For the launch of its new horsebox range in the Middle East, a Welsh trailer firm opted for a little Italian style and elegance.
Ifor Williams Trailers unveiled its sleek new HBX506 model alongside a top-of-the-range Lamborghini amidst the glitz and glamour of the 15th Dubai International Horse Fair.
Watched on by more than 10,000 visitors from 25 countries, including several Middle Eastern royals, the horsebox was towed into the show’s main arena by Lamborghini’s new SSUV model, the URUS.
The stunt was arranged by Horse & Carriage Equestrian Equipment (HCEE), one of the leading distributors of Ifor Williams trailers (IWT) in the Middle East.
“It was completely new territory for the both of us,” said HCEE managing partner George Watts.
“Lamborghini hasn’t previously been associated with the equestrian world – just as we haven’t had much association with a luxury sports car brand!”
IWT’s flagship HBX horsebox is built at the firm’s £5m factory in Sandycroft, Flintshire , which opened last autumn.
As well as a “floating roof” in homage to the Range Rover, the aluminium trailer has tinted glass panels and an optional awning.
For its Middle East debut, HCEE wanted to make a statement and so approached Lamborghini, main sponsor of the Dubai International Horse Fair, an event held solely for Arabian horses.
Mr Watts said: “This was an ultra-high networking event with a number of Middle Eastern royals present.
“It gave us the best exposure possible to meet Arab horse breeders and owners and we generated lot of interest on the stand from all over the Gulf.”
To tie in with the official launch, a new promotional film and photo gallery is currently being publicised across Lamborghini’s social media channels.
Andrew Reece-Jones, IWT’s design engineering manager, said the firm’s partnership with such a prestige brand showed the esteem in which its trailers and horseboxes were now held around the world.
