bring horse back from Denmark to UK

[MadmorJ]

Does anyone know what blood tests are necessary to bring a horse back to the UK from Denmark? I am going round in circles between the Danish authorities and the GB ones. The Danish authorities say that the GB authorities should provide their requirements and GB ones say it's the other way around. I am using a John Parker to bring him back. I am getting stressed about this as the reason I am coming back is due to divorce- a case of having to choose between my husband and my horse! Any one brought a horse back from Denmark before?

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Are Parkers unable to advise? They are usually pretty helpful.
Perhaps your chosen future uk vet practice can help, particularly if they have an fei or import/export experienced vet there.
Some things like tax are swervable as you are not purchasing, I'm sorry but I can't advise about Denmark importing with regards to health cert and bloods etc as out of touch there.
Good luck

 

[HappyHollyDays]

@Kirstineridesagain has just brought a horse back from Denmark. She may be able to advise with what is required. There must be a local ministry registered vet in your area and they should also be able to help.

 

[Helpful user]

Does anyone know what blood tests are necessary to bring a horse back to the UK from Denmark? I am going round in circles between the Danish authorities and the GB ones. The Danish authorities say that the GB authorities should provide their requirements and GB ones say it's the other way around. I am using a John Parker to bring him back. I am getting stressed about this as the reason I am coming back is due to divorce- a case of having to choose between my husband and my horse! Any one brought a horse back from Denmark before?

If your horse is on what Denmark class as a registered passport (stud book passport) no blood tests are required. If your horse is on an unregistered passport, then you require a negative Coggins Test, which your local vet will carry out and you need to give the certificate to Parkers and have it ready for inspection by the ministry vet. Make sure your horse is registered with SEGES, you can’t export him otherwise and he needs to be uploaded onto the CHR app of whatever yard he’s on, this gives you the CHR number for export. I brought three UK horses back with me in 2023. GB is right by the way on everything, DK don’t have a good understanding on requirements from my experience.

 

[MadmorJ]

If your horse is on what Denmark class as a registered passport (stud book passport) no blood tests are required. If your horse is on an unregistered passport, then you require a negative Coggins Test, which your local vet will carry out and you need to give the certificate to Parkers and have it ready for inspection by the ministry vet. Make sure your horse is registered with SEGES, you can’t export him otherwise and he needs to be uploaded onto the CHR app of whatever yard he’s on, this gives you the CHR number for export. I brought three UK horses back with me in 2023. GB is right by the way on everything, DK don’t have a good understanding on requirements from my experience.

He's registered on the Irish sport horse register and registered with Seges. But no ones seems to know if that means he has a registered passport or not. He's kept at home and not on a yard so I'm not sure how I shall get the CHR number.

 

[MadmorJ]

He's registered on the Irish sport horse register and registered with Seges. But no ones seems to know if that means he has a registered passport or not. He's kept at home and not on a yard so I'm not sure how I shall get the CHR number.

I don't think I need a CHR number because that is only for places with herds as far as I can tell. I have two horses at home, a private house with stables and a bit of land.

 

[Helpful user]

I don't think I need a CHR number because that is only for places with herds as far as I can tell. I have two horses at home, a private house with stables and a bit of land.

Ok, so he’s classed as being on a registered stud book passport (which makes his export MUCH easier), so you don’t need any blood tests and a lot more things!

You DO need a CHR number, it’s for any livestock (horses are livestock in Denmark), every location they’re kept at must have one. I had mine at home (4 of them) and I found out very last minute, when I got the paperwork asking for the number! . It’s easy to do, search for the CHR app and download it, enter your horses details to get your herd number. Your export paperwork needs your CHR herd number and you can’t export without it.

 

[MadmorJ]

Ok, so he’s classed as being on a registered stud book passport (which makes his export MUCH easier), so you don’t need any blood tests and a lot more things!

