Importing a horse from Europe?

[StepOne]

I posted this topic in Off Course, but I’m posting it here as well because I’m specifically interested in the industry of importing H/J and dressage horses, and most H/J and dressage posters here don’t hang out in Off Course. I hope that this is okay, and if it’s not, please let me know! Mods, if this shouldn’t be here, please feel free to lock it.

Anyways:

I am looking to gain as much information as possible about importing horses from Europe. More specifically, I’m not just looking to learn about the price of actually importing the horse and where they would go, but the backstory as well. I’m interested in learning about breeding operations in Europe/where the horses are bred in Europe, at what age they are usually imported/after how much training they are usually imported, and about actually importing the horse. What regulations do you have to abide by (quarantine etc)? What is the average cost? When the horses are imported, what is their travel plan- where in Europe do they start, where do they trailer to, where do they fly out of, and where do they stop along the way? Do most imported horses fly, or do any come on ships? If they do fly, who transports them? Is it through FedEx (horses flying within the US are usually flown by FedEx, I know).

Also, this is a slight tangent, but just in case anyone knows: are horse prices in Europe really lower than they are in the States? Does anyone know if the average cost of hay/grain etc is lower in Europe than it is in the States, or if it’s roughly equivalent?

I would really appreciate any help at all that COTH can give me. I know this is a LOT of questions/info, so even if you don’t know the answers to all of these questions, if you know the answers to ANY of them, please feel free to just post whatever info you have!
If anyone has any links to web sites that talk about this or knows of anyone that I can email/contact for more information, that would be great. Any knowledge you have independently/on your own in your head would be great too.
Thanks all!

[SmplySweet1021]

I don’t know a ton but I almost rode a summer with Stal Hendrix in Baarlo the Netherlands before I was injured. They do their own breeding of Dutch Warmbloods at their facility. Stal Hendrix focuses on Jumpers so they breed for jumper traits, horses are evaluated at a young age. At the time they started all their horses there, any horses that seemed to be more like hunters were shipped to the US to several trainers they had contacts with. Those horses were then sold and profits returned to Stal Hendrix. The jumpers that remained were trained and ridden by their riders or sold to other riders.

Most horses shipped from the Netherlands head out through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, unless you are close to the German or Belgian airports. All horses flying from Europe enter the US through the Newburgh, NY quarantine which is the only European quarantine facility in the US. (For WEG European horses were flown to a temporary quarantine facility in Cincinnati) Basically all flights from Europe are non-stop to New York JFK, Newark, or LaGuardia (Not sure where their entrance into the US is) then they are trailered to Newburgh. Not sure on the flight companies, horses arriving for WEG arrived from Europe on FedEx planes except for one flight that left Schiphol and that was a Martinair Cargo jet. All horses are shipped by plane, much safer and faster than by boat.

Flying to the US, horses need passports, vaccinations, and proper bloodwork drawn prior to arriving. Upon arriving at Quarantine horses are examined, fly sprayed, and blood work is drawn. Once quarantine doors are closed the horses must stay in the quarantine facility for 48 hours, with blood work drawn periodically. Upon confirmation that blood work is okay the horses can leave quarantine.

[AnotherRound]

Where’s slc when you need her? :lol:

Good topic, I am interested to hear about it, too, not that I am going to do it, but I’d like to know.

[Alterrain]

They can also fly into LA, where they spend the 48 hours at Jet Pets.

Geldings are released into the country after 48 hours, mares and stallions have to go on a sealed truck to a CEM quarantine. They stay there for -approx- 21 days (mares) or 36 days (stallions). You can ride them there, turn out, etc.

Horses do NOT need a passport to travel, unlike humans. They do need vaccinations, paperwork galore, and a CEM test before leaving their home country. Passports are for competing.

Last time I imported a horse he was on a Lufthansa flight.

[andy.smaga]

I think that the best way to buy a jumper in Europe depends on the the age of the horse you want to buy.

a) If you are looking for a 2 or 3 y/o then your best choice is through auctions (in France the “FENCES” Elite sale is the place to go, horses like “Itot du Chateau”, “Fleche Rouge” or “Kraque Boom” were bought there as other Olympian or GP winners)
It’s early September during the Young Horses finals in Fontainebleau) http://en.fences.fr/
Holstein or Oldenburg have also Elite auction sales of high quality jumpers.
I have less knowledge about Dutch or Belgium auctions.

b) If you are looking for young horses competing (4, 5, 6 or 7 y/o) then you need to assist to the young horses finals of the country that most interest you.
Be prepared to pay a high price for high quality horses.

c) If you are looking for a foal… then don’t buy, because it’s impossible to determine the potential for a jumper at such a young age.

[Calhoun]

When I imported a horse from Europe, it did not come w/ a passport.

