Moving our horse from the UK to France

hipposage

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We are moving to France and are planning to move our horse with us by driving her in our 2-horse van down from Scotland to Folkestone, car train to Calais and drive home to Maine et Loire. Does anybody have experience of moving their horse to France? What paperwork is needed? Do you know overnight stables near to Folkestone? Or if you used a company to transport your horse, whom did you use, were they good and how much did it cost? Many thanks.
 

puss

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Iv done this twice i used loc they were brillant all they need is passports another thing i would suggest is stock up with horsey stuff food bute and equipment you can not get alot over there and the vets are rubbish. The horse food is poor choice I moved back to the uk as i couldnt look after my horses good enough over there has just couldnt get decent vet or surplies. And you must get your horse french chipped french law I loved it over there but not for my horses as i felt i was letting them down with their care bon chance
 

Lynette

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First off you will need to apply for an Export Licence about 10 days before you travel. Apply earlier and Defra have a habit of losing the paperwork. As you say horse not pony this will be all you require apart from your mare's passport which will have to be produced at the ferry port.

You will not be able to use the tunnel (only a select band of professional transporters can). However for where you are going in France rather than going Dover - Calais have you not considered using the Portsmouth - Cherbourg or Caen route. The ferry would be a bit more expensive but considering the cost of the extra diesel used and time by going through Dover I know which route I would use.

If you mare is already microchipped then you do not need to have a French one inserted as well.
 

puss

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I had to have a french chip put in even though i had English chip and my horses are freeze marked the vet said the reason horses must be register with Haras in case of straying and if they were stolen could be wrong but i did it anyway.
 

Lynette

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Puss I'm afraid that the vet was after your money. A chip is a Euro regulation and an English one is perfectly legal for France. Did you also get new passports issued by the Haras or did they overstamp your English ones?

BWa All bookings for the tunnel are made through 5 Companies and the lorry used must hold a valid Road Vehicle and Container Certificate and be approved under Article 18 (1) of Council Regulation EC 1/2005. If it does not have climatic control in the horse area then it would not get the above Certificate.
 

Booboos

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puss I think your vet took the mickey. When you arrive in France you need a French vet to verify the chip to the passport and fill in a form which is then sent off to HARAS (with the payment depending on the type of horse). About a million years later they return the original passport with an extra, French, page and the existing microchip is now registered with them.

OP I have heard of a few people travelling their horses themselves, it seems simple enough, but as mentioned I don't think you can go on the tunnel. Will PM you about my experiences with a transported who must remain nameless!
 

Lynette

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Hi Puss

This could now give you a problem if you move back to the UK. Not so much with the move back as the French passports will do. However the problem is that your horses were issued with English passports as presumabley they were born in the UK. The long number on the passport denotes the country of origin of the horse 826 being for England. France starts with another number and this would be on the French passports showing that your horses origin is France. This could raise problems if they are mares and you want to breed. If the vet had done things correctly you should still have the English passports.
 

puss

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Hi one horse born England One in spain with spanish paper work which got translated to french haras paperwork Then i got a English passport for the spanish I didnt have a problem bringing them back Gave LOC all passports I dont know which one they produced at the port. And now spanish has three chips English horse has two plus freeze mark Hope they never get stolen have so much to explain
 

Botters

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If your horse is already chipped you will not need another.

I have traveled 3 horses over to France now and have used Parkers every time. They have been excellent, and its much less stressful. All that they need is passport and they will sort the rest. Horses have always arrived calm and rested.

As for French vets, ours have been absolutely brilliant, so do not be put off. My parents have now been there for 10 years and have done quite well with their French so that probably helps. Our local stud is also very good.

We also have a great farrier who trained in the UK.

I agree horse feed is more limited and harder to get, however there are suppliers of the big brands throughout France if you need it.

Good luck, whereabouts in France are you going?
 

HarasdesPommiers

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we are based in France and regularly ship horses backwards and forwards from the UK. You can not come through the tunnel unless you have a lorry that is completely sealed and approved. In addition should your vehicle happen to deposit waste into the shuttle, you will be fined many £1000s to have it cleaned up. Only a few professional transporters have the necessary approval. You will need to book a ferry crossing for livestock freight, which will be more expensive than a standard tourist crossing.

In terms of paper work, you just need a DEFRA export, unless it is a pony in which case an additional receipt or valuation note is required.

As is mentioned about you do not need to re-chip.In France the UK passport needs to be checked and signed by a French vet and sent to SIRE (this is the one and only Passport Issuing Office in France) who will overstamp it with a SIRE registration number and send it back many weeks later.
 

hipposage

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Hello all,
Thanks for your replies and advice. Seems simple enough, although shame a private person cannot use the car train, it is so convenient.
Comparing the quotes from a few companies and the cost of self transport for one horse with fuel, overnight stay and ferry crossing, plus time, it seems more reasonable to have the mare brought over by a transport company. Thanks also for your comments, both here and private, on the different companies.
We are based in the Maine et Loire, just north of Saumur, so if anybody is near to that area and has advice on vets, farriers, and suppliers of hay, straw and feed, I would much appreciate it. You can also send me a private message.
Merci beaucoup!
 

Botters

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Unfortunately you are a bit too far from my parents for me to make any suggestions.

Get to know your neighbours if you are rural, make the effort to speak French and they will do all they can to help you I'm sure.

My parents neighbours are farmers and they have been a huge help. They cut the fields for them and provide as much hay as is needed. They have also helped with fencing and have all the machinery etc.

If you can find your nearest national stud then the town will probably have a feed merchant, horse vet and can give you details of a farrier.

If all else fails there are equestrian centres in Saumur, so you could always contact them for advice.

Enjoy it, I'd love to be out there full time.
 

FreddiesGal

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I have taken 3 ponies to France and brought one back with me. We used Julie Magnus racehorse transport and LOC. both were fantastic and horses were taken great care of. We shipped ours on their own (not in a shared lorry) as it was quicker.
 

Booboos

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Check out the local riding clubs, they are usually extremely friendly and will help you out with vets, farrier, etc. recommendations. You should be able to find really good professionals near Saumur (I am green with envy! We are in the crappy provential south!). Horse feeds are quite different here, so it might be worth to take a few months' supply with you and haylage can be difficult to find.

Have you had a look at the French Entree forum? Their horse pages have quite a lot of useful websites for feeds, services, etc.
 
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