Since January 1st 2021 travelling / exporting horses to Europe and Northern Ireland has become a lot more complicated and requires forward planning. We strongly encourage you to use a shipping agent as failure to provide correct documentation and follow specified procedures may result in your horse being turned away at the border and not permitted to continue their journey.
All horses travelling to Europe and Northern Ireland must have an Export Health Certificate (EHC), applied for online by the owner or shipping agent and completed by an Official Veterinarian (OV). Horses must have a passport and microchip and they are then classified as registered or unregistered depending on whether their passport is on the list of the EU-recognised UK studbooks. If your horse has a passport that is not the recognised list then it will travel as ‘unregistered’.
Horses will have different requirements for export depending on whether they are registered or unregistered and whether they are being exported permanently or temporarily (<90days).
Temporary export (<90days) of registered horses e.g. for competition:
- All horses need to have a blood test for Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA) within 90days of travel. This blood sample must be sent to the APHA Weybridge and the result can take up to 5 working day
- Stallions over the age of 180days must be tested for equine viral arteritis within 21days of travel unless they meet vaccination requirements, this must also be sent to APHA Weybridge and the results take between 4 and 12 days
- The horse will need to be kept for 40days on a holding in the GB, the EU or a country with a similar health status
- Horses must not have contact with animals suffering from infectious diseases transmissible to horses in the 15 days before export
Permanent export of registered horses and temporary or permanent export of unregistered horses:
- All horses need to have a blood test for Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA) within 30days of travel. This blood sample must be sent to the APHA Weybridge and the result can take up to 5 working day
- Stallions over the age of 180days must be tested for equine viral arteritis within 21days of travel unless they meet vaccination requirements, this must also be sent to APHA Weybridge and the results take between 4 and 12 days
- You must keep the horse separate from other equines that do not have equivalent health status for at least 30 days before export
- You need to keep the horse on a holding in GB under veterinary supervision for 90days, since birth (if the animal is younger than 90 days old or since its entry into GB (if the animal was imported or moved directly from the EU less than 90 days before you export)
N.B Under veterinary supervision does not mean that the vet needs to see the horse every day, rather that they know the yard that the horse is on and that they are satisfied with the infectious disease management on the yard including veterinary intervention if required
- Horses must not have contact with animals suffering from infectious diseases transmissible to horses in the 15 days before export
- Unregistered horses will also need a government-issued supplementary travel ID from the APHA which is sent to the OV with the EHC
Further information can be found on the links below:
Government website – ref export of horses and ponies
Government website – ref animal movement to Northern Ireland
The Thoroughbred Breeders association FAQs
