There are a statutory provisions in the New York Agric. & Mtks Act specific to horse breeders. Under Section 359-a(1), every vehicle utilized for the transportation of more than six horses shall meet the following requirements:
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The interiors of compartments containing horses shall be constructed of smooth materials, containing no sharp objects or protrusions which are hazardous;
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The floors shall be of such construction or covered with abrasive material so as to prevent horses from skidding or sliding;
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There shall be sufficient apertures to insure adequate ventilation;
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There shall be sufficient insulation or covering to maintain an adequate temperature in the compartment containing horses;
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Partitions of sturdy construction shall be placed a maximum of ten feet apart in vehicles which do not have stalls;
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Doorways shall be of sufficient height to allow safe ingress and egress of each horse contained in the compartment;
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Each compartment containing horses shall allow for sufficient clearance above the poll and withers of each horse in the compartment;
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Ramps sufficient for loading and unloading horses shall be provided if the vertical distance from the floor of the compartment containing horses to the ground is greater than fifteen inches; and
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There shall be at least two doorways for ingress and egress which shall not be on the same side.
Additionally, if you are transporting more than six horses on a highway then the horse trailer cannot have more than one tier.
This is an excerpt from my book that I co-authored with Pat Dillon, an Iowa food and agriculture lawyer and author of this Iowa agriculture law book. You can purchase a copy of the book “Field Guide: Legal Guide for New York Farmers and Food Entrepreneurs” on Amazon.com. A new (more user-friendly) Kindle version of my book has been recently uploaded (only $9.99 or $2.99, if you own the hard copy of the book).