After a long search I’ve found a horse in Europe that I want to import to the US (CA). I have gotten some quotes from transport companies and for quarantine but am wondering which transport company provides the best care or if there are any to avoid.
I’d also be grateful for any recommendations for insurance that covers an international purchase.
Lastly, I’m curious about details such as do they ship best in boots & a cooler, or naked (I’m assuming naked)? What steps did you take to ensure the safest & most comfortable trip for your horse (sheepskin halter cover, Ulcergard, calming supplements, etc)?
So many questions! I’m excited but have a lot to learn. I’m also open to using an agent with experience in this if it would make everything smoother and as comfortable as possible for my new horse.
Any and all advice is truly appreciated!
I imported a mare from The Netherlands this February. The dealer had arranged everything that needed to happen to get her on the plane. There were 2 shipping agents involved. The agent in Holland arranged the flight and then my agent ( I used Dutta) arranged for picking horse up at the airport shipping to USDF quarantine and then picking horse up when she was released from USDF quarantine and shipping to CEM quarantine.
everything would have gone great except that the pilot had a heart attack and instead of a 7 hour direct flight from Amsterdam to NY, they diverted the plane to New Foundland Canada. It was a 747 passenger jet with 9 horses in the cargo areaThe horses were stuck on the plane for 31 hours.
I also had trouble with the CEM quarantine- but if you have a gelding you won’t have to deal with that.
you will have very little control of your horse until he is released from USDF. I know my horse left her stable with a lovely fleece cooler, front shipping boots and a nylon halter with built in fuzzies (!i haven’t seen a halter like this in the states) on the plane and usdf quarantine she had only the halter.
inwas expecting my horse would be at my barn 10-11 days after leaving Amsterdam but with the problem with the flight and the CEM screwup it ended up being 21 days which really sucked
Oh, insurance is easy. Just contact any agent.
OMG, that makes me cringe. I would have been besides myself. How common is this to have horses on the same flight with passengers?
This is why I buy from an importer who brings in horses, multiple horses, and sells them here. I could not handle having my horses making unscheduled stops.
@dudleyc , do you mean the USDA quarantine? Autocorrect may change it to USDF but I don’t think USDF is involved in quarantine facilities.
Cargo is cargo, and it is my understanding that passenger jets “always” carry cargo. Its also my understanding that jets devoted solo to the transportation of horses do not exist
of course pilots having heart attacks on transatlantic flights is not common either. It was big news in the Netherlands on national television
There are all-horse planes, but I doubt you would find one doing this route. Tex Sutton has one, and I have heard of another that brings the polo teams back and forth from South America to Florida in the winter, although I think it is privately owned. I believe you can charter a full horse plane with Fedex as well - but its used for other things the rest of the time.
I did mean USDA!
But this is a freaky and unusual situation.
FWIW, the dealer that I was dealing with have sold some very exceptional young horses. Including Utopia to Carl Hester and Florentina to Charlotte Dujardin.
Also FWIW what happened in CEM was very “unique”.
We have CEM quarantines here in Wellington that allow us to ride and work with our mares and stallions as they are going through the quarantine - unlike in some other states that don’t allow you to visit. I don’t know what it’s like in CA. Don’t worry about pilots having heart attacks - that’s got to be a huge rarity - they go through intense physical exams. The whole import process can be stressful for sure, but it’s amazing how adaptive horses are and how well they cope most of the time! A good agent will be your lifeline throughout.
A friend recently imported two horses to CA. They go from LAX to Jet Pets for quarantine. One horse was released (I think) 48 hours later, the other had to stay for 3 weeks (!) due to a mix up/inconclusive results from blood sampling. I think they hand walk them while they are there, but not much else, and as someone else said, you have zero control while they are there.
Dr Miller’s CVM quarantine facility in NY has riding facilities and allows horses to be worked as well.
OP your horse will need to enter the USA at one of 4 approved ports of entry. Los Angeles,Ca., Newburg.NY., Miami, Fl., or Honolulu, Hi.
