Travelling safely: is your horse fit to travel?

When travelling your horse, you need to not only think about the selection and safety of the vehicle, but also consider the horses fitness to travel.  

Before travelling your horse, it’s essential to consider more than just the vehicle. Your horse must be physically and mentally fit and prepared for the journey, with time spent to ensure they are properly trained to load, unload and travel safely.  Time spent assessing their fitness to travel and prioritising their training and handling using ethical training principles will reduce risk to both horse and handler, and save time in the long-term. Preparation should be done gradually – in terms of both their physical and mental readiness – for the demands of travel. 

Physical fitness 

Travelling is physically demanding for horses as they need to balance continuously while the vehicle is moving. 

Check their overall health and fitness: 

• body temperature 

• any discharge from the nose or eye 

• any lameness 

• any existing or previous injuries that could worsen during travel 

• whether they have recently foal 

Speak to your vet if you have any concerns about whether your horse is fit to travel. 

Consider your horse’s risk of injury or dehydration during the journey – they can also face an increased risk of respiratory issues during travel, particularly if ventilation is poor or their head is restricted for periods of time. 

Mental readiness 

A horse’s behaviour and mental state are just as important as their physical health.  Horses should be trained to load and unload calmly and stand quietly on a vehicle.   

Ask yourself: 

• Is your horse tricky or unpredictable to load? 

• Do they become anxious when travelling? 

• Have they had a negative past experience? 

• Do they unload in a rush? 

If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, your horse needs more support and training to fully prepare them for transport.  Transporting a stressed horse increases the risk of injury and disease and can make future travel more difficult. 

Horses should be handled and trained using ethical training principles and everyone involved in their care should have a sound understanding of equine behaviour and how they learn (learning theory) – this can help to make travel safer, less stressful and more predictable.  Many horses travel much better with a familiar and calm companion – so where possible, consider bringing along another horse particularly during the early training stages. 

Before a journey 

Before any journey, assess whether your horse is fit to travel.  Horses should have access to forage and an unrestricted, continuous supply of clean drinking water before the start of a journey. 

Loading behaviour 

Practice loading well before any journey, allowing the horse to become familiar with ramps, confined spaces and the vehicle environment. How your horse loads can be an indicator of their readiness to travel.

Signs to watch out for include: 

• Refusing to load 

• Needing force (e.g. ropes or pressure) 

• Rushing or panicking 

However, even horses that appear to load “easily” may still not be ready for transport, so it is important to continue to monitor their behaviour throughout a journey.  It is also a good idea to regularly practice loading, unloading and standing calmly – even when you are not planning on going anywhere.  

On the vehicle 

Horses need space to balance properly – they do not use partitions or the side of vehicles to lean on.  Ideally, they should have at least 20cm of additional space between them and the side of the vehicle, both to their sides and behind them.  Constantly rubbing or bumping off a partition or the side of the vehicle can lead to bruising and injuries.  

Most horses travel better with access to forage throughout the journey, and regular water breaks.   

Check on how your horse is travelling by using a camera if possible.  This will let you see how your horse responds to the varying road terrain allowing you to adjust your driving accordingly – remember to accelerate slowly, avoid harsh breaking and take it easy around corners and roundabouts.    

If you are travelling on a long journey – plan water and forage breaks at least every 4 hours.   

On arrival or returning to home 

Giving your horse time to settle and rest following a journey is just as important as the preparation phase.  Offer unrestricted access to water and allow your horse to stretch their neck and head downwards and give their legs a stretch too – hand grazing or turning out into a field is an excellent option if it is possible and safe to do so.  Monitor your horse’s behaviour and health closely. 

For more information on safe transport, see our Travelling safely: horsebox and trailer requirements page.

Last updated: 17/7/2026. Advice collated by the World Horse Welfare research and education team and externally reviewed by Dr Barbara Padalino, DVM, PhD, DipECAWBM(AWSEL)