Here are a list of things to watch, prepare and do for transporting horses: http://www.tufts.edu/vet/sports/transport.html

Horses lose 2-5 pounds of body weight for every hour they travel, and that's in cool weather. This can increase dramatically in hot weather due to evaporation at the body surface or frank sweating.

This is just one of the overview points written there and this is a great advice on how transport our horses.

Wow, 2-5lbs, how exactly does this work, and does it depend on the distance traveled? That is just kind of scary to think about, after all that and getting a horse settled, I don't think I would want to move him/her anywhere.

Maybe because of the fright or the nervousness that the horse experiences. Heavy sweating might be one of the cause of the weight loss. But its good that the link has this information on how to take care of the horse before and after a long distance travel.

Here are some of the care tips for transporting horses:


Try to make any feed changes two to four weeks before long-distance transport.
Soak your horse's hay in water to increase the amount of fluid he is getting.
If your horse enjoys wet feed, then a bran mash with a few 'goodies', such as apples and carrots, will also help to deliver fluid to his system.
Let your horse have a well-earned rest when he reaches his destination. It may take your horse as long as 1-2 weeks to regain the weight that he lost during travel.

2 weeks is a good amount of time. Have you done this before?

2 weeks is a good amount of time. Have you done this before?

I have a question, as I have never taken a horse for racing. But how do the people move their horses for big races that can make them travel 10 - 20 hours?

is this then done in stages and you arrive at the destination many weeks before the race?

I have a question, as I have never taken a horse for racing. But how do the people move their horses for big races that can make them travel 10 - 20 hours?

is this then done in stages and you arrive at the destination many weeks before the race?


I wondered that too before you posted it regarding the above. Makes more sense to have a mini vacation and travel with the horse sparingly. :)

Wow, I have never traveled with my horses. After reading this, I'm afraid to! I would keep stopping to make sure they were all right, and act like a mother fussing over her newborn.

Meh, I wish I lost 2-5lbs per hour of travel...

@Gizmo, They probably are used to traveling or are trained a certain way.

Whew, it must be difficult to be traveling with and or moving horses. Especially if they have some tantrums or when they are having some 'attitude' problems. Lol :)

Horses can also get very serious 'travel sickness' if they are unable to lower their heads to clear their throat from time to time, such as in a trailer. I've also heard of some horses that refuse to urinate in a trailer, because it splashes on theire legs or is wet under their hooves. Most people would stop to let the horse stretch their legs every couple of hours.

Especially for races, because if the horse does come down with travel sickness they will get very sick, unless they're dosed with penicillin, which means they return a positive drug swab and are disqualified.

Horses are meant to be ridden and not to just to ride behind a trailer. Maybe that is why they are having this travel sickness.

I still can't imagine how heavy sweating would reduce the weight of a horse in just a couple of hours of travel. Could someone explain how this happens?

So does that mean that if you are planning on showing your horse that you need to move them a long time in advance of the show? It would seem cruel to do anything else.

Seems to be like that. One of the quoted lines:

Let your horse have a well-earned rest when he reaches his destination. It may take your horse as long as 1-2 weeks to regain the weight that he lost during travel.

But I guess if the horses are used to traveling, then they won't be needing it anymore. I think this only applies to horses with first time experience traveling in a trailer.

If you have two horses, is it better or worse to travel with both in the same trailor, do they need a seperate trailor or does it depend on their temperments?

Is there a rough guideline for how far a horse can travel before it needs a break? I am thinking about the last time I took a 10+ hour car ride and needed to get out and stretch my legs every so often.