You DO need a CHR number, it’s for any livestock (horses are livestock in Denmark), every location they’re kept at must have one. I had mine at home (4 of them) and I found out very last minute, when I got the paperwork asking for the number! . It’s easy to do, search for the CHR app and download it, enter your horses details to get your herd number. Your export paperwork needs your CHR herd number and you can’t export without it.

Thanks. I have attempted to put in my information in the CHR app but when it comes to the type of herd, I can't find a relevant type. Maybe two horses isn't classed as a herd in Denmark. The CHR register is connected to Seges register so they know the horses are here. Anyway, I've emailed them. How did you make an appointment with the official vet for the health certificate and other paperwork? I'm fearful that the vet won't use the correct paper work because they don't seem to understand what is needed. Parkers are helping, thank goodness. Many thanks for your help too.

 

[Helpful user]

Thanks. I have attempted to put in my information in the CHR app but when it comes to the type of herd, I can't find a relevant type. Maybe two horses isn't classed as a herd in Denmark. The CHR register is connected to Seges register so they know the horses are here. Anyway, I've emailed them. How did you make an appointment with the official vet for the health certificate and other paperwork? I'm fearful that the vet won't use the correct paper work because they don't seem to understand what is needed. Parkers are helping, thank goodness. Many thanks for your help too.

I think there’s a help section on the CHR app in English, I seem to remember just clicking on the horse image but maybe it’s changed slightly. Do you have any friendly neighbours with horses, they might know. My husband made the appointment with the ministry vet as he is fluent Danish and they didn’t speak English. Make sure you order the official watermarked paper from them (you have to pay for the paper and they will tell you where to collect it from, as it is numbered and assigned to you), the vet doesn’t bring the paper with them. We found this out by pure accident that we had to do this, you also need a printer that they vet can connect to, as they fill out the forms on their computer and then print but they don’t bring a printer. You are absolutely right that they don’t know what they are doing and they won’t help tell you what is needed either, that’s the reason I set up an account on here, as I would hate anyone else to go through the difficulties I did.

Don’t forget you need to apply for your TOR (Transfer of Residence) with HMRC, to get your TOR approval number for your personal belongings and your horse forms part of this, so you don’t have to pay import and custom fees to bring him home. Parker’s will need your TOR number too. Hope this helps,so.

 

[rara007]

Parker’s were very handy with mind and basically sorted everything- I imported one DK to GB and exported it back a year later. Parker’s walked me through it, it’s a route they do very regularly. He went in a 3.5tonne to Belgium then a bigger truck over, then delivered in a 3.5 tonner!

 

[MadmorJ]

I think there’s a help section on the CHR app in English, I seem to remember just clicking on the horse image but maybe it’s changed slightly. Do you have any friendly neighbours with horses, they might know. My husband made the appointment with the ministry vet as he is fluent Danish and they didn’t speak English. Make sure you order the official watermarked paper from them (you have to pay for the paper and they will tell you where to collect it from, as it is numbered and assigned to you), the vet doesn’t bring the paper with them. We found this out by pure accident that we had to do this, you also need a printer that they vet can connect to, as they fill out the forms on their computer and then print but they don’t bring a printer. You are absolutely right that they don’t know what they are doing and they won’t help tell you what is needed either, that’s the reason I set up an account on here, as I would hate anyone else to go through the difficulties I did.

Don’t forget you need to apply for your TOR (Transfer of Residence) with HMRC, to get your TOR approval number for your personal belongings and your horse forms part of this, so you don’t have to pay import and custom fees to bring him home. Parker’s will need your TOR number too. Hope this helps,so.

Many thanks indeed. I'm in the process of applying for the TOR number. Just wondering how long this process took with regards to the horses. How much notice does the official vet need (if I ever find them!) as I daren't book the transportation until I know.

 

[MadmorJ]

Ok, so he’s classed as being on a registered stud book passport (which makes his export MUCH easier), so you don’t need any blood tests and a lot more things!

You DO need a CHR number, it’s for any livestock (horses are livestock in Denmark), every location they’re kept at must have one. I had mine at home (4 of them) and I found out very last minute, when I got the paperwork asking for the number! . It’s easy to do, search for the CHR app and download it, enter your horses details to get your herd number. Your export paperwork needs your CHR herd number and you can’t export without it.

