How to Transport a Horse to Mexico

Horse transportation to Mexico must follow USDA and Mexican regulations.

People transporting horses to Mexico must carefully follow regulations. There are rules for the temporary transfer of horses participating in horse shows or races, for horses destined for slaughter and for horses moving permanently across the border. Final horse inspections are done by a Mexican veterinarian on the U.S. side of the border. Once the veterinarian has cleared the horse, it must wait in quarantine for five days before the horse can be moved to its final destination.

Instructions

1. Have the horse examined 60 days before transportation to Mexico. This health inspection must be done by an veterinarian accredited by the USDA. The horse must be inspected at its stable and cannot be brought to the veterinarian's office for inspection. Necessary tests include those for contagious equine metritis (CEM) and equine infectious anemia. If the horse is from Wisconsin, Texas, Illinois or California, then it must be tested for CEM three times, using bacterial cultures. These states have diagnosed cases of CEM and horses are considered high risk for CEM. All tests must have negative results. If a test comes back positive, then the horse cannot be transported to Mexico. Horses must also be free of ectoparasites; if they have been treated for ectoparasites, the medication and date of treatment is required.

2. Obtain the horse health certificate from the USDA. Have the USDA-approved veterinarian fill out and sign the health certificate. The form provides the test results, horse identification description and information form the horses' farm of origin.

3. Contact the veterinary services at the Mexico port of entry because the horse will need to be quarantined for several days upon its entry to Mexico. Ports of entry for horses being shipped over land include San Luis, Aqua Prieta Douglas and Nogales in Arizona; Santa Teresa, New Mexico; and El Paso, Presidio, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo, Pharr and Brownsville in Texas. The horse is inspected by the Mexican customs veterinarian on the U.S. side of the border before the horse can enter Mexico.

4. Transport the horse in a container that is clean and has been disinfected. The container can have only one level. Two-level shipping containers are barred by the Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2009. There also are many companies that specialize in horse transport. The company will take care of all paperwork and transportation of the horse from your home to the Mexico destination.

Tips & Warnings

• Transportation of horses into Mexico for permanent entry follow the same regulations as temporary entry. However the farm where the horse lives in the U.S. must be free of a long list of diseases.

References

• United States Department of Agriculture: Import Health Requiements of Mexico for Horses for Temporary Entry
• United States Department of Agriculture: International Animal Export Regulations
• United States Department of Agriculture: Customs Entries Through Which Live Animals Can Be Imported Into Mexico
• Animal Welfare Institute: Horse Transportation Safety
• United States Department of Agriculture: Import Health Requirements of Mexico for Horses for Permanent Entry

Resources

• United States Department of Agriculture: Horse Health Certificate