Horse transport causes physiological and psychological stress. Journey management including duration limits, appropriate feeding and water provision, and good vehicle design significantly reduces welfare harm.
Horse transport welfare is poorly regulated outside the EU, and even within EU regulations, enforcement is inconsistent. Long-distance live animal transport — horses crossing continents for slaughter — has been documented causing severe welfare harm through exhaustion, dehydration, injury, and disease. Within normal competition and trade transport contexts, evidence supports that horses experience transport as a stressful event that takes several days for physiological recovery. Journeys over 8 hours without adequate rest and water significantly increase disease risk. The welfare case for short journey times, high-quality vehicles, skilled drivers, and appropriate management of feeding, watering, and ventilation is clear and should guide both regulatory design and individual transport decisions.