Flying horses abroad...

Firewell

Firewell

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Has anyone done it? How do they cope? Is it stressful for them? I imagine horses are flying all the time (racehorses ect) so it can't be too stressful for them??

Looks like were moving to California once I get my green card (married to a US citizen) and I can't bear to leave my beans behind! I don't care about the cost, have already saved up anyway but I don't want to take him if it's not the best thing for him. If he got ill or something happened to him i'd never forgive myself.

The thing is, he will have to stay here untill i'm ready for him which could be 2/3 months without me, he'll have the yard and my mum looking after him and then I was thinking of using International Racehorse Transport to bring him over..

He won't be going to a barn he'll be coming to live with me at his own home so I can manage him when he arrives and put him on a routine he's used to. I was going to get him on similar feed to what he would have abroad before he leaves UK and speak to the vet here and abroad as to how I could best manage the changes in terms of climate, grass, type of forage ect.
It's not going to be for at least 9 months so he'll be heading over in the winter time and the part we are going to has quite a temperate climate which I think he will like. He doesn't do well in our cold winters and he has his fine TB coat, not a shagpile. I'm planning on borrowing a couple of retired polo ponies so he will have company once he gets there and top of the shopping list for a property is one with it's own water source so we can manage the paddocks he is in to keep them green (ie I don't want him on a sand pit).

It is a horsie area so should be lots of advice available if I need it.

It's a big old move though :(. However he will be 8 and he is fit and healthy and he's not a stressful horse, he copes better than most.

Does anyone have any experiences, words of warning or can put my mind at rest? The thought of him going through it all is not ideal but the other solution is I sell him where he will take his chances like black beauty did and if Black Caviar is fine to fly and she's worth squillions i'm sure he will be ok to fly?

What do you think?

Oh also I was going to take his stuff over..his tack and the nice rugs that he has (Can leave the heavy weights here :p). I was going to pack them up with the furniture we are taking. I was thinking this is a lot easier then trying to go through the hassle of buying saddles and stuff once we are there and I know it all fits so one less thing to worry about the other side?
 
Hey there!

Remember horses are flown abroad all the time for big competitions and it's a very well practiced normal thing, it sounds freakin' scary all the same!

I was having a conversation with my vet the other day who told me that in her recent research done with other major vetinary practices and equine flying companies that a horse's stress levels during flight are actually lower than those during normal transport in a lorry! I was amazed but she explained that the only times the stress levels rose (and this was only infinitesimally) was during take off, landing and any in flight turbulence but this was still significantly lower than on the road!

It obviously takes a lot of planning and finances but there is no reason your boy should suffer from it at all!

Good luck :)
 
Oh good i'm glad others think the same. I think for us humans it probably seems a lot worse because of all the plannning. We know what's really happening whereas I suppose all they know is they go in a lorry, they go in what looks like a lorry with other new friends but it doesnt move as much then eventually he will see me, a human he knows, he'll go in a field and a new different stable!
 
I did a lot of research into this as I planned to bring my boy to HK. As Animagus says most horses travel fine by plane. All the racehorses in HK are flown in and some fly back to Europe or Australia once retired and muppets like me take them on loan ;) (I'd love to bring my loan TB back with me when I return to Europe in a couple of years - he'll be 12 by then). My RI just imported her 5yo mare from Germany - she'd hardly travelled before and she's had no ill effects at all.

I'd say go for it, I think it's far less stressful than the 5 day lorry journey my PRE had from Spain and you'll be amazed at how he adjusts to the climate.
 
Some years ago friends moved to Arizona, they took their little cob over, he was, like you plan to do, left here with me until they were settled and had things in place at that end, he traveled with some smart racehorses and it was all arranged by a professional company, I just had to get him to the airport with his paperwork in order.
He coped really well with the long journey, adapted to the new climate, feeds etc, they also took all his tack with them but he did get put into a western saddle at times, I know his owner got some strange looks riding in her scull cap and body protector English style:) California is less western orientated than Arizona so you should find Jae fits in well and there should be plenty to do with him.
 