I have sorted out the CHR number, thank goodness. Really struggle to know how I should have known all this. Thanks again for your help,

 

[Helpful user]

Many thanks indeed. I'm in the process of applying for the TOR number. Just wondering how long this process took with regards to the horses. How much notice does the official vet need (if I ever find them!) as I daren't book the transportation until I know.

I think it said when I applied that it would take approx 15 weeks to get the TOR, when in reality it came through on email in 4 weeks. I’m pretty sure we booked the ministry vets with two weeks notice. I just kept Parkers updated and we organised the collection date based on when the vet could come (as your boy is on a registered passport the vet can come the day before collection (collection has to be within 24hrs of the vet issuing).

 

[MadmorJ]

I think it said when I applied that it would take approx 15 weeks to get the TOR, when in reality it came through on email in 4 weeks. I’m pretty sure we booked the ministry vets with two weeks notice. I just kept Parkers updated and we organised the collection date based on when the vet could come (as your boy is on a registered passport the vet can come the day before collection (collection has to be within 24hrs of the vet issuing).

Many thanks. There is some uncertainly as to whether his passport is classed as registered here. However, I think the Irish sports horse register is legimate and means the passport is a registered passport, along with his entry on the SEGES register.

 

[Helpful user]

I have sorted out the CHR number, thank goodness. Really struggle to know how I should have known all this. Thanks again for your help,

That’s great, glad you got that sorted. I know, that’s the stressful thing about it, we asked how the hell should we have known about buying and collecting the “Kingdom of Denmark” watermarked paper and suggested that surely the vet should bring it with them and bring their own printer, it’s all so poorly organised and so unnecessarily stressful. I hope I’ve helped make it all a bit easier for you.

 

[Helpful user]

Many thanks. There is some uncertainly as to whether his passport is classed as registered here. However, I think the Irish sports horse register is legimate and means the passport is a registered passport, along with his entry on the SEGES register

 

[MadmorJ]

That’s great, glad you got that sorted. I know, that’s the stressful thing about it, we asked how the hell should we have known about buying and collecting the “Kingdom of Denmark” watermarked paper and suggested that surely the vet should bring it with them and bring their own printer, it’s all so poorly organised and so unnecessarily stressful. I hope I’ve helped make it all a bit easier for you.

Sounds very Danish to me! Poorly organised across different departments.

 

[Helpful user]

Does he have a stud book number in his passport? If so, he’s on a registered passport.

 

[Helpful user]

Sounds very Danish to me! Poorly organised across different departments.

Very, they haven’t got a clue what they’re doing.

 

[MadmorJ]

Does he have a stud book number in his passport? If so, he’s on a registered passport.

He has a UELN number but I'm not sure if that is a stud book number. He has a separate chip number to that.

 

[Helpful user]

He has a UELN number but I'm not sure if that is a stud book number. He has a separate chip number to that.

No, the UELN number is just a life number assigned to every passported horse and the chip number is his microchip. You need to look through his passport, does he have any breeding lines in there? I think you could look him up on the Irish Sports horse register and maybe that will make any stud book number clearer?

 

[MadmorJ]

Does he have a stud book number in his passport? If so, he’s on a registered passport.

No, the UELN number is just a life number assigned to every passported horse and the chip number is his microchip. You need to look through his passport, does he have any breeding lines in there? I think you could look him up on the Irish Sports horse register and maybe that will make any stud book number clearer?

No, I'm afraid not. No breeding lines.

 

[Helpful user]

No, I'm afraid not. No breeding lines.

If he doesn’t have a stud book number or any breeding in his passport, then he’s sadly not stud book registered. He’s then classed as an “unregistered passport” in Denmark.

