Expert Article - Final

 Horse FedEx

How to Import a Horse from Europe

 

 

They don’t sell horses at PetSmart. That would have made my life so much easier. You know exactly where to go if you are in the market for a dog, cat, fish, or snake. But what if you’re in the market for a horse? Where is the horse store? I spent my life in the horse world, and it’s like the wizarding world of Hogwarts from Harry Potter. It is a different reality with its own language, dress code, rules, and dangers. To me, it all makes perfect sense. However, “normal” people are usually confused and curious about the equestrian (horse-riding) world. 

 

 

Buying a horse is an involved, stressful, but exciting process that takes much more than a trip to PetSmart or your local animal shelter. What kind of horses are we talking about here? I imagine you are picturing the horses you see at the fair or in movies. What I am talking about is competitive horses for show jumping. I am first going to explain why you would want to buy a horse from Europe instead of just getting one from the U.S. Then, I will take you through all the steps of importing a horse from Europe. 

 

 

Why Europe?

Why not just get a horse in America? Horses aren’t unique to Europe, right? There are three reasons why you want to shop overseas. 

 

1.     Money

Good news! You don’t have to be Jennifer Gates, Eve Jobs, Kendall Jenner, or Gigi Hadid to ride horses. You don’t even have to be the daughter of the CEO of Amex (yes, they are in this world and trust me, it’s hard to compete with the kids of the world’s most profitable businesses and famous stars). You can buy horses for cheaper overseas, put experience and competition miles into them, and sell them on the U.S. market to make a profit (Huehmer, 2020). 

2.     Quality

The breeding in Europe is purer with higher-quality horses, so you get better results. Think cars from Germany, cheese from Switzerland, or chocolate from Belgium. Horses are another commodity that the Europeans just do better than we do. You get more athletic, intelligent, willing, and attentive horses. 

3.     America has veteran horses 

The horses are already trained in the states with lots of competition experience. In Europe, you can get babies that need to be taught. It is a fun and exciting process to develop the horses yourself. You get to see their growth and form a special bond. It’s like raising a puppy; the relationship is unmatched. 

 

 

Now that I set the scene of why we are shopping overseas let’s get into the steps of importing a horse from Europe. 

 

 

Step 1: Online Shopping or In-Person 

You first need to decide if you want to browse online or make a trip out of it and shop in person. 

 

 

In Person

This is where you go to Europe with your trainer and a guide that can translate. Your guide is your guardian angel, and they:

·      Know the best places to go and the bad places to avoid (find the hidden gems)

·      Negotiate price

·      Find a vet 

·      Help you with the post-purchase process (travel) (Milette, 2020) 

 

 

Going overseas has its perks. You ride the horses yourself and develop a feel for them. You get to ensure the product you are viewing is the same as the product you get (you don’t need to rely on online reviews). Shopping in Europe is like going to a car dealership with every car you could ever dream of. You get to drive each one however you like. It’s the horse-girl version of Disneyland. However, this is not always an option as it is expensive and time-consuming.

 

 

Online

This is where you watch videos of horses that are sent to you. It only works if your trainer has contacts / knows the European market well. You use an agent who is someone you know who spends all day sitting by the ring and watching horses compete, keeping track of the nice ones (McQuaker, 2022). 

 

 

A horse agent isn’t much different from a real estate agent. You tell them what you are looking for, and they send you videos of horses that match that description. The typical metrics are:

·      Age

·      Discipline

·      Temperament

·      Price

·      Speed

 

 

Step 2: Kiss a lot of Toads

This is the fun part where you are looking at all the horses. It’s also brutal. You go from 4 am to midnight trying to be the most efficient you can be. It’s not unusual to try a horse at 10 pm under dim outdoor lights while people pull their cars up to the ring for more lighting because … why wait until tomorrow? (Stiles, 2023). You ride about 20-30 horses a day at 10-12 different barns. 

You are looking for your soulmate. Something that:

·      Feels comfortable

·      You get along with

·      You look good with

·      Gut feeling (that love at-first-sight instant connection) 

 

 

It is physically demanding. Expect some bumps and bruises. This isn’t the safest sport (I broke my back in 7 places once), and in Europe, they don’t really do the whole helmet thing.

