How to Import Horses into Canada From The United States

Horse Transport Tips and Advice

PetRelocation has experience moving all kinds of pets, and we recently received a question about horse pet transportation and thought it deserved further discussion.

Faith wrote to us:

"I am shipping a horse from Florida to Canada, and other than coggins and a health certificate I am not sure what else may be required. He is vaccinated but I am not sure if Canada requires any extra vaccines that Florida does not require. I have shipped many times out of state but never out of the country."

Thanks, Faith! Here's more information about importing horses into Canada from the United States. 

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, horses can be imported into Canada from the United States "if they are accompanied by an Export Certificate issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certificate VS 17-140 or VS 17-145."

For questions about this, travelers are advised to check the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) for more information. 

Note that pet import rules are often subject to change, and especially for species like horses, who can be affected by various outbreaks of diseases such as Vesicular Stomatitis (VS), it is important to check with authorities as you start to plan your travel in order to find out about any temporary or newly-enacted restrictions that may affect you. 

Here is more information about traveling with horses from a recent move we completed -- Maggie the Knabstrupper/Warmblood traveled from Texas to South Carolina.

If you're interested in hiring assistance for your horse's move, contact PetRelocation to discuss your horse transportation options. 

Safe travels to all the horses and horse owners out there! 

Have questions about horse transportation? Contact PetRelocation to connect with a pet travel consultant.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2010 and has been updated with new information. (Photo credit: isamiga76/Flickr.)