That means you need to have the coggins blood test done and you need a negative certificate to be able to bring him home. You also need a full journey log preparing and sent to the log book centre (part of the ministry), Parker’s will get this done for you via a bloodstock agent, you have to have the negative coggins certificate and journey log for the ministry vet to see on the day, it also means that the ministry vet will only come out on the day of loading.

I’m afraid it’s far from straightforward with an unregistered horse in their eyes, I had two registered and one unregistered and despite them all living as a herd, only the unregistered had to have blood tests and needed all the additional paperwork, it’s bureaucracy gone mad, because being stud book registered doesn’t make them immune to disease . Don’t let the ministry vet fob you off with needing a journey log for inside the UK, it just isn’t needed. The vet also examined my unregistered mare and had us walk and trot her up but didn’t even look at my other two, as they were registered.

I have to ask, how old is your boy?

 

[MadmorJ]

If he doesn’t have a stud book number or any breeding in his passport, then he’s sadly not stud book registered. He’s then classed as an “unregistered passport” in Denmark.

That means you need to have the coggins blood test done and you need a negative certificate to be able to bring him home. You also need a full journey log preparing and sent to the log book centre (part of the ministry), Parker’s will get this done for you via a bloodstock agent, you have to have the negative coggins certificate and journey log for the ministry vet to see on the day, it also means that the ministry vet will only come out on the day of loading.

I’m afraid it’s far from straightforward with an unregistered horse in their eyes, I had two registered and one unregistered and despite them all living as a herd, only the unregistered had to have blood tests and needed all the additional paperwork, it’s bureaucracy gone mad, because being stud book registered doesn’t make them immune to disease . Don’t let the ministry vet fob you off with needing a journey log for inside the UK, it just isn’t needed. The vet also examined my unregistered mare and had us walk and trot her up but didn’t even look at my other two, as they were registered.

I have to ask, how old is your boy?

He's 16 this year. I'm calling SEGES today to try and confirm how they see his passport. I can't even get access to the ministry vet, it's stupid how this is working.

 

[Helpful user]

He's 16 this year. I'm calling SEGES today to try and confirm how they see his passport. I can't even get access to the ministry vet, it's stupid how this is working.

Ok, so he’s fine age wise to travel (I had to have my elderly boy destroyed as they wouldn’t approve him to travel, despite my own Danish vet being more than happy for him to do so). Hopefully SEGES can be helpful . I checked my passports and both my stud book registered boys have full breeding in their passports and it clearly says “stud book number” next to their name, so sadly it does sound like your boy will be classed as unregistered. If you’re struggling to get hold of the office for the ministry vets, perhaps your own vet can give you a phone number. You won’t be able to speak to the actual ministry vet, it’s just the office that schedule the appointment. Obviously, you can arrange Parker’s yet, as you need your TOR number through first. Edited to add, I just had a look and there’s a phone number on the ministry website and also an email option to email your local office.

 

[MadmorJ]

Ok, so he’s fine age wise to travel (I had to have my elderly boy destroyed as they wouldn’t approve him to travel, despite my own Danish vet being more than happy for him to do so). Hopefully SEGES can be helpful . I checked my passports and both my stud book registered boys have full breeding in their passports and it clearly says “stud book number” next to their name, so sadly it does sound like your boy will be classed as unregistered. If you’re struggling to get hold of the office for the ministry vets, perhaps your own vet can give you a phone number. You won’t be able to speak to the actual ministry vet, it’s just the office that schedule the appointment. Obviously, you can arrange Parker’s yet, as you need your TOR number through first. Edited to add, I just had a look and there’s a phone number on the ministry website and also an email option to email your local office.

Many thanks. I've emailed and phoned just about everybody by now. He is likely unregistered but if the Horse sports Ireland is classed as a Federation is might be classed as registered. I spoke to one of the vets in the ministry (not one who signed the horses off) but he said he doesn't need blood tests but I think he might! I spoke to someone is Traces who has sent an email with all the information they need and there's no stud book number mentioned. I seem to be going round and round in circles. If he's unregistered then it will cost a fortune to bring him home-all very heartbreaking because I am not the one wanting the divorce. I shall speak to Parker's again as they seem to know what they are doing!

