high gloss oak veneer kitchenette. Plenty of storage, a sink, a microwave, a TV and importantly a fridge. Oh and storage for the champagne glasses.
Plenty of storage and plenty of light. The internal lights are 12 volt LED lights. “You can fit a lot in” says Kerry, “if you pack wisely.” There is a reverse cycle air conditioner and skylight. “Because they are built for UK conditions, there are no fly screens on the windows or skylight,” says Kerry. “I will get some made to fit”.
The roomy shower. A real luxury at a show. The truck carries 70 litres of water in an under floor tank.
With the doorway to the shower on the left, with attached mirror, the entrance to the horse section is straight ahead.
The side loading, low ramp appealed to Kerry and Rob, as many Thoroughbreds have only been on horse transports and not floats, so they are happier loading and unloading from the side. The inviting entrance leads to two large stalls. “There is plenty of room and you could fit three in if you got another partition. They travel so well in it especially facing backwards. If you have to brake suddenly, they don’t move,” says Kerry.
Internal lights, exhaust fan and two ventilation inlets/outlets. There is a strong divider with rubber kick drops. Thick rubber mating over an aluminum plank floor with high impact kick boards behind.
“The horse area is big enough for a queen bed and then some” says Kerry. This curtain provides a little privacy, for bedroom or living.
The spacious horse area. “There is an extraction fan in here that works well, but if there are two things I am obsessed about when travelling horses it’s air flow and travelling backwards. These trucks are built for English conditions, not hot Australian summers, so we are putting in another couple of vents.” The horses face the door to the living area and there is plenty of room between the chest bars and the wall in front.
The adjustment for the bay size. “With an extra partition, you could easily fit three horses.” Also high impact kick boards behind the horses.
The toilet is located in this clever cupboard in the upper right hand corner of the horse section and outside the living area door. This is a great idea for privacy, with the ramp up of course, and there is no issue with the toilet in the shower. The picture on the left shows the toilet cupboard open while the picture on the right shows it closed.
The vinyl protection for the truck when horses are tied to it. There are windows that open at the horses’ heads, one on each side, and discreet windows to the living section. You can see out, but no one can see in.
Tack box with stands for two saddles and plenty of hanging space and space for gear.
The male and female attachments keep the tack room door open even when it is windy and they pose no danger to the horses.
There is plenty of storage and this small entrance leads to quite a large storage space.
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