American breeders and sales companies now have access to a foreign market that had been off-limits to U.S. horses for the last five years due to import restrictions.

The country of India had previously prohibited the import of horses from U.S. and Great Britain because those countries had horses test positive for the disease Contagious Equine Metritis. But now, the Ministry of Agriculture has issued guidelines allowing for the importation of horses from countries where CEM cases have been detected, provided certain conditions are met, much as they are in other countries. Among those conditions are that the horse being imported into India not come from a farm free of any CEM cases and that the horse itself test negative for the disease.

"It is a very positive step," said Chauncey Morris, sales marketing associate with the Keeneland Association who works closely with international markets. "Racing is popular in India and their economy has been performing very well in the midst of the economic crisis around the world."

Morris explained that any sales of horses from the U.S. to India would likely be limited to broodmares and stallions because racing is restricted to horses bred in the country