Horses in the USA?

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ApolloStorm

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Unfortunately, its the time of year where as a student I have to start looking at Universities and being very serious about applying. My school does the UCAS system, however my favorite uni i ave seen so far is UGA ( university of Georgia, US) And currently living in the UK.
As a bunch of knowledgeable horsey people. I have quite a few queries about horses and the USA, I dont know how many of you have experience of this.
Firstly, do you think the journey across the pond would be worth taking my horse? Since I plan on staying in the states for a good long while, it seems a logical step to take him with me, however, he has had moments when traveling alone. If anyone has made an overseas trip with their horse I would appreciate some advice on this! Also is there a quarantining system like there is for dogs?
And finally if i do ever manage to get out there, how much does the management differ from here? obviously I would still be riding English style, he is currently in an ' American barn' so I don't think that would bother him. And feeding wise, are they more into feeding straights? Also if anyone knows anything about the usual weather patterns and whether living out all year is feasable?
Obviously this is all assuming I get into the Uni, though I think I would want to go live there anyway.

Cookies and Chicken pie for any who manage to reply!
thanks :)
 
As far as taking a horse to the USA it is best to get one of the International Horse Transporters to deal with it. They have charter flights or several horses flying together and all the horses are crated so it is fairly safe. I doubt you would be allowed to travel with him though.
There is a quarantine but it is not for very long. I think it is a couple of weeks.
There are only certain airports that have the facilities for horses so, it could also mean a long road trip after the quarantine.



Management is much the same in a lot of places but, in many others they do not have concrete floors with the horses standing on dirt floors with very little bed.
Down south many of the big barns have air conditioning or big fans in the barns.

Their feed is mainly mixes rather than straights.

GA is not only very hot in the summer it is also very humid (for me unbearably so!) They have flies the size of saucers and they bite. Mosquitos also carry many diseases that affect horses which is why so many have several inoculations a year.
Livery is generally cheaper than the UK.

As for staying out there for several years you will have to get a red card to work. Not sure how that works if you have a student status.

My advice to you would be if you are accepted then to go out and spend at least a term to see how you get on - whether you like it or not before going to the expense of taking your horse.
 
Check out Firewell's recent post, "flying horses abroad" that will give you ideas.
The horses fly in groups of 3 usually, on a pallet in stalls similar to a trailer so yours would not be alone.
The best thing regarding the technical side is to contact one of the big international transport companies, you will need to arrange the trip through one anyway and they can give you ideas on cost etc, quarantine is, I think, very short just a few days as long as all tests are ok.
Management will vary in different areas and you need to do some research on where you plan to be, I seem to remember from when the Olympics where in Atlanta, Georgia that it was extremely hot in the summer so living out unless very well shaded may not be ideal until your horse has had a chance to acclimatise.
 
Thanks :) Ill have a look into IHT and that post. As for me, I need an F1 visa, but I will be sorted when the time comes, its the horse i worry about. :P
 
It's expensive so depending on what your horse is like or what you plan to do I would possibly consider not taking. We sold a horse to Aus and it was near £20,000 including paperwork, qurantine etc. Competition horses in the states tend to be a lot more expensive than over here so if your horse is a classy comp horse it's probably worth taking him as what it would cost to travel would probably be cheaper than replacing. The upside as well if you did decide to sell up there is a chance you could make a profit.

There are less local shows out there and people tend to keep their horses in barns where a trainer is with them the majority of the time and will travel to shows and train with you. You will have to travel a lot further for shows as well. Depending where you are hacking is AMAZING! If you enjoy your hacking you'll have the time of your life.

Agree with Foxhunter go over first and get a feel of whether you like it or not. These are just my experiences from Maryland, a very horsey part of the country from what I can gather so not sure if its the same everywhere. Good luck, hope it goes well :)
 
I did it the opposite way -- I'm from the US and started a Master's/PhD in the UK, so brought my horse. As was said, most transporters arrange it so they fly in groups of three. Cheaper that way. The transport companies usually sort out everything for you, from customs BS, telling your vet the tests/vaccinations needed to get into wherever you're going, and even ground transport to your final destination. The company I used did in fact allow owners to fly with their horses as a "groom." Just don't do what I did and figure that out at the last minute, and then find that all the seats on the plane have been fully booked (these cargo planes don't have many seats). I was, however, able to travel with my horse on the ground transport bit from Amsterdam to Co. Durham.

Georgia will be HOT and humid in the summer. Think 30-something C. Ugh. I couldn't do it. Also, they have hurricanes. I don't know a thing about how horses are kept in the Deep South, to be honest, but some things that come to mind about the West and New England that are noticeably different from the UK is that horses get hay, not haylage. Hell, I still don't know what haylage is, but my YO tells me that's what my horse has been eating. I'm shocked by how FEW vaccinations horses need here. In the US, you need at least half a dozen, plus a yearly Coggins test as EIA is a problem over there. There is plenty of "English" riding, dressage, showjumping, hunters (in the American sense). I know in the upper South (Maryland, Virginia), they like their foxhunting. As of six years ago, everyone and their mother fed grains. I don't see much of that in Scotland, although I'm not around competition barns, but current scientific thinking is getting away from that. In the West, horses tend to be dry lotted but that may not be the case in less arid environments like the South.

Lastly, if you're going to Georgia, don't watch the movie "Deliverance" and wherever you go, don't fall off, because their health insurance (or lack thereof) system is sh i tty.
 
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