I brought my horse back from Canada when he was 16, it was less than 24 hrs door to door and he arrived fit and healthy. He whinnied at me from the lorry when he arrived at his new house and then dragged me to the grass, as when we left Canada there had been snow on the ground for 3 months. He had no ill effects and settled really easily. Good luck with your move it sounds very exciting.
 
Those stories are just what I wanted to hear thank you :). I've already looked and there are some big equestrian centres all within 30-40 miles of where we are hoping to end up and they have regular shows and riding clubs there. They do hunter jumper classes and dressage, XC and all sorts. I'm not planning on competing a lot out there but would like to go out every now and again :D. They are big into western as well, so may have to brave going for a lope in a western saddle ha ha!
 
I flew three horses back fom Singapore with IRT - admittedly 15 years ago now :eek: It was all very easy, IRT were excellent, and they all adapted and thrived - one (ex-racer, originally bred in Australia!) is still going strong aged 25 :) Go for it :)
 
Hey

I just sold a dressage 4yo to Dubai and they flew her over she coped fine !! one word of warning though some companies are cheaper stick with a big main one even though a little more expensive as in this case they lost the shared load she was going with and took another 6 weeks to get arranged - in this time they needed the vet checks done and had to pay livery for her while they waited !! so ended up more expensive in the long run x
 
My other half is californian, we looked into me moving there, and taking mine over, but for a lot of reasons have now decided that he is going to come this way (I get ill in hot weather!!)
We were going to move no Norcal, which would mean the horses would be flown to Sacramento. We looked into the weather, so that it would be the least stressful in terms of climate, and decided that late summer/autumn would be best.
Everything that I have looked into, the horses in general travel well, they are accompanied by groom with specific qualifications in regards to air travel.
Look into the specific requirements to california itself.
I believe that they have to be subject to a period of Quarantine still there.....though I may have that wrong.
Be aware if you are furthur north that a lot of the land is watered on irrigation and flooding fields, so there are a lot more mosquitos etc (though the counties do send people out to control them)
And personally I would use a firm used to dealing with exporting horses, as they will ensure that the paperwork etc is correct.

Have fun, keep smiling, and be happy xx
 
We are moving to dc in may (from Essex) our gelding is flying with Pedens bloodstock costing roughly £7,000. We did a lot of research and they were by far the most proffesional and easy to work with. They will pick our horse up from home and he will have a groom throughout his journey. If you want any more info feel free to message me.
 
Thank you. The company I have looked into so far is IRT, they deal with all the paperwork and quarantine as well but I am happy to consider others. Don't worry I won't put him on coach lol. My OH wanted to pack him up with a load of his friends polo ponies and send him off with them but i'm not sure about that!! I will only use big reputable company, for the money it costs I think it's one of those things where it's a false economy to try and get him over on the cheap. Besides he is my pet and part of our family :).
We are going to Santa Barbara county, Santa Barbara will be our nearest city but looking between there and the Santa Ynez valley area as it seems to be a bit more rural and horse friendly to me. It is meant to have the cool breezes off the coast and be sheltered by the mountains so I don't think they have too many bugs?! We'll see. Exciting and scary!
 
Really pleased to see this thread as I am in a similar position to you...I relocated back to Australia late last year after many years away, leaving my 4-legged best friend in good hands while I tried to work out what to do. There was no question of bringing him here into summer so I had some time to do research. Like you I have spent some time debating climate, grass, feed, horse scene in general, so many factors to consider because, as you say, you are trying to do the right thing by the animal as well as make yourself happy! After much thought and weighing up I have decided to go for it. IRT are the only option for Australia as they basically have a monopoly over the quarantine facilities so have made contact with them and am starting to organise all the blood tests and screening etc pre-quarantine. So far I have found them excellent to deal with, you just have to grit your teeth and not think about the cost...:)

I won't rest easy until he arrives, and you have to accept a certain level of risk, but the posts here and all the research I have done suggest that most horses cope really well. So fingers crossed for both of us and wishing you all the best with your relocation!
 
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Im in NZ at the moment and for ~£250 I flew 8 "tea crates" out here filled with tack and rugs etc. Its not a prohibitive cost and much cheaper than buying new.
 
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