Importing and exporting horses to or from South Africa is not a simple exercise and requires the assistance of a professional who is well versed in this field, says Kevin Connolly of Connolly & Turner Bloodstock Forwarding in Johannesburg. Kevin has been engaged in this business for close on 30 years now.

Bringing horses into South Africa requires specific procedures such as an import permit from the Registrar of Livestock Improvement

Every country has its own set of veterinary requirements and regulations, explains Connolly, and given the cost of getting a horse to its destination, unnecessary mistakes could be costly or could jeopardise the whole project.

All roads …

“If you want to move a horse out of the country, all roads lead through Cape Town,” he explains. “The horse fi rst has to spend 60 days in the African Horse Sickness free area of the Western Cape, which is a very small area consisting basically of Kenilworth and Milnerton.

“The last 40 days of the required residency period is spent in vector protected quarantine. In order to comply with EU- protocols, the horses are required to be vector-protected from two hours before sunset until two hours after sunrise. The cost for the 60-day stint is approximately R120 per day for the fi rst twenty days and then around R27 000 for the remaining forty days in the positive pressure quarantine station situated in the centre of Kenilworth Racecourse.”

From Cape Town, the horses invariably fl y out to Europe, either to Oostende or Amsterdam, except in the case of dedicated shipments, for example to the UAE, for an event such as the Dubai World Cup, where the chartered fl ight could operate directly from Cape Town to England, eliminating unnecessary road travel and obviously being advantageous for both the horses and their trainers.

Complications

“From Oostende or Amsterdam, the situation becomes rather complicated, for now it depends on the particular requirements of the receiving country of destination.

Going to Dubai, for example, the horse must spend at least thirty days in Europe or England before moving onward to the UAE.

Going to Australia or the USA, the horse must spend at least sixty days in Europe before onward movement.” During and before the quarantine period, there are a myriad of tests which must be conducted, depending on the receiving country.

“Because every country in the world has slightly diff erent requirements, moving horses is rather diffi cult, and for a lay individual to try and do it, might seem totally overwhelming.

Getting to Europe is relatively easy. It is the moving onwards that becomes tricky.”

Bringing horses in Bringing horses into South Africa also requires specific procedures. In the first place the importer needs an import permit from the Registrar of Livestock Improvement, for which you make an application through the relevant breeders’ society for their recommendation, which is forwarded onto the Registrar for the issue of the required permit.

“Quarantine on arrival is minimum of thirty days. Testing on the other side, however, is also a minimum of thirty days, during which time the horse needs to be isolated and tested. This includes tests for EVA (equine viral arthritis), CEM (contagious equine metritis), dourine and glanders. Obviously certain vaccinations, such as equine fl u, have to be in place as well.

“On arrival in South Africa those tests are repeated during the 30-day quarantine period on this side. There are slight variations, depending on the country they come from.”

What about costs?

The cost of taking a horse out of the country, including the period in the AHS-free area as well as the thirty plus days in quarantine, plus the cost of fl ying out to Europe, work out at around R100 000.

“Coming into the country, on the other hand, very much depends on the area the horse is coming from,” says Kevin.

“From Europe, for example, the testing would be around R20 000, the fl ight around R45 000, plus around R11500 of local costs, which brings the total costs to over R70000. From the USA that fi gure would be closer to R120 000.”

South Africans are at a distinct disadvantage in terms of participation in international equestrian events, he concludes. Moving South African horses around the world like some successful race horse trainers do, requires incredible dedication and thorough long-term planning.

For more information on import and export requirements, contact Kevin Connolly on 083 253 9800.