Buyer Resources

VETTING & TRANSPORT GUIDE

Everything you need to know about Pre-Purchase Examinations (PPE) and transporting your new horse securely from Spain to your home.

Pre-Purchase Examinations (PPE)

We highly recommend a thorough Pre-Purchase Examination before finalizing any horse purchase. In Spain, you can choose your own independent veterinarian or rely on our network of trusted, English-speaking equine clinics.

Standard 5-Stage Vetting

A typical 5-stage vetting includes:

  • Stage 1: Preliminary examination in the stable (eyes, heart, lungs, teeth, overall condition).
  • Stage 2: Walk and trot in hand on a hard surface to check for baseline soundness.
  • Stage 3: Strenuous exercise (lunging or ridden) to assess wind and respiratory recovery.
  • Stage 4: Period of rest to monitor heart and recovery rate.
  • Stage 5: Second trot up and flexion tests on all four limbs.

X-Rays & Bloodwork

Depending on your budget and the horse's value, we typically recommend a standard set of 12-14 baseline X-rays (naviculars, hocks, fetlocks, and knees). For higher-level sport horses, full sets including back and neck views are standard.

Blood can be drawn during the vetting and held for 6 months, or sent immediately to a lab to test for NSAIDs, sedatives, or specific conditions like Piroplasmosis (required for export to certain countries).

International Transport

Bringing a horse from Spain to the UK, Europe, or the USA is a well-established process.

Transport within Europe (EU/UK)

Overland road transport is the most common method. The journey from Spain to Northern Europe or the UK typically takes 3 to 5 days, including overnight stabling at professional midway yards (often in France or Northern Spain).

Post-Brexit, transporting to the UK requires an export health certificate, custom declarations, and slightly longer transit times at the border. Our transport partners handle all this documentation seamlessly.

Worldwide Transport (USA/Global)

For destinations outside Europe, horses are flown via major hubs (like Amsterdam or Frankfurt). The process requires specific pre-export blood testing (such as Piroplasmosis and CEM) and a period of pre-export isolation.

Upon arrival in the USA, geldings and mares undergo a mandatory USDA quarantine (typically 3 days for geldings, longer for mares/stallions). We coordinate door-to-door logistics so you don't have to worry about a thing.

We don't operate horse transport ourselves. We work with trusted equine transport companies and can help coordinate transport from Spain to your destination. Requirements depend on the destination country and specialist transport/export companies may be required.