Friesian Horse Transport Across Australia
Horses are not flown domestically in Australia, only for export, so every interstate horse travels by float or by horse truck, and over longer distances is unloaded along the way to rest, feed and drink. From us at Yangan in south east Queensland, New South Wales is up to two days depending where you are, the ACT about two, Victoria about three, South Australia about three, and Western Australia five to six. We recommend a transporter for you to book, or we can book on your behalf and forward the invoice to you.
How long it takes, state by state
In early 2025 we delivered a young horse to Geelong and it took 3 full days, staying at showgrounds overnight and unloading and allowing him to drink and rest for an hour in the middle of each day. Travelling with your own horse float is definitely the ultimate way to transport the horse. I was able to clean the float interior completely each evening so he wasn’t breathing any dust, we put additional rubber matting down to cushion his ride and the ability to spell him in the middle of each day and allow him to walk, meant he arrived in peak health with the added bonus of the learning experience that he got from all the loading and unloading in different locations.
New South Wales is up to two days, depending on where in the state you are. The ACT is about two days. South Australia is about three days. Western Australia is five to six days.
The Northern Territory is about three days, but we would not sell a Friesian into the Northern Territory because of the heat. These are cold climate horses from the Netherlands, they carry a lot of hair and the climate matters more for this breed than for most. A horse that cannot tolerate the humidity and the temperatures, and that is affected by sweet itch, is often a horse that gets sold on when its owner discovers the horse can’t cope in that environment. We would not approve a sale under these circumstances.
What it costs
Transport is priced on the route and the transporter, so we can get a current quote for your journey rather than quoting you an old one. As a guide to what the distance actually involves, the Geelong trip took three days and cost $2,500, and that figure covered our costs only, including servicing the horse float and vehicle in preparation for making a long and safe journey. It is worth knowing if you are weighing up driving up to collect the horse yourself.
Who organises it
There are three ways this happens and you choose. You can collect and transport the horse yourself. We can recommend a transporter, give you their details, and you book them directly. Or we can book on your behalf and have the invoice forwarded to you.
The transporter we recommend is Ultimate Horse Transport, they have been highly recommended by other Friesian owners who’ve had current experience with using them, this is the recommendation we trust most.
How we prepare a horse to travel
All our young horses are taught to load and travel on a float, with plenty of trips including into town and out on the highway, so by the time they leave here travelling is an ordinary thing they have done many times.
They learn to be safe to handle, to lead and to tie up, and to cope with strange sights while still respecting the halter.
Arriving
You need to be there to receive the horse and settle it into its new place. Have the paddock or yard safe, secure and ready, have water and good grassy hay there, and give the horse a quiet day or two to recover from the trip before you ask anything of it.
On extended trips, particularly in transport trucks, horses become heavily fatigued from standing and rocking in the transport, so they need plenty of room to walk and rest on arrival and free access to grassy hay. For that reason we do not recommend keeping the horse in a stable when it arrives. It needs to stretch its legs and move after travelling.
Sometimes in transport trucks, horses experience a respiratory infection after arriving at their new destination. This can happen if a slightly sick horse is loaded onto the truck and all the transported horses come into contact while under varying forms of mild stress.
When your horse arrives, keep it isolated from other horses, including not sharing drinking troughs between paddocks. Consider contacting a herbalist such as McDowells Herbs to have an oral immune support program on hand to start giving your horse on arrival, to support it over the weeks following its transport.
You will also have the horse’s registration papers and a training and nutrition handover from us, so you know exactly what it has done and what it has been fed, and the horse can be kept on the same feed while it settles.
Before any of this, you come and see the horse
Transport comes after the decision, not before it. We ask every buyer to come and view the horse before buying and we will not sell a horse sight unseen, because it is often the only way for us to know whether the horse and the rider suit each other. Buyers can drive directly to us or fly into Brisbane and hire a car, and the farm is just under two hours away. Visits are by appointment, so contact us prior to travelling to book your time. What we have available is on our Friesian horses for sale page, and our guide to buying a Friesian covers what to check when you get here. Buyers in the two biggest states can start on our Victoria page or our New South Wales page.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Common questions
How do you transport a horse interstate in Australia?
By road, on a float or a horse transport truck. Horses are not flown domestically in Australia, only for export, so every interstate horse travels by road and is unloaded to rest, feed and water along the way. We recommend a transporter for you to book, or we book on your behalf and forward the invoice to you.
How much does interstate horse transport cost?
It depends on the distance and the transporter, so we get a current quote for your route rather than quoting an old job. As a guide to what the distance involves, we drove a young horse to Geelong in Victoria ourselves in early 2025, over three days, and it cost $2,500 covering our costs only. That is not a commercial rate. Commercial transporters price separately.
How long does it take to get a horse from Queensland to Victoria?
About three days. New South Wales is up to two days depending where you are, the ACT is about two days, South Australia about three, and Western Australia five to six days. Depending on distance the horse is rested along the way, which is why it is not a straight drive.
Is interstate transport safe for a horse?
It is safe when the horse is prepared for it and the transporter is a good one. All our young horses are taught to load and travel on a float long before they leave, with plenty of trips including into town and out on the highway, so travelling is a normal thing rather than a frightening one.
Who arranges the transport, you or me?
Whichever you prefer. You can collect and transport the horse yourself. We can recommend a transporter and give you their details to book directly. Or we can book on your behalf and forward the invoice to you.
Do I need to be there when the horse arrives?
Yes. You need to be there to receive the horse and settle it into its new place. On extended trips horses become heavily fatigued from standing and rocking in the transport, so they need plenty of room to walk and rest on arrival and free access to grassy hay. For that reason we do not recommend keeping the horse in a stable when it arrives. It needs to stretch its legs and move after travelling.
Can a horse get sick after transport?
Sometimes horses experience a respiratory infection after arriving at their new destination. This can happen if a slightly sick horse is loaded onto the truck and all the transported horses come into contact while under varying forms of mild stress. When your horse arrives, keep it isolated from other horses, including not sharing drinking troughs between paddocks. It is worth contacting a herbalist such as McDowells Herbs to have an oral immune support program on hand to start on arrival, to support the horse over the weeks following its transport.
