Frequently Asked Questions

Horses do not need mandatory vaccinations prior to entering the United States; however, each horse will need a health certificate with appropriate blood tests, depending on sex of the horse and export country. Additionally, horses may not be vaccinated within the 14 days prior to flight. Equus Air manages the coordination of this paperwork and blood testing. 

Equus Air flies horses on airlines experienced in equine transport, which include FedEx, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Martinair, Tex Sutton, and others. 

 Each horse needs a test for Equine Infections Anemia (coggings) and a health certificate to fly domestically. This documentation must also include the horse’s destination with Equus Air noted as the shipper. 

 Travel for horses is as custom as travel is for humans. Prior to international export, each horse must undergo quarantine, as determined by the exporting country. As with all travel, the length of flights and ground shipment vary by the departure and arrival points. Equus Air can help you determine how long this process will take for your horse. 

Equus Air will coordinate transport from your horse’s current location to the airport by leveraging our network of reputable equine ground shippers. If you prefer to transport your horse yourself or with a preferred shipper, we recommend a gooseneck trailer to make it easier to load into the flight stalls. 

Horses and grooms should arrive at the airport 2 hours prior to flight departure. 

Typically, horses do not need to be tranquilized during a flight; however, a horse will be sedated if it becomes a danger to itself or others. IF your horse is sedated, we will notify you immediately. 

Horses are accompanied by certified grooms that ensure horses are comfortable and safe. Additionally, your horse is provided hay and water during the flight. 

Horses may travel with leg wraps; however, wraps on the hind legs may fall or twist and cannot be readjusted during the flight. Additionally, horses may travel with tack; however, space is very limited and tack should be kept to a minimum. Additional tack may be shipped on select airlines for a fee. Please ensure you ask about shipping tack with your horse. 

The USDA does not allow individuals to visit horses when under USDA quarantine. Upon release from USDA quarantine, an owner can pick their horse up at the quarantine facility. Equus Air will do our best to send you pictures as your horse is traveling. 

Equus Air can coordinate ground transport for your horse from USDA quarantine to their destination or CEM quarantine. You may also arrange your own transport. 

Mares and stallions over 731 days of age are required to be quarantined and tested for contagious equine metritis (CEM).

Payment is required prior to scheduling the flight. 

When importing or exporting items in or out of the United States, US Customs requires your legal name, Social Security Number, and address to be included on the Horse’s Airway Bill. Equus Air will never release your personal information. 

Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) is a bacterial sexually transmitted disease spread through

contaminated equipment, semen collected for artificial insemination, and live cover breeding. Typically, stallions do not exhibit signs of a CEM infection; however, mares may become infertile for one or more breeding cycles. Mares infected during pregnancy may also produce a carrier foal. Additionally, both stallions and mares may be chronic carriers meaning that they may be a source to spread the infection while being asymptomatic. The United States is free of CEM and classifies CEM as a foreign animal disease. Federal regulations require

quarantine and testing practices for stallions and mares over 2 years (731 days) of age upon entry into the United States from most countries. CEM quarantine and testing for mares and stallions differ. While there are general guidelines for each sex, issues with test results or positive results may lead to delays in release from quarantine. For mares, CEM testing is performed through bacterial culture and complement fixation, with culture being considered the gold standard testing. During CEM quarantine, multiple culture samples are obtained over a fixed period. This testing occurs over an average of a 2-week period for mares.

Stallions are tested by bacterial culture and must breed to two CEM-negative mares. After breeding, the mares are tested for CEM. This testing typically occurs over a one-month period for stallions.