How long can a horse be trailered?

Haleigh F: How long can a horse be trailered?
Im going to pick a horse up in Florida and taking it back to Georgia(its an 8 hour drive.)
Is there any places you can stop to get the horse out?

Answers and Views:

Answer by S S
OHH YEAHh
you can empty out,strech ect at a rest stop…make sure you have some one help you unload and load

Answer by kara k
I’m not sure if there are designated places for letting your horse stretch his legs. If it makes you feel any better – horses do this every single day when they’re asleep at night. Especially if they have to stay in stalls. So I wouldn’t be too worried about removing him from the trailer for the journey. It would be a good idea, though, to stop & check for injuries quite frequently.

Answer by lisa m
Don’t take the horse out, he’ll be just fine. Eight hours isn’t that bad. Just check on him every time you stop for gas, offer water (so keep a bucket close by, can fill it at gas stations), make sure he has hay and keep trucking. It’s asking for big problems unloading the horse especially if he then decides he’s not getting back on.
I’ve driven horses from TX to Iowa and Ohio which is around 17 hours and never taken them off. I’ve also driven horses from the UK, onto a ferry and then through France, Belgium and into Germany and never even considered unloading them.

Edit – how exactly does that answer constitute a thumbs down? I would really like someone to explain that to me!

Answer by clyff12
No a horse can sit i a trailer for 8 hours easy. I definitely dont recommend stopping and taking your horse out because he will be in new unknown surrounding and he may not to get back in the trailer or worst of all he may get scared and get loose. So i recommend just tucking him in, giving him lots of hay, and giving him a drink of water several times along the way.

Answer by moodymare
You should stop to let the horse out for a stretch and water every 2 hours and if possible stop every hour in between to check them and make sure they’re not dehydrated. I know this is not always practical but it’s preferable.
I’m not in the US so I don’t know what your service stations/rest stops are like but I’m sure there are places you can stop or riding schools on route that you can ask about stopping.
Good luck 🙂

Answer by twhrider
Providing the weather is not extremely hot or cold, 8 hours is not a huge deal. I’d just take a brief break when you fuel or get food….let them just stand for a bit, but I wouldn’t unload. Really not necessary. Or particularly safe….

Answer by Bobbi
8 hrs is not a long drive…don’t get your horse out, just stop and rest you and your horse about every 2 or 3 hrs…offer water and feed when you get home. What makes a horse tired while riding in a trailer is balancing themselves, when the trailer isn’t moving, your horse is resting. You are just inviting trouble with your horse by unloading them anywhere other than home or at a horse motel…lots can happen that you would never think about…keep them on the trailer. If you have a stock trailer and only one horse, just turn the horse loose in the stock trailer for a while, then tie him back up when you leave.

Answer by wahoo
8 hours in a trailer is a piece of cake. Unless a particular horse has a problem of some sort…the eight hour drive can be a cinch. I have had horses in the trailer for up to 36 hours, not planned and not always moving (spent the night at a motel) but it happens some times. Sometimes the horses are transported up to 12, 13, hours or more before resting for the night…they do fine. As long as the trailer is not cramped quarters for the horse things will be fine. Just head home and stop for fuel, then check the horse, offer water ( he probably will not drink but at least you offered) give them hay to munch on while you go for a break…use your head, and quit worrying. Just remember, don’t take the horse out till home unless there is blood or he is dying. .

Answer by foxygeeb
No worries 8 hours is fine… just make sure its a nice ride… we truck horses from brisbane to sydney and they are fine… some horses do get restless and like to have a stop off… we usually just stop in a road side park and let them have a graze and drink of water and some hay… i’d recommend doing the trip over night if you can… make the horse more likely to travel quietly… and if you just stop on the side of the road then there will be limited traffic…
Good luck

Answer by hwinnum
Leave the horse in the trailer. My husband picked up a horse in Georgia and drove it to Pennsylvania in a 2-horse trailer. It was a 16 hr drive, and the horse was fine, but tired when he arrived. He laid down in his new stall and took a nap.
Along the road, they checked the horse when they pulled off the road for food, fuel or a break.

Answer by westerngamergirl
the horse should be perfectly fine. DO NOT TAKE OUT THE HORSE! in my old 4h club, they taught us this because they knew of a horse that was taken out, somehow got away, and ran into the road. i don’t remember if the horse lived or not. even if that doesn’t happen, the horse might not want to get back inside for fear of being in there for another long period of time. not a good idea. you should still stop to offer it water, and you might want to keep a hay bag in there to keep your horse occupied.

Answer by Gus
I moved a friends horse from Eastern NC to Fort Smith AR, a 26 hour drive. When we stopped for fuel, water was given to them. We stopped half way through the trip for an hor or so and they did fine. You trip is much shorter. Just keep an eye on them. If your horse handles good they should be allowed to stretch every 4 or 5 hours.
good luck on your move.