[Wanderluster]

You would benefit by looking at desirable horses in N. America then comparing to the stock available in Europe, add a typical $10k to the animals being shipped from Europe to decide if cost of transportation will be absorbed by the final sale price in the US.
I am not convinced that this is a robust economy where purchasing horses abroad makes sense but you can arm yourself with good information then hope for the best .
If you are simply doing research begin by speaking to an agent at the large breeding barns, before you spend time looking into transportation fees.

[RyuEquestrian]

[QUOTE=Wanderluster;5255558]
You would benefit by looking at desirable horses in N. America then comparing to the stock available in Europe, add a typical $10k to the animals being shipped from Europe to decide if cost of transportation will be absorbed by the final sale price in the US.
I am not convinced that this is a robust economy where purchasing horses abroad makes sense but you can arm yourself with good information then hope for the best .
If you are simply doing research begin by speaking to an agent at the large breeding barns, before you spend time looking into transportation fees.[/QUOTE]

Agree and it will in fact be approximatley $8-10k to import on top of sale price.

[Peggy]

Here is some more info from USDA on importing horses:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/equine/equine_import_quarantine.shtml

Looks like L.A., NY, and Miami are the port of entries for the US

[bazinga]

I am looking at doing this right now and you really have to do it with some one you can trust. The prices in holland, germany and belgium in my opinion are severely inflated at the bigger barns. But if you know some one over there who can take you to smaller operations it is definitely worth it. If you want a top quality hunter is definitely advantageous to go there and get it, because they dont want those type of horses. But a top quality jumper will likely be around a similar price to what you would pay here, still a bit cheaper but not by a whole lot. If you just want a mediocre jumper that is maxed out at 1.20-1.30 then you will get a great deal. But when looking for an upper level prospect with show experience you will be dropping large dollars.

Your cost for import will be $6-7000 for a gelding, $8-9000 for a mare and $12000 + for a stallion, this is what we were quoted any ways.

I have found flights for about $1200 (dont quote me on that though!) over to Europe, and then your hotel rental (not sure how much this would cost as I have a place to stay over there), and then your car I heard is about $1000 for a week.

But the biggest thing is to go with some one you trust fully, and also some one who knows the smaller operations. I say this because the economy is so poor over there a lot of people have to give up a lot. Horses over there are a very expensive luxury for many people, that when they cannot afford other things horses are the first to go. And you must be able to trust this person because they are the one who is likely going to be overseeing your vet checks.

Good luck if you do decide to go venture over there. I am definitely looking forward to when we go.

[findeight]

@SmplySweet1021;5253392

All horses flying from Europe enter the US through the Newburgh, NY quarantine which is the only European quarantine facility in the US…Basically all flights from Europe are non-stop to New York JFK, Newark, or LaGuardia…

Not quite.
Basically, any flight from Europe non stop to La Guardia is going to end up in the East River or Flushing Bay-LGA runways can not handle that kind of large, heavy jet aircraft and it has no cargo facilities, let alone livestock import capabilities. It does not even serve any International flights with the exception of Canada and the Bahamas-and those are not big planes.

There is a large network of professional agents and consolidators around the low countries (Netherlands, Belgium) that put together groups of sale horses from many different countries so buyers can come look at 100 or more in a few days. Many of these yards also put together the shipments for those that buy elsewhere and most do go out of Shiphol.

Finally, recent devaluation of the dollar against the Euro negates any bargain prices-they still offer high quality, well bred horses that are proven over fences (or with Dressage I guess) but you will pay-and it’s getting too expensive to get a cheap horse from there to here still cheap.

[Top_Knot]

[QUOTE=bazinga;5255726]

Good luck if you do decide to go venture over there. I am definitely looking forward to when we go.[/QUOTE]

Goodluck to you! Will you go with your trainer or alone?
What time of year will you be going?

My advice is look at the horses who were imported on your circuit, and see who was the dealer. The good guys develop relationships with the big trainers and riders and that’s who you want to get your horse from.

[bazinga]

[QUOTE=Top Knot;5256282]
Goodluck to you! Will you go with your trainer or alone?
What time of year will you be going?

My advice is look at the horses who were imported on your circuit, and see who was the dealer. The good guys develop relationships with the big trainers and riders and that’s who you want to get your horse from.[/QUOTE]

Thanks!

We will likely be going in february (depending when my midterms are, I will go on my reading week) or april due to me being in university, and it would be too rush to leave this month.

As of right now we are discussing with the coach on if they are coming or not. I am working with a well known individual over there in the horse world, who is a good family friend. So we are talking with our coach and figuring out how much that will cost to bring them. Also we are going over there to visit family and my dad also has business over there so we will not be going simply for the horses.

We will see, I would like my coach there but I am not sure if it will work, due to the above stated reasons and the timing for our travels.

Hopefully it all works out.

[Wanderluster]

In fact the euro was down yesterday due to the recent bailout of Ireland and the potential problems in Spain- Portugal.
I heard yesterday the Euro was somewhere around $1.32 . Of course that flutuates daily.

