The Crusader States needed a lot of big warhorses (Templars had four each). Some they bought or reared locally, but they imported a lot from stud farms in Italy and N Spain. Transporting horses by sea was difficult because the horses couldn't stand in their ... (1/2)
... (2/2) stalls, due to the movement of the ship, but had to be supported with slings. They needed regular stops for exercise or their muscles would atrophy. On one occasion a knight charged out of a horse transport only for his horse to collapse for this reason.