It must enter USDA quarantine when it lands in the USA. It may be difficult to find a flight from Europe to Los Angeles, Ca. that will carry horses due to the weight they add and the extra jet fuel used. So your horse may need to be quarantined back east.
If your horse is a stallion or mare, it must be quarantined for CEM after USDA. I don’t think they are done concurrently. The horse must be shipped in a sealed trailer from the USDA facility to the CEM facility. It is highly recommended the facilities be close together as the seal on the trailer can not be broken to let the horse exit between the two facilities.
Then your horse will need to be shipped/flown cross country to Ca.
Make very sure all necessary health certificates will not expire at any time your horse is in route if there is an unexpected lay-over.
Talk to the Ca. state vet at the CDFA and ask what needs to, or is advised to, happen on your when your new horse arrives.
If there is any way to hire a reputable groom in Europe, (sometimes there is a working student who would like to take a trip to the USA) or to send someone you trust over there, to fly home with the horse that could prove worthwhile if any SNAFU is encountered.
Congrats!!!
I’ve had good experiences with Dutta and would recommend.
Don’t they have a brand spanking new quarantine facility in NY ? Sutton forwarding; http://www.suttonforwarding.com/AboutUs/Aircraft.aspx KLM are generally regarded as the best Airline for horses. https://www.klm.com/corporate/en/abo…transport.html
The USDA quarantine was a breeze. And it was KLM flight my horse was on! But like i
said earlier pilots having heart attacks on transatlantic flights is crazy! It was a huge news story in the Netherlands.
As as far as the CEM quarantine. My mare was at Millers. The problem I had was they advertised an "expedited service that can get the horse out in 5-6 days. There was an extra $ for this service and then a day rate if the horse stayed past the expected release date. The reality with the ways the labs work is that they could not possibly deliver the expedited service, finally for the third and most important CEM culture, it got delivered to the lab a day late (a Saturday when the lab wouldn’t plate it and they did not track the package so they weren’t aware of the error until late Monday (too late to culture so third culture Didn’t go out until Tuesday). I asked to meet face to face with the owners and we had a very nice conversation and they have since changed their advertising. The mare was an unbroken 3 year old and she needed to be maintained on ace tabs the whole time she was there. They do not have turn out at Millers and she was really too unmanageable to hand walk. They do have a very nice outdoor riding arena.
Bur as Shannon states horses adapt and even through all this she managed to gain weight in CEM quarantine and arrived at my farm in good shape and with all the equipment she left the Netherlands with.
Unfortunately this is quite misleading in the logistics of the flights -as I’ve noted above.
There are TWO FLIGHTS A WEEK from Amsterdam to LAX that transport horses - every Tuesday and Wednesday.
Just call Tim Dutta and they will arrange for everything on both sides.
The horse will NOT be allowed to ship in boots or wraps (the flight grooms will take them off before loading). A blanket is only allowed if it is cold but will be immediately removed upon landing as the horses are sprayed down with bug killer upon arrival, the halter will be one provided by the shipping company.
Steps to ship a horse from europe to los angeles
- Call Tim Dutta and get the shipment booked. They will let Jet Pets know as well
- Pay the invoices you receive
- Your horse will fly from Amsterdam to LAX - nonstop on KLM.
4)J et Pets will meet the flight, unload the horses and put them into the USDA quarantine at their facility for 48 hours. No visitors are allowed at the flight landing or at the USDA quarantine. You won’t be able to see your horse until it’s released from USDA quarantine at Jet Pets. - horse will be released from quarantine. If it is a gelding you will be told what time you can come pick him up.
- If if is a mare or stallion then you have two choices for CEM quarantine on the West Coast - UC Davis in Davis CA or Farwood Farm in Medford Oregon. Jet Pets will ask you ahead of time which you prefer. They will make the transfer arrangements from USDA quarantine, into the sealed CEM truck and transfer to either Davis or Farwood.
UC Davis provides minimal care for the CEM horses other than a stall, food and the needed vet services.
Farwood will provide turnout, hand walking, lunging, grooming, clipping, they have an in house rider or you can come ride your own horse
