Possible move to Oz......

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special_k

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Hi There,

My bf has accepted a job in Oz - it's a great opportunity for him. He wants me to go with but there isn't just me... there is my 10 yr old TB and two cats also.

Although heart breaking, my cats could live with my parents but I simply cannot part with the horse.

So..... do I move neddy to Oz or let bf go without me???

HELP!!!! xx
 
We did the same in 2007, having to sell my beloved horse. We are now back in the UK. It's a very hard call. It was one too far for me. :(

One of our beloved labs died in quarantine even though it was just 30 days - shudder at the thought of it.
 
Moving your horse to Australia is not that simple. I would very carefully find out all the requirements for quarantine and vaccinations and all the costs before you make your decision. My Australian niece was on an Aussie Equestrian team back in the 1990's. Before she could take her boy home he had to do a month's quarantine here and then a further (I think) 6 weeks back in Sidney, Australia before she could get him back to Brisbane. Bear in mind he came from Australia in the first place, it may be more difficult than that for yours. Very expensive, so do your homework. It would be heartbreaking to underbudget and then have no time to make a plan B. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
I think we were quoted around £12k to take my horse, not sure what that included tbh, but it was the change in climate that was the biggest consideration - and the fact that I would never have been able to put him through it all - the travelling, the vets fees. Trust me, it was bad enough with my dogs.

My terrier has now been around the world though ;)
 
Ah blimey, you'll be safe as houses in Brissie :D Lovely place - have you been ? We right up north in the tropics, definitely the wrong place to be for us (and no good for a coloured horse).

Check out the brissie horsey sites - then have a good, hard think. And whatever you do, go out to brissie BEFORE you make a decision - you may not like it. x
 
Does Australia not require a 6 month quarantine? One of the reasons I did my postgrad in the UK instead of Oz was that it was a million times easier to get the horse into the country.
 
Hi! An antipodian friend of mine moved back to Queensland just over a year ago and took her arab stallion with her. I think the cost was about £15k including the quarantine both here and in Oz. She found it a bit traumatic but the horse has coped fine! Don't forget that all the professionals involved in the move are very experienced in dealing with moving horses so I suspect that you may worry more than your horse!! Good luck!
 
The transporters I have spoken with have told me he would require 21 days quarantine here and then 21 days in Sydney.

The places I can see websites for seems to be for grass livery only - is stabling quite unheard of due to the weather. I would need to visit anyway first to check it out. x
 
Good point - my dogs went in on a UK passport and had to stay at Sydney 30 days (tho it went wrong). :o I think horses may well be 6 months, and quarantine is def in Sydney for them.
 
I emigrated. Loaned my boy out which came with its own worries but sooooo pleased I didnt sell!!! Came back & 8 weeks later luckily for me the loanee had a change of circumstances, I was desp to ask for him back but didnt want to break their heart as he hadnt put a hoof wrong in all that time, & he came home!!!!
 
Hi Special K

I'm from Oz ( down south in Melbourne) and I'm moving back there from London possibly next year and will be taking my 18.3hh IDx with me.
It's going to cost us around £18,500 but that is for 1 1/2 stalls (or business class as I call it) as my monster neddy won't fit in a single stall.
We have friends with racehorses and breeding stallions that send their horses around the world without mishap. Their best stallions travel each year between the UK and Oz for the respective breeding seasons and seem to all cope very well with the travel and unlike us humans don't seem to be affected by the dreaded jet lag.
Our best friend uses IRT regularly and swears by them. I've spoken to heaps of different people and they have all said IRT are the best people to use. I also work at Heathrow in security and process the lorries and inflight grooms arriving and departing and I must say the horses are treated like kings and queens and are in the hands of experts from start to finish. I believe to that in some cases it might be possible to travel with your horse too, which is what I'm planning on doing.
Brisbane is simply lovely with mild to hot weather year round so stabling is not necessary, hence grass livery (or agistment as we call it) is the norm.
The only thing I would recommend is to try and time it so your horse arrives during the mild Oz winter as going from a UK winter to an Oz summer can be a bit of a shock otherwise. The one thing that will drive you and your horse mad are the flies. I'd also strongly recommend a good fly sheet and plenty of Aeroguard (fly repellant) for you and your horse. Also if he has any white markings then a fly net and some zinc cream are also needed to prevent sunburn.
My only warning would be to ensure that when you look at places to keep him that you choose somewhere that is on high ground rather than in a valley simply because when Oz is not in drought the rain up north in Brisbane is torrential and can lead to catastrophic flooding and sadly loss of livestock from drowning. (Sorry, don't want to scare you).
Brisbane (Queensland in general) is extremely laid back, quiet and certainly one of the more stress free places to live. It can be a bit boring, unless you like to go out and drink heaps, but the quality of life is superb. Our racing friends tend to send their racehorses up north to be turned out for their spelling each year as they have found the horses thrive in the warm climate and come back home down south for the next racing season healthier, happier and very relaxed.
I certainly wouldn't worry about whether or not your horse will be ok as I can guarantee he will love the mild weather (no more hairy pony nor multiple winter clippings to worry about).
I had horses in Oz for nearly 30 years, each one on group grass livery and they were all very happy, healthy boys. Yours will be fine, I'm sure.
I would certainly recommend however that if possible you take a trip out there first to check it out as although as I've said it is a great place it might not be the right place for you.
Good luck and I hope it all goes well.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you want any more info.
Kerry xxx
 
