Import Horses from United Kingdom (Great Britain)

Horses Importing into the United States From Countries Affected With CEM 

APHIS considers certain countries to be affected with contagious equine metritis (CEM), a venereal disease of equine. These conditions apply to the country that you have selected. 

All stallions and mares over 731 days of age, and stallions and mare less than 731 days of age if ever used for breeding, must undergo CEM isolation and testing after completing the initial Federal import quarantine. Horses will be sent directly to an approved State CEM quarantine of the importer’s choice for this testing. States Approved for Conducting CEM Testing

Geldings of any age and non-domesticated zoo equine species, if captured in the wild or from a zoo facility that have not had contact with domestic horses, are exempt from CEM requirements.

CEM Testing for Permanent Entry

Testing of mares consists of an initial complement fixation (CF) blood test for CEM, and 3 sets of culture swabs over a 12-day period, followed by 5 days of scrubbing and coating with an antibacterial ointment of the external genitalia. Culture swabs and CF results must be negative for the mare to be released from CEM quarantine. If any tests are positive, the test and treatment procedure must be repeated until negative results are obtained.

Testing of stallions consists of one set of culture swabs from the external genitalia, followed by live cover breeding to 2 test mares. The stallion’s external genitalia will be scrubbed and coated with an antibiotic ointment for 5 days following test breeding. Beginning on day 3 after breeding, culture swabs are collected from the test mare on 3 separate occasions over a 12-day period. Test mares are tested by CF between days 21-28 after breeding. All cultures and CF results from the stallion and test mares must be negative in order for the stallion to be released from quarantine. If any tests are positive, the cultures, test breeding and treatment procedures are repeated until negative results are obtained.

Requirements and Approval Procedures for Labs to Conduct CEM Testing

Horses Participating in Competitions Staying in the United States Under 90 Days

A CEM Waiver (216.33 KB) for competition is available only for horses participating in specific competitions. These horses are limited to a stay under 90 days. APHIS VS will monitor these horses while in the United States throughout their travels and at venues to restrict their access to domestic horses. Temporary CEM-isolation facilities are arranged in advance of an event. APHIS VS monitors movements of these horses. A signed compliance agreement is made between VS and the facility operator prior to APHIS VS issuing permits for import. The entire travel itinerary within the United States is listed on the import permit. Deviations from this preplanned travel are only allowed if approved and amended to the import permit or in emergency situations.

An import permit is required for CEM Waiver, CEM Exempt horses, and for any horse that will undergo CEM post-arrival testing. Horses being imported under any of these conditions will undergo standard import quarantine upon arrival in the United States, including testing for dourine, glanders, equine infectious anemia, and equine piroplasmosis.

U.S.-Origin Horses Returning to the United States After Temporary Travel Abroad

Some U.S.-origin horses may qualify for a waiver from CEM testing and quarantine upon arrival to the United States, if they meet specific conditions and a full-time salaried government veterinarian endorses the certification statements in each country the horse visits. These specific conditions include:

1. You must obtain an APHIS import permit before the horse leaves the United States. The permit includes the departure date, date of return, and countries to be visited. If the horse takes any deviation from the declared itinerary, you must apply for and receive an amendment to your permit before the horse arrives at the U.S. port of entry. For more information, view the Notice Regarding APHIS Live Animal Import and Third-Country Import Transit Permits.
2. The total time elapsed between the departure of the horse from the United States and its reentry to the United States cannot exceed 90 calendar days.
3. The horse must be accompanied by the original, or certified true copy, of the U.S. export health certificate.
4. The returning horse must be accompanied by an official health certificate with all required certification statements for each country visited. Information about health certificate requirements can be found in the notice mentioned in #6.
5. For the entire duration of temporary travel, all returning horses must be: 
   • Held separate and apart from all other horses except when actually participating in an event or exercised by its trainer.
   • Not be on a premises used for any equine breeding. 
   • Not bred to or bred by any animal, nor have any other sexual contact or genital examination while in a CEM-affected country.
   • Transported in cleaned and disinfected vehicles that were not used by any other horses after the cleaning and disinfection.
6. For further details, view the notice on Equine Import Requirements for U.S. Returning Mares and Stallions.