Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Truth About Buying a Horse from Canada

I was going to add this to my "mis-perceptions" thread- but since this isn't strictly about Standardbreds, I figured I'd give it its own space. I will likely cover this topic over multiple posts as uncover the complexity, or lackthereof, bringing a horse in from Canada.

When I first saw Danney's face on the J & M website, I thought "cute horse, love Standies, but how will I ever get him home?" I thought that while the adoption fee was quite reasonable, that the expenses and procedure would be off-putting to everyone involved.  Not to worry- a little investigation proved that my concerns could be laid to rest.

So far, the process has been no more expensive nor any more stressful than purchasing an out-of-state (or heck, even an "over the pass in Eastern WA") beast. 

The adoption fee was $500, which quite frankly is $250- $500 cheaper than either of the local rescue adoption fees.

The health certificate and Coggins are expected to run at $150 or less.If you were purchasing an out of state horse- you would need at least the Coggins.

The hauling fee is going to to be the same as any other 4 hour round trip expense would- which is going to be cheaper than my adventures in bringing horses back from a certain Yakima feedlot.

In terms of the process- animals must pass through the Sumas border crossing. The paperwork is presented and they need to meet and be inspected by the state veterinarian.

Right now, for personal passport reasons, it looks like we will be meeting J from J &M Acres Rescue right over the border. From there, its a 2 hour drive back home.

So- pretty simple stuff here, and not cost prohibitive at all.

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