Golf buggy hire for equestrian events

What matters for equestrian and polo events

• 1

  Quiet running is a safety requirement

  Horses are prey animals, and a sudden noise or a fast-moving vehicle triggers a flight response. An electric buggy, which is quiet and smooth, is far less likely to startle a horse than a combustion engine, which is why every buggy we hire is electric and why we would not offer anything else for an equestrian event. But quiet is not the whole answer. A quiet vehicle driven badly near horses is still dangerous, so drivers are briefed to pass stock slowly, to give ridden and led horses a wide berth, to avoid coming up behind a horse where it cannot see, and to stop entirely rather than squeeze past a nervous animal. If your event has particular sensitivities, a warm-up arena, a collecting ring, the lines where horses are tied, tell us, and we will treat those areas with extra care and route the vehicles to keep clear of them where we can.

• 2

  The everyday event jobs

  Underneath the horse discipline, the buggy does familiar work. Officials and judges move around the rings and arenas to a competition timetable, much like a county show. Grooms and support staff shift feed, tack, water, rugs and equipment between the horseboxes, the stabling and the arenas, which is where a utility buggy earns its place. Hospitality at polo in particular is a significant part of the day, with guests moving between car parks, lawns and marquees along the sidelines, and passenger buggies handle that. As at a show, the competition schedule sets the pattern, so plan the buggy provision around the busy periods, the morning classes, the change between chukkas, the prize-givings, and the fleet works with the timetable rather than chasing it.

• 3

  The ground, which is cared for

  Equestrian venues and polo clubs keep their ground to a high standard, because the surface is what the horses perform on, and a churned or damaged field is a real problem rather than a cosmetic one. A polo ground in particular is a treasured, carefully maintained surface, and a buggy has no business driving across the playing field. So the transport is planned to stay on the tracks, the perimeter, the hardstanding and the firm going, and off the competition surfaces entirely. This is the same turf discipline a garden party needs, applied to a sporting surface. Tell us where the buggy may and may not go, and we will keep it to the routes that protect the ground the event depends on. A buggy is lighter than most vehicles, but a maintained arena or a polo field is not the place to test that.

• 4

  Weather, exposure and the event length

  Equestrian showgrounds and polo grounds are large and open, so they are exposed to weather, and rain both softens the going and raises the stakes on keeping vehicles off the good ground. A wet meeting needs the routes reviewed to stay on firm going. Most events are a day or a weekend, with horses arriving and leaving either side, a busy and sensitive time for movement around the stabling and lorry park. Hire for the full period, tell us the layout, the sensitive horse areas and the ground you need protected, and we will plan a hire that respects both the animals and the surface.

• Blenheim PalaceOxfordshireBuggy hire at this venue
• GoodwoodWest SussexBuggy hire at this venue
• Stonor ParkOxfordshireBuggy hire at this venue

See all venues we cover

Common questions

Why does it have to be an electric buggy at an equestrian event?

Because horses startle at noise and sudden movement, and a combustion engine near nervous animals is a genuine safety risk. Electric buggies are quiet and smooth, so they are far less likely to spook a horse. It is the only sensible choice, which is why every buggy we hire is electric.

How do you keep the buggies safe around the horses?

Beyond being quiet, drivers are briefed to pass horses slowly, give ridden and led animals a wide berth, avoid approaching from behind where a horse cannot see, and stop rather than squeeze past a nervous one. Tell us about warm-up arenas and tie-up lines and we will route clear of them.

Will the buggy damage our polo field or arena?

Not if it stays off it, which is how we plan the hire. The competition surface is protected entirely, and the buggy keeps to tracks, perimeters and hardstanding. A polo ground is a maintained surface, not a route, and we treat it that way. Tell us the ground to protect and we keep clear.

Can a buggy move feed and tack as well as people?

Yes. A utility buggy with a load bed moves feed, water, rugs, tack and equipment between the lorry park, stabling and arenas, while passenger buggies handle officials and hospitality. Most equestrian hires want a mix, and we size it around your competition schedule.