Exporting a Horse
Veterinary Services
September 2002
If you want to export a horse, you need to comply with international
health requirements. The procedures required are fairly straightforward
and easy to follow, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will
help you through all the steps.
The requirements, enforced by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS), apply to any horse leaving this country,
regardless of the type of horse involved or the purpose for exporting
it. The procedures protect your horse, ease its journey, reassure your
contacts overseas, and promote the general health of equine enterprises
worldwide.
Exporting With Confidence
Some procedures for exporting a horse are required by Federal regulations
to assure foreign
contacts that American animals being shipped overseas are healthy. If
foreigners have confidence in the health of U.S. horses, this country’s
involvement in equestrian affairs overseas will increase, thus strengthening
the U.S. export market.
Other export procedures are specifically prescribed by the importing
country to protect that country’s animal health. Foreign veterinary
officials are particularly concerned about diseases such as equine arteritis,
equine infectious anemia, and eastern and western equine encephalitis.
These diseases occur in the United States but not in many of the countries
to which U.S. horses are exported. Start planning early. There are several
steps that you need to take to ensure compliance with health requirements.
To avoid a hectic timeline or
last-minute delays, allow 2 to 3 months from the start of the export
process to the time your horse steps on the gangplank. In addition,
proper planning allows you to consider what to do if the horse you want
to export fails to meet international requirements. You may decide to
wait until its health problems have cleared up, or you may be able to
substitute another horse.
Going Through the Paces
Three different officials will help you facilitate the process of exporting
your horse. You will need to initiate contact with each one.
- A private-practice veterinarian accredited by APHIS will examine
the health of your horse and complete the required tests and certifications.
- The APHIS veterinarian-in-charge for your State or area will verify
and endorse the heath documentation.
- An APHIS port veterinarian at the port of export you intend to
use will make the final examinations and arrangements that authorize
your horse to be loaded for shipment.
The actual steps for the health certification are as follows:
1. You call each of the above officials to alert the to your plans.
2. The accredited veterinarian contacts the appropriate APHIS veterinarian-in-charge
to
obtain the exact requirements for the country to which your horse is
traveling.
3. The accredited veterinarian conducts the initial health examination,
forwards the required
specimens for laboratory tests, and prepares the international health
certificate.
4. The APHIS veterinarian-in-charge receives results of the laboratory
tests, reviews the health certificate, and endorses it along with the
othe papers that move with your horse.
5. You can then move your horse to the port where you made the arrangements
for export.
Regulations require that your horse must receive at least 5 hours
of rest at the port before it is
loaded. During that time, the APHIS port veterinarian examines your
horse and checks its papers to assure compliance with all requirements.
If all is in order, your horse is on its way.
Additional Information
Because the animal health status of countries does not remain static,
requirements and certification procedures for exporting animals are
subject to change. For the most current information on export requirements,
contact the APHIS veterinarian-in-charge for your State.
Address and telephone numbers for APHIS veterinarians-in-charge can
be obtained by calling (301) 734-8364 or via the Internet at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/area_offices.htm
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