7.  Keep the trailer in good condition.
Eliminate any opportunity for vehicle failure by regularly checking and repairing your trailer as needed.  Pay particular attention to the floor, ramps, brakes and coupler/hitches.  If anything looks suspicious, don't use the trailer until it is professionally inspected and repaired.

8.  Be a sympathetic driver.
While there have been no large-scale studies of the effects of driver technique on shipped horses, a slower, steady journey is easier than an erratic, speedy one.  Take a ride in the back of an empty trailer yourself to experience the differences in driving styles firsthand.  A useful test of your own driving ability is to place a half-full glass of water on the dashboard.  If you can drive without the water sloshing to the three-quarters mark, your driving is passenger friendly.

9.  Provide ample water and adequate hay, but no grain.
Water during travel is essential for battling dehydration, a common side effect of shipping that can lead to other, more serious problems.  At every stop, or at least every four hours, offer horses water from home or in a familiar bucket.  Many in-transit horses won't drink during the first eight hours on the road and some may never drink, but continue to offer anyway.  Hay is a great pacifier of traveling horses and helps retain water in the gut.  Feeding grain to traveling horses is not a good idea.  Stress can affect gut function, and the grain will sit and ferment, possibly leading to colic or laminitis.

10.  Cater to each horse's individual preferences
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when shipping is the preference of each horse.  Some horses travel quietly in situations others find intolerable.  Experiment with every variable--traveling positions, watering routines, even the time of day you travel-- until you find a combination that suits your horse or the majority of the horses that normally travel together.