 

 

And then, as if the day wasn’t long enough, you do video review of the horses you rode. This is like debriefing after a night out with your friends. You talk in circles trying to decide what you think and what happened during the day, analyzing every interaction. Once you select your soulmate (horse), it’s time for the ultimate test. 

 

 

Step 3: The Vet Check

Pray, manifest, practice witchcraft, and do a spell. Any good karma that you have ever accumulated cash it in now. The vet check is the physical examination performed on your new love interest to ensure they are healthy and a good investment. At this point, you are emotionally invested and have spent countless hours and money finding “the one.” You need to pass this vet check. 

 

 

Whoever said “healthy as a horse” clearly didn’t know horses … they have issues. If I’m being honest, if you look hard enough, you will always find an issue. You are now in the game of deciding if the problem is a dealbreaker. There are two major red flags:

 

1.     Suspensory Ligament 

An injury to the suspensory ligament sends shivers down any horse person’s spine. They are tricky and usually mean trouble. This ligament is on the horse's lower leg just below the knee and supports the ankle joint (quite an important job). They take a long time to heal. A mild strain takes 6-8 weeks, but a tear can take more than a year (Tamzen, 2021). An extended vacation like this is a risky investment, expensive to treat, and frustrating to watch.

2.     Neurologic

Having a neurologic horse is tragic and fatal. In this case, the spine becomes compressed, which leads to deformed or unstable vertebrae. This mixes up signals to the brain and limbs. Warning signs to watch out for (which are engrained in every horse person’s head) include:

·      Stiffness

·      Lethargy

·      Swinging and collision of limbs during movement 

·      Difficulty walking up and down hills 

·      Shorter, choppier stride 

·      Difficulty standing

·      Inability to regulate body functions 

·      Frequent tripping/falling 

·      Problematic and dangerous behavior change (Bedenice & Johnson, 2022)

 

 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a treatment method for a neurologic horse. Surgery (which is rarely an option) is the best-case scenario. If performed, the horse will never be able to be ridden again. Most of the time, this condition is fatal. 

 

 

As long as you avoid this dangerous duo, you can ride off into the sunset (quite literally). 

 

 

Step 4: Finishing Touches

At this point, we are on the other side of the vet check. We survived. Now we choose our shipment method. Well, really, they all fly, but the options are:

·      Next-day delivery: 2 weeks

·      3-5 business days: 3-5 weeks

·      7-10 business. Days: 2 months 

 

 

When your shipment arrives, they undergo exams and quarantine. The last thing you want is to bring over disease from Europe and spread it around your barn (nobody needs a part two of when Europe colonized America). The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires every horse to undergo a 60-day quarantine to avoid diseases such as Contagious Equine Metritis and Vesicular Stomatitis (Horseflight, 2020). 

 

 

You did it! You now have a new project to play with in the states. You have successfully imported a horse from Europe. Now, the real work starts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Bedenice, D., & Johnson, A. L. (2022, June 14). Neurologic Conditions in the Sport Horse. Animal frontiers: the review magazine of animal agriculture. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9197298/#:~:text=Cervical%20vertebral%20stenotic%20myelopathy%20(CVSM,neurologic%20diseases%20in%20U.S.%20horses. 

Horseflight. (2020, July 30). Import/Export. Horseflight. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.horseflight.com/importexport.html 

Huehmer, A. (2020, August 21). The Steps of Importing a Horse from Europe. ehorses Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.ehorses.com/magazine/the-steps-of-importing-a-horse-from-europe/ 

McQuaker, K. (2022, January 31). Buying Horses in Europe 101. Horse Sport. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://horsesport.com/magazine/business/lonely-top-women-show-jumping/ 

Milette, A.-S. (2020, March 12). 8 Things you Need to Know Before Going Horse Shopping in Europe. NOËLLE FLOYD. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.noellefloyd.com/blogs/sport/8-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-i-went-horse-shopping-in-europe 

Stiles, K. (n.d.). How to Survive a European Horse Shopping Trip. The Chronicle of the Horse. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/how-survive-european-horse-shopping-trip 

Tamzen, D. (2021, September 20). Suspensory Ligament Injuries in Sport Horses. Elite Equine. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://eliteequineuk.com/horses/suspensory-ligament-injuries-in-sport-horses/#:~:text=Ligaments%20heal%20slowly.,ready%20to%20return%20to%20work.