International transport (Austria)

[reen2020]

Hi guys,

I'm going to be moving to Austria in late summer and am starting to think about the costs involved to bring my horse with me. I've just been quoted £1500 all in by John Parker (£400 to Holland, £600 Holland to Vienna, ~£500 for vet certificate and export/ import to EU).

Does that sound in the right ballpark to what others have experienced?

Also grateful for any tips in terms of companies or also preparing for such a big trip.

Thank you!

 

[Ownedby4horses]

Yes, that sounds a reasonable cost to me. I had four moved by Parkers in 2020 from Northern UK to Southern Denmark and they were just amazing. I have anxiety so stressed about everything, plus one of mine was 31 years old at the time (he absolutely loves travelling and was cleared to travel by my own vet and the ministry vet so it was a no brainier, a I couldn’t have left him behind.

Parkers dealt with my every neurotic email query with superb efficiency and nothing was too much trouble for them, Michelle in the office was a super star and really put me at ease. What you have to remember is they do this for a living, so it’s natural for us to worry when in reality, it is very straight forward when you have a company like Parkers doing the move for you.

Do be aware, whoever you use, if it is a shared load, it can be a bit like a bus route, I imported a horse from Europe a good few years back (not Parker’s) and a shared load and he went everywhere, dropping off, being unloaded to get other horses off and being out back on and he did arrive a bit shell shocked. I would ask what size box yours will go on if it is a shared load.

I paid extra with Parkers for a dedicated lorry and it was a breeze, they were expertly chauffeured (by the wonderful Beth who sadly no longer works for them), they planned the route perfectly and had overnight stops and arrived to me in beautiful condition (they’d been groomed as well), they even organised getting hay soaked for their journeys and overnight stops.

You won’t be able to send much with them, usually you can usually send tack and a rug etc, I prepared all their feeds in advance and bagged them and labelled them up and they just emptied the bags into their feed buckets.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I’ve used Parker’s three times to and from Germany and it was very straightforward and stress free because they dealt with everything. Mine were all shared loads and took three days. The UK leg was pick up late afternoon from Oxfordshire in a smaller lorry to Dover where he was stabled overnight. Day 2 loaded onto the European lorry and via the Tunnel to Maastricht for the second overnight stop and then on day 3 arrived in Ophoven. Last trip was 2016 and cost £500 each way. Every time he’s travelled with them he has strolled off the lorry relaxed and without a care in the world which meant I was just as chilled about the whole thing.

 

[Rowreach]

I would always use Parkers if I was travelling horses overseas, so I probably wouldn't even bother getting another quote if it was me.

 

[reen2020]

Thank you all that's really helpful! Sounds like I got lucky with my first phone call. The guy I spoke to on the phone was very straightforward and helpful. It's probably not worth trying to shop around for a couple of hundred quid if you have all had such good experiences with Parkers.

The only difference I think would be that they would hand over to a Hungarian transport company for the continental leg as Parkers themselves don't go to Austria regularly - I guess they will have vetted this company themselves.

 

[Winters100]

We used them to move 8 horses UK to Central Europe some years ago and were very happy. Cost sounds about right.

 

[texenstar]

I used them to import a horse from Dubai to the UK. Flew from Dubai to Frankfurt then driven overland to me in the UK. Fantastic company that kept me informed of every step of the journey. Like others have said, my horse did arrive a little bit shell shocked from being on a shared transport and as I live in the north of the england there were quite a few stops before me. But still an amazing service and I would definitley use them again if I had to import/export

 

[Palindrome]

I thoroughly recommend Parker too, I have used them twice and the horses arrived fresh and in good shape. I have used LOC once and wouldn't again, the horse had bumped her head and was completely exhausted.

 

[Peglo]

I used them to bring my new one over from Italy last year. They were good and easy to deal with.

 

[SibeliusMB]

Another vote for Parker. They picked up my guy short notice from Liege last summer and delivered him well ahead of schedule. Price reflected the last minute request and dedicated lorry, but they got it done.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I used Parker to transport my horse from Spain to Germany and would use them again. No major issues and the route wasn't bad either.

That price definitely sounds fair.

 

[reen2020]

wow definitely unanimous for Parkers!! Thank you all