[2tempe]

Horses are also flown into Florida - Miami or Palm Beach Int’l, forget which.
Also, they dont “make” hunters in Europe, only jumpers. Or at least that was the case a few years ago. So the people I know who bought horses, took their hunter trainer people to make sure that they ended up w/ a horse that could learn do that job and had the movement that works in the hack class.
I think the days of bargain horses over there are long gone; it is truly a global horse market now, and the Europeans can easily see what Americans are paying for horses, so why charge too much less?
With respect to dressage horses, they are generally able to be ridden with contact, and quite forward at 4. Most videos (look at the PSI Auction videos) show them this way.

[Joanne]

You will get the answers if you post over in the sport horse breeding section. There are quite a few over there that have done it recently.

[horserider12]

import

Yes they do fly into florida as well. as far as what it cost to keep a horse over there, I leave my young horses in holland until they are two, colts come in right before their second birthday so that there is no stallion quarantine. It costs 150 dollars a month in board!! much cheaper than them living here!

[july]

@StepOne;5253263

I’m interested in learning about breeding operations in Europe/where the horses are bred in Europe, at what age they are usually imported/after how much training they are usually imported, and about actually importing the horse. What regulations do you have to abide by (quarantine etc)? What is the average cost? When the horses are imported, what is their travel plan- where in Europe do they start, where do they trailer to, where do they fly out of, and where do they stop along the way? Do most imported horses fly, or do any come on ships? If they do fly, who transports them? Is it through FedEx (horses flying within the US are usually flown by FedEx, I know).

Also, this is a slight tangent, but just in case anyone knows: are horse prices in Europe really lower than they are in the States? Does anyone know if the average cost of hay/grain etc is lower in Europe than it is in the States, or if it’s roughly equivalent?

Ok this is how I make my money, finding horses for people in Europe. I’ve lived in 5 different countries - US (I’m american), France, Holland, Belgium and now Germany.
I’ll try to answer as many questions as I can remember you asking ;-). Horses are imported at all ages, from breeding mares, foals, to older show horses. Import costs vary depending on mare/stallion/gelding similar to what someone already posted. Horses typically fly out of Amsterdam or Frankfurt, but they are also starting more flights out of Belgium. Horses typically fly into JFK, LAX or MIA but sometimes they have special charter flights or during peak times for FL they also open ATL.

The main thing that keeps horse prices down in Europe is that there is no mileage rule - therefore shows are not even nearly as expensive as they are in the US and the quality of the shows are much better !!! A young horse (or even a horse at a FEI level) can jump several rounds a week at a show or training facility for a fraction of the price it costs in the US. That is where I see the biggest weakness in the US, the cost of showing - and the ability to start young horses well. Hope thatt helps…!

[findeight]

@2tempe;5256989

Horses are also flown into Florida - Miami or Palm Beach Int’l, forget which.
Also, they dont “make” hunters in Europe, only jumpers. Or at least that was the case a few years ago…

Palm Beach does not have any customs/immigration/heavy freight capability-they go into Miami and van up.

The mileage rule is NOT the reason prices can, in some cases, be lower. That is total nonsense when the whole continent is the size of 2 big states and most countries the size of a couple of midwest counties. It’s the fact they have no use for horses that are 7 or more and cannot handle a GP course, they have no lower level Ammy courses and they have no Hunters for those that fall short of handling the big sticks. The total number of exhibitors in all classes combined in Europe has to be less then 10% of the total number of exhibitors in this country. The reason they can be less is the market is limited over there-I mean, who wants a 1m horse that cannot do the water??? We do. They don’t.

My trainer is just back from yet another buying trip looking at 150+ horses in 3 countries in 5 days…something totally impossible over here.

[RyuEquestrian]

[QUOTE=july;5257062]
Ok this is how I make my money, finding horses for people in Europe. I’ve lived in 5 different countries - US (I’m american), France, Holland, Belgium and now Germany.
I’ll try to answer as many questions as I can remember you asking ;-). Horses are imported at all ages, from breeding mares, foals, to older show horses. Import costs vary depending on mare/stallion/gelding similar to what someone already posted. Horses typically fly out of Amsterdam or Frankfurt, but they are also starting more flights out of Belgium. Horses typically fly into JFK, LAX or MIA but sometimes they have special charter flights or during peak times for FL they also open ATL.

The main thing that keeps horse prices down in Europe is that there is no mileage rule - therefore shows are not even nearly as expensive as they are in the US and the quality of the shows are much better !!! A young horse (or even a horse at a FEI level) can jump several rounds a week at a show or training facility for a fraction of the price it costs in the US. That is where I see the biggest weakness in the US, the cost of showing - and the ability to start young horses well. Hope thatt helps…![/QUOTE]

I Highly recommend Kama, sh’es very knowledgeable and has a great eye for European horses for the U.S Show Circuits.