 

[Helpful user]

Many thanks. I've emailed and phoned just about everybody by now. He is likely unregistered but if the Horse sports Ireland is classed as a Federation is might be classed as registered. I spoke to one of the vets in the ministry (not one who signed the horses off) but he said he doesn't need blood tests but I think he might! I spoke to someone is Traces who has sent an email with all the information they need and there's no stud book number mentioned. I seem to be going round and round in circles. If he's unregistered then it will cost a fortune to bring him home-all very heartbreaking because I am not the one wanting the divorce. I shall speak to Parker's again as they seem to know what they are doing!

Sadly it doesn’t matter if the Sports Horse association is classed as a federation, it’s purely whether your horse is stud book registered or not, if he doesn’t appear in a stud book, then he’s unregistered. The more you ask them, I guarantee the more they will confuse you. You do need the blood test. The stud book number is purely to see if he is registered or unregistered, you won’t need the stud book number entered onto any export form.

In fairness, it doesn’t cost much more at all to bring him home if he’s unregistered, all it means is you have to pay for a blood test and there’s a bit more paperwork, so don’t be disheartened, you can get him home.

I’m sorry to hear of your situation, i was a member of this forum some time ago but gave up social media but my friend told me about your post and she knew how much of a nightmare it was for us (as we didn’t have anyone to help us) and that’s why I registered to be able to tell you everything that enabled us to get ours home. x

 

[MadmorJ]

Sadly it doesn’t matter if the Sports Horse association is classed as a federation, it’s purely whether your horse is stud book registered or not, if he doesn’t appear in a stud book, then he’s unregistered. The more you ask them, I guarantee the more they will confuse you. You do need the blood test. The stud book number is purely to see if he is registered or unregistered, you won’t need the stud book number entered onto any export form.

In fairness, it doesn’t cost much more at all to bring him home if he’s unregistered, all it means is you have to pay for a blood test and there’s a bit more paperwork, so don’t be disheartened, you can get him home.

I’m sorry to hear of your situation, i was a member of this forum some time ago but gave up social media but my friend told me about your post and she knew how much of a nightmare it was for us (as we didn’t have anyone to help us) and that’s why I registered to be able to tell you everything that enabled us to get ours home. x

Many thank indeed. I don't know how I would have navigated all this without your help. I think it's possible still to get him home, but it will cost thousands due to him apparently having to have dedicated transport. And despite all the phone calls I still do not know if he needs more than the Coggins blood test. It's a nightmare.

 

[Helpful user]

Many thank indeed. I don't know how I would have navigated all this without your help. I think it's possible still to get him home, but it will cost thousands due to him apparently having to have dedicated transport. And despite all the phone calls I still do not know if he needs more than the Coggins blood test. It's a nightmare.

You’re very welcome, I hope it’s helpful. Don’t go for dedicated transport, we did with the four we took out and it was amazing but incredibly expensive (basically the funds from my nearly new decent car at the time!). We opted for a shared load on the way back and it was MUCH better and way more affordable . I’d been against shared loads initially as had a nightmare with a horse I imported years ago but that was with a bargain bin transporter.

Parker’s are amazing, they won’t drag your horse all over the place to get him home and the regular stops and overnight stays mean they have a nicer journey than you do! (I said to hubby if we ever moved far away again, I’m booking a partition with Parkers ). From memory, mine had one relatively small diversion to collect some polo ponies then they were back on their way home. Plus you get the journey log before he goes too, so you will know his route and overnight stops, I got pics texted of them in their luxury overnight stabling, which helped. All of mine arrived in beautiful condition both on the dedicated transport and the shared loads, travelling with Parkers isn’t like travelling with anyone else, believe me.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Second Parker’s. I’ve used them three times between Germany and here and my pony has arrived home every time without an ounce of sweat on him. They take very good care of their charges and my German friend loading him last trip commented on how professional the driver was. It takes a lot to get a comment like that from her so high praise indeed.