My horse baby

Hi everyone

I have an Arabian that I have had since he was a yearling. Rashid is 11 now. Is there anyone here who has shipped a horse to the UK? I have looked into the cost and heaven knows it is not cheap.

My other concern is that I just can't stand the thought of putting my "baby" through the experience of transporting him and then putting him in a strange place with strange people and strange horses. LOL. The place where he is at right now is where he was bred and is "home". He's never been anywhere else.

I just feel like I am putting off the inevitable decision of whether or not I will have to sell him and it is killing me. I can be rational when I am not with him but when I am I can't even bear the thought.

Any insight on the shipping aspect would be very welcome.

Well, I know people who have shipped all over the world for competitions, and the horses were always fine. Where are you right now? My only thought is that UK weather might be a shock for an Arab used to sunnier days! That said, most of us horseback riders here sold our horses before coming over, as the expense (as you said) and the uncertainty seemed a bit much to ask. Where are you moving to?

I sold my TB before moving here. He had a great home with a pony clubber and went to college with her. Earlier this year she got another TB as a project horse and decided to sell my guy.  I toyed with the thought of moving him over (due to age/economy /etc he was priced at 1/3 less than what I sold him for), but it wasn't justifiable given all the costs. He's since found a new home at a lesson stable who love him.

My first horse was my "heart horse" and I would never have sold her. That said, she would have been 16 when I moved here. I think in that scenario I would have found a retirement/semi-retirement barn to keep her at in the US rather than pay to move her here. (She died when she was 8, so a moot point anyway.)

It is really tough. For me it was the cost more than the logistics of shipping. I did pay a fair bit of money to move my dog and cat over and they travelled/settled in great. As Jennie said, competition/sales horses fly all over and (generally) handle it well.

Thanks for the replies! I am moving from South Dakota so England is a "weather upgrade" LOL.

Rashid is my one and only horse I have ever had and as I don't have kids he IS my baby.

Yes it is the cost that is making this so hard to deal with. It kills me to think that I am going to have to make this decision based on money. I know that my trainers (who are like family to me) would help me find him a good home but having had him his entire life I just can't imagine being without him.

There are plenty of places to ride around St Neots but I found the horseback riding thread last night and it sounds like Arabs are few and far between - which I was pretty much sure of anyway. I'll have to get used to other breeds as I've been riding Arabs for the last 10 1/2 years

You might like some of the welsh ponies. They have a similar "little, but mighty" vibe, I find.

I shipped my Friesian over last summer. No way I was going without him!

The cost was less than purchasing another Friesian -- and how can you replace a heart horse anyway? -- and the transport company handled everything. He was treated more or less like royalty, and had no issues with the move. He was 22 at the time so I was quite concerned about his health and the adjustment, but I have to say he's thriving here. He likes the weather!

I shipped my Friesian over last summer. No way I was going without him!

The cost was less than purchasing another Friesian -- and how can you replace a heart horse anyway? -- and the transport company handled everything. He was treated more or less like royalty, and had no issues with the move. He was 22 at the time so I was quite concerned about his health and the adjustment, but I have to say he's thriving here. He likes the weather!

Is he the horse in your signature? He's lovely!

Thank you! Yes, that's my lad. I've had to take the last nine months off of riding, now I'm just counting the days until we're back on track. Hopefully I'll be doing the Christmas pub ride with everyone!

He's beautiful Gwen. I've looked at it from all angles and it breaks my heart but I just can't afford to take him with me. I have officially put my boy up for sale. I can always change my mind before he is sold if I win the lottery.

I'm so sorry you've had to make this decision. You never know what will happen - the best you can do is find a good home for him now and hope that if things change in the future you might be reunited. (You could always win the lottery here after you move )

Best of luck with him, selling horses always drives me nuts. (Buying, too, for that matter!)

Hey there! I transported my warmblood over here a few years ago. I have a ton of info and advice! PM and we can chat! I also have an Arabian horse back in the US that I have yet to transport.


Edited to remove phone number. We never recommend putting personal information on the public forum. Please PM if you have any questions!