if you are serious about your boy friend and want to be with him for and stay in oz for life,

Then go with him and take your horse!

But be realistic on horses age etc and if he would like there.
Will the job bt temporary
 
Before you go to the effort and expense of moving your horse there are you sure you want to live there.?? Have you spent time over there.?? My mother emigrated to OZ as has another 2 friends of mine, my mum returned after 2 years, found it far too isolated, it's a very long way from home and with the time difference often difficult to contact back home

My other two friends (hubby and wife) are also returning in few months as also they don't enjoy it out there, it's a very different way of life.

So before you rush off spending best part of £15k and a lot of trauma for horse and yourself I'd be sure it's a move you know you want to make for life.
 
I agree with the previous poster.... If you haven't been out here to live - and I mean give it a good 6 months - year to see if you like it... There's no way I would commit to moving!!!

I spent a year out here before I moved my dog out!! (been here 4 years now)

Good luck if you do go!!!!
 
Now this is the very boring but sensible bit :o

Have you checked that you are actually able to get a visa to go (and work) in Aus? Because it's all very well going as a dependent of your bf - although that might not be possible as your aren't married, I don't know the rules exactly - but what happens if it goes wrong/you hate it? It's one thing getting yourself home but what happens when it costs £££££ to bring the horse home and you don't have an income of your own?

Sorry to throw cold water on the party.
 
I don't know anything about Australia but I have moved from America to Ireland 11 years ago. While you may think what's the big deal, it was much more difficult than I anticipated. And I never would have moved with a boyfriend. I moved with my husband. Maybe a long term boyfriend. I'm not trying to scare you off but it really was difficult. I had no "safety" system. And I went through a period with my husband in which he tried to make me into a 60's Irish housewife. I lost a lot of who I was. And you never think that will ever happen when you're strong willed and independent. Things are much better now but it was rocky for a bit.

I didn't have animals to bring to Ireland but I have a zoo now which is why I'm still here. Trying so hard to get the money together for the horses, dogs, and cat to go back home. I honestly can't take another year of 11 wet months of mud. It didn't use to be that way but the last 5 years have been brutal.

So I think the least of your worries are actually cost and horse shipping. Your horse will be fine. Horses cope better than all the pressures humans have to deal with. I'm always a stranger here. I'm actually quite well respected in the horse world back home. Here I'm just a blow in who can't possibly know anything. Lots of things have been very hard to stomach because this isn't my home. The only thing that has kept my sane are my animals and I won't leave without them. I've even looked at places to keep them when I go until we can get settled and bring them over. Yeah that's not gonna work. Shoved into a field and left while banking my money. Cost me more in trying to get them right for the trip home.

Anyway, you really need to think long and hard.

Terri
 
Good post, Terri. I moved myself and my horse from the States to the UK six years ago. Not for a man, though; for my own edification, as I was doing postgraduate degrees over here and I had spent time visiting the UK and Ireland and thought I wanted to stay long term. The first year was rough and it was hard going, settling into the culture here, but my decision to schlep my horse here tied me down. It costs a lot less than sending one to Australia, but we're still talking a good few grand, and she wasn't getting shipped back. In a way, I'm glad of that, as I did get used to it and everything got much better.

Other Americans (and folks from a few other countries) who have moved to Ireland have similar experiences to Terri. The Irish seem to place a great deal of importance on who you know, who you grew up with, who your family is, and if you don't have those connections, you'll always be an outsider. I haven't found that to be true of Britain (at least not where I've lived) nor did I find it to be the case in Australia when I lived there for a year.

Still, you might not like the culture, you might not settle. And if you're just following a boyfriend, you might not have anything for yourself. Visas are an issue as well -- Oz's immigration laws are not the friendliest in the world.
 
Hi,

Thank you all for your wonderful replies, yes I am very aware of the visa issue and whether I would actually like it.

This is not something I am jumping into - have been with bf for 8 years. I am tied into my house tenancy until next November anyway so by the time I have visited and then spent some time over there it will be 2014 before any possible move.

Kerry - thank you for your insight. I appreciate that I am worrying a lot more than I probably need to at this stage!

xx
 
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