Terms and conditions for a horse transport business

A horse transport business carries an animal worth many times the fee, in a vehicle, on a timetable it does not control, for an owner who is not present. The terms need to deal with fitness to travel, loading, waiting time, delays, veterinary decisions en route and who carries the risk on the horse itself. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Horse transport and equine haulage businesses in England and Wales, from one horsebox to a fleet: competition and racing journeys, sales deliveries, vet and clinic runs, stud moves and emergency transport. A private owner booking their own horse is a consumer and has rights they cannot sign away. Dealers, studs, racing yards and riding schools are business customers. One set of terms has to serve both.

What matters in horse transport terms

Responsibility for the horse in your care

The horse in your vehicle is usually worth far more than the price of the journey, and that gap is the central issue. Your terms should say plainly what you are responsible for: care and skill in handling, loading and driving, not the outcome of a journey a particular animal may not tolerate. Against business customers a cap and an exclusion of consequential loss are subject to the reasonableness test in the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, and insurance is one of the things reasonableness looks at. Nothing removes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

Fitness to travel, health and biosecurity

The owner knows the horse and you do not. As a transporter carrying horses for hire or reward you are subject to the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006, which requires authorisation and makes fitness to travel your responsibility as well as the owner's, and a horsebox over 3.5 tonnes used for hire or reward needs an operator's licence under the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995. The terms should require them to confirm the horse is fit to travel, to disclose any infectious disease, recent temperature, isolation or outbreak at the yard, and to provide the documentation the journey needs, including the horse's passport under the Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018. You want an express right to refuse to load, with the journey still chargeable, where what you find on the yard is not what was described at booking. Say who pays for decontamination and for the bookings you lose while the vehicle is out of use. That clause justifies itself the first time it is needed.

Loading, handlers and waiting time

Some horses do not load, and the ones that do not can take hours. The terms should state how much time is included in the price, what waiting time costs beyond it, that a competent handler who knows the horse must be present at collection and delivery, and who takes the decision to abandon an attempt. A wasted journey charge is normal, but for a private owner it must reflect what you have lost, because the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats disproportionate default charges as unfair. Record that the owner's handler follows your instructions on your ramp.

The quote, the mileage and the extras

Horse transport is quoted on distance, but the real cost of a journey includes tolls, ferries, congestion and clean air charges, overnight stabling, waiting time and an empty return leg. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans drip pricing, so a price shown to a private owner has to include the mandatory charges rather than reveal them when the invoice lands. Build them into the quote or state them clearly before booking. A fuel surcharge should be tied to something objective, because a one-sided right to vary the price sits on the grey list in the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Bookings and the fourteen-day cancellation right

Bookings taken by phone, email or message are distance contracts, so a private owner has fourteen days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Most journeys fall inside that window, so your booking confirmation must obtain the owner's express request to begin and their acknowledgement that the right to cancel is lost once the journey is completed within the period. An owner who made that request and then cancels pays a proportionate amount; one who made no request pays nothing. Where the cancellation information was never given, the period can extend by up to twelve months. Business customers have no such right.

Delays, vets en route and getting paid

Sailings are cancelled, motorways close and a horse can be in difficulty at a service station. The terms should make arrival times estimates, exclude liability for delay outside your control, and give you express authority to obtain veterinary attention and to unload or stable the horse in an emergency at the owner's cost, with a named contact to reach. Deal too with the delivery nobody turns up for and who pays for the stabling that follows. Take payment before travel from private owners; where yards and dealers are on account, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives you interest and fixed compensation.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

What if I arrive and the horse is not fit to travel?

The decision stays yours and your terms should say so. I draft a right to refuse to load where the horse appears unfit, where the description given at booking was wrong, or where you are not satisfied on welfare grounds, with the journey chargeable. Without that clause you are arguing about a refund with an owner who wanted the horse moved regardless.

Who should insure the horse while it is travelling?

Most carriers require the owner to hold their own cover on the horse and to confirm it at booking, because transit cover rarely responds to the value of a competition animal. The terms should state the position squarely rather than let the owner assume your policy covers the horse. I set out your cover and the owner's obligations in the same section.

Do these terms cover journeys to Ireland or the Continent?

The terms I draft are governed by the law of England and Wales, and I do not draft terms under another country's law. They can still apply to cross-border work, with clauses putting customs paperwork, health documentation and border formalities on the owner, and treating sailing times and border waits as outside your control.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Ask Caesar, £495 a month
• Terms and conditions for a dog groomer
• Terms and conditions for a mobile hairdresser or beautician

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.