I’m going to be purchasing a new horse this year and am primarily looking at Iberian breeds or crosses. There is a potential that I’ll be purchasing a youngster from a Canadian breeder.
Does anyone know if these new tariffs impact equine imports? I know previously there was a fairly minimal border fee and horse imports from Canada were duty free.
Breeders and buyers have been discussing this on FB and there seems to be utter confusion and inconsistent stories.
Some buyers were charged to cross into US and also some
Who went into Canada to show were also charged coming back into US.
Not a horse but I literally just had a saddle shipped here from a tack shop in Ontario. I did not have to pay tax to the store but I did have to pay a tariff to get it through customs and into the US. Livestock will likely be different than retail goods. As for the tariff, even with it, the saddle was still less than what I would have paid if I had purchased here in the US.
I am a Customs broker, the 25% additional duties on goods of Canadian origin applies to everything. If the horse was born in Canada then you will pay the additional 25%. If the horse was born in Spain for example, it would be of Spanish origin & not subject to the additional 25% but you most definitely need proof of that. Customs can & will review entries after the fact & request additional information. If you don’t have the proof then you end up with an invoice for the additional duties due.
FYI.
I’ve been calling around to shippers and with the recent…temporary partial reversal of tariffs, if you can get the horse over the boarder before April 2nd, there are no tariffs applied, just the typical fees (was quoted at about $300ish for the fees).
I’m not in the process of horse importing or from Canada, but this is true - so long as the reprieve holds til April 2nd. I would not necessarily put all my faith in the reprieve holding until April 2nd.
Unfortunately, the equipment I have coming from China did not get here before the second 10% tariff hit this week. That is going to add thousands to the purchase price. And yes, this is going to increase the cost to my customers. I can’t absorb that entirely myself.
Just talked to Mad Barn and they
Are not planning to charge customers any additional tariff
At this time. For the time being
Mad Barn will absorb the increase.
I would not put trust to it lasting to next week
As long as I can get everything lined up, I just need it to last through the EOD on March 22nd.
Trying to be glass half full, otherwise the whiplash from this administration is going to send me into an anxiety attack.
That’s not the way it works. The seller can fudge the paperwork for the crossing to lower the tariff, which comes with its own issues (insurance for the full purchase price is one that comes to mind), but you’re not paying the tariff to the seller, you’re paying it to the US/CBP. Horses are at least someone with a very fluid price that your average CBP agent is not going to question, unlike lots of merchandise coming into the US with an established valuation table.
It would give me pause if the sellers are willing to take what is essentially a 25% price reduction if they are “absorbing” the increase. Are they jacking up the price to cover the difference or were they charging US buyers way more than the going rate for the horse?
Unless they are doing a door to door delivery so handling the import/border crossing for you - it is the CBP that collects tariffs. I’d make absolutely sure the sellers provide you with a receipt for the paid tariff so if the CBP reaches out for payment of the tariff you have proof that it was paid. Not saying the barn is unscrupulous, but I’d worry that they have a border crossing agent in their pocket that lets them through with little hassle and then you end up getting a bill in the mail for the tariff
At least for livestock, needing a USDA vet available for the crossing and them being, ya know, live animals, you won’t end up with the horse sitting in a customs warehouse for weeks/months on end.
The only comment I saw about absorbing the cost of the tariffs was in regards to Mad Barn, which is a supplement company.
I’m assuming they have a US side warehouse that they ship out of (which would make them the importer of their own product). Or that they’re offering some kind of discount to account for the tariff. Would have to check with Mad Barn for how they’re managing that.
ETA: Can companies pre-pay tariffs on shipments?
If they handle the shipment door to door. I have a customs broker I work with for our equipment, but if I did not - the company I purchase from does have an expediter that they work with that does door to door delivery.
I just brought a horse born in Canada to the US Feb 28th. I got my horse over the boarder before the Tarriffs went into effect, but yes, horses will be subject to the 25% Tarriffs. If your looking to buy a horse in Canada buy it now and get it down here by April 1st otherwise be prepared to pay 25% of your purchase price in tariffs.
Sounds like they have plenty of inventory.
US import tariff codes; https://hts.usitc.gov/search?query=hORSE
I guess the number of breeding horses imported will be going up !
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