Priory Stud Horseboxes

History

With over 60 years' experience, Priory Stud Horseboxes is one of the biggest names in the industry. It is a family business which, as the name suggests, started life as a stud farm. Founded in 1957 by Trevor and Jeannie Upson, the farm bred successful racehorses and show jumpers, which found homes across the UK. Having bought a horsebox for personal use, Trevor began to trade horseboxes, in addition to running the stud farm. This trading gradually progressed to the building of boxes, and the firm grew into what it is today.

The company is still run by the Upsons, and employs a steady and experienced workforce. The site has a large workshop, with bays for 3 lorries, allowing work to be carried out simultaneously. There is also a spray shop, enabling us to paint our boxes in-house. The owners live on site, allowing them to easily direct the business, with the added advantage of being able to open at weekends and evenings.

Having been running for so long, we have gained a vast knowledge of our trade, which we employ in all of our work. Also, having worked with horses for most of their lives, the owners have a vast knowledge regarding the care and wellbeing of horses. Naturally, this has been passed on to the employees, with the result that our boxes are built with the horse in mind. This has helped us to gain a strong reputation across the equestrian community, resulting in us supplying horseboxes for Desert Orchid, The King’s Troop RHA and many other reputable names.

Our work

Whilst most companies offer a finite range, usually with a 2 horse, 3 horse and 4 horse box, we build bespoke horseboxes. This allows a greater freedom in choosing a chassis, which is tailored to the customer’s needs and budget. When building the box we provide a wider choice of sizes and features, and our flexibility allows us to design the living area to the exact requirements of the customer, with the desired features and layout. We do not have a set design for painting either, which means that the horsebox can be finished in any colour, with any design the customer wants.

Although new builds can be commissioned, we appreciate that some budgets are more restricted than others. For this reason, most of our work is refurbishment. This allows us to supply our boxes at a lower cost than a new build, and although the bodies are not newly constructed, we ensure that they are structurally sound before refitting. In fact, it would be extremely difficult to distinguish between our new builds and refurbishments once finished, since the standard we work to is so high. Also, there are customers who simply require a newer chassis. We can source this, and change over the body of the horsebox.

It is this ability to provide exactly what the customer wants which has allowed our business to prosper.