International Horse Movement

Governing officials are exploring ways to reduce hurdles for horses crossing country lines.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

International Horse Movement
When moving horses across international borders, you're essentially responsible for protecting an entire nation's horse population from foreign disease. | Photo: Anne M. Ebehardt/The Horse

Governing officials are exploring ways to reduce hurdles for horses crossing country lines–but without compromising equine health

Horses on the move require a host of care considerations to keep them safe and healthy. You protect them with shipping boots and head bumper, along with current vaccinations and careful disinfection efforts. But when it comes to moving horses across international borders, the picture becomes a whole lot bigger than simply safeguarding your own horse. Suddenly the responsibility falls on you and your veterinarian to protect an entire nation’s horses, and heeding vaccine, blood test, health certificate, and quarantine requirements becomes very important. While these government requisites are necessary, veterinarians note they can pose significant obstacles for international trade or movement of high-level equestrian sport horses. With the help of major worldwide equine competition and health organizations, however, international equine movement might be on the brink of a major breakthrough.

Biosecurity & Regulatory Medicine

Biosecurity is all about ensuring traveling horses are free of disease and that their caretakers have taken all necessary measures to prevent disease spread.

Scott Leibsle, DVM, deputy state veterinarian of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, in Boise, says horses crossing international borders must be accompanied by a detailed passport, international health certificates, and test and vaccination records as required by the importing country. Passport and health certificates are the same no matter where horses travel, but the tests and vaccinations required can vary considerably depending on the destination

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
308 votes · 308 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!