Midge Leitch, DVM, formerly of Londonderry Equine Clinic and now the radiology clinician at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, says it’s debatable whether or not stopping along the road to rest the horse, or even an overnight stop at a “horse motel,” accomplishes what you hope. “Most horses don’t settle in very well and won’t relax in a strange place for just a six- to 10-hour stop,” she explains.

“Depending on how far you are going, you may want to schedule the stop for longer than overnight so the horse can become accustomed enough to his surroundings to really relax and rest,” says Leitch.

An overnight stop might be more stressful for the horse than staying in the trailer and continuing the trip.

“There are many horses that are shipped across country without unloading,” she notes. “They may be stopped along the road, resting in the trailer, getting a break from keeping their balance while traveling.”

They are comfortable in their own trailer and at ease. Not every horse can be unloaded into a strange barn and actually get some rest; he might be worried about being in an unfamiliar place and fretting over the horse in the next stall.

You also have no idea about the health status of the horse that occupied your stall previously, and you must take this risk into consideration when deciding whether to stop and unload your horse or just leave him resting in the stationary trailer. Endurance horses are often tied to the trailer or turned out next to it in a portable electric fence enclosure while the owner sleeps in the trailer.

“Most people who ship horses, however, are better off to leave their horses in the trailer,” says Leitch. “Letting horses rest in the trailer works well, especially if it’s a box stall or compartment so they can be loose and have their heads down to eat and drink and clear the airways of mucus and collected debris (such as inhaled dust)