Does anyone have any information on how to ship a horse to Europe?

Question

We are moving from California to Holland this fall and I am having trouble finding information on how to have my 2 year old stud colt shipped over. I know that I have to go through LAX but I even have trouble reaching people there. Has anyone done this before? What is the best way to do it and what is the deal with the grooms ticket or person who rides with the horse? Discounts for shipping more than 1 at a time??

Thanks

Answer 1

I relocated to South Africa from the US and was looking into this for many months because I wanted to bring my show jumper with me.  Basically, all horses shipping to europe fly out of JFK in New York.  It is MUCH cheaper to drive the horse to NY (even from california) and fly them out from there.  There are many long distance equine couriers in the states that can help with that.  Not sure about the cost though.  

Once your horse arrives in New york, he may have to quarantine there from 1 day to six months depending on the import requirements of the country you're going to.  When it actually comes time to fly, your horse is loaded onto a pallet which has 3 stalls (resembeling a trailer).  You are charged for the shipment of the PALLET, not the 1 horse!  So, it is the same price to ship 1 horse as it is 3.  You can also find other horses going overseas and share the cost of a pallet with those owners , bloodstock agents are great for this because they are always importing and exporting, especially race horses.  From JFK to Amsterdam for the Pallet, you are looking at +- $10,000 not including quarantine, blood work, vaccinations etc.  However, that was before the price of fuel went up so much so it is porbably more now.  Once arriving in the new country, your horse will have to quarantine again before being released to you.  If you go through a company like air horse which is based in Germany, they provide the groom who rides with the horses in transit and administers sedation if necessary as well as feeds and waters them.  They also arrange quarantine and airline tickets and can even find you someone to share a pallet with.  They do come at a price, but they are an all inclusive service that will make sure your horse's move is flawless.  

In the end, I sold my horse and got another one here in SA, I just thought 6 months of quarantine would be too stressful on him.  Most importantly though, look into the country's requirements very carefully and make sure all your paperwork is in order or they can turn your horse around upon arrival at your expense!