Imported Horses

I've heard tales of horses travelling on other horses passports. Some port staff, particularly if busy will not check every horse against every passport. So long as they have the corresponding number of passports for the number of horses, they're not always cross-referenced, I'd imagine, unless they're coming over (from wherever) on dedicated livestock transport. If they're coming over on a general multi-purpose vessel, the port staff might not even know to check livestock passports.
 
In all my years of dealing I have only met very few older Irish horse's with a proper passport. I have two horses at the moment whom I know for a fact went through the Goresbridge sales and were then brought to England. Why were they sold at the sales with no passport? Why were they imported with no passport, who knows but it is a very regular common thing. I have quite often bought a lorry load back of 3/4 year olds from the sales for next to nothing, not one of them had passports! It is good in one way as you get to choose a name for them! What is so annoying is when you have to buy them all a new passport and start all the vaccinations again. I find it so odd how these nice young horses end up unbroken at markets with no history whatsoever at such a young age. We have tried to trace the history of quite a few of ours that have been successful, and you just hit brick walls, they won't tell you anything!!! I don't expect full papers and branding etc. for £250 but you would think they would at least tell you where it came from or who they bought it off??
 
They don't actually need passports to travel oversea into the UK, but they will require a Permit, which is easily available over there.
There are one or two dealers I know of who ship over 20 or so with Passports, who then offload, and take the Passports back for the next load. Passports are so inaccurate it's not hard to do.
I have just purchased a donkey that was recently brought over from Ireland without a Passport. She did have a Passport issued to the Person I bought her from though.
 
Its really not that hard to get horses from Ireland without passports, mine came over without one and when I took him backto Ireland for training his new passport was not checked, and neither was any of the racehorses or broodmares we took between Ireland and France since I've worked at my current job.
 
Horses DO require passports to travel to the UK. By law - all horses travelling in Ireland must have a passport. The law in regard to passports is the same in both countries. If horses are travelling from Ireland to any country other than the UK or France - they then require full health papers and will be checked on the docks by the DOA vets. No matter where a horse is travelling to - it must have a passport. They can not travel on a permit.

Anyone taking a horse from Ireland to the UK without a passport is liable to receive a heavy fine. Passports are sometimes checked on arrival at the ports. The ferry companies themselves are not interested in whether or not a horse has a passport - and they are not responsible for checking passports. That is the responsibility of either the DOA in Ireland or Trading Standards in the UK.

Indeed horses do go through Goresbridge sales without passports - which often leads to travel delay whilst passports are obtained. The Irish Horse Board will issue passports very quickly for horses that are to be exported. Any horse transport company that moves horses without passports is acting outside the law.
 
Agree with Coffeeadict-horses do need passports etc!

If you find a horse without papers then you will probably find it came in illegally and definately not with a reputable horse transporter!
 
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