Owning a dream-come-true horse is on the bucket list of many equestrians. Thanks to my horse adventures in Spain, a Pura Raza Espanola (PRE), sired by Fuego de Cardenas and trained by dressage Olympic medalist Rafael Soto and his protégé Vivi Garcia, is my dream horse to be. I recently pondered how I would get my prized beauty from Spain to Los Angeles. As a first-time importer, I found that the thought of it became more daunting than dreamy. So I decided to delve into the particulars for a better understanding of the process. Since Vivi and her family at Epona Equestrian Center in Seville regularly train and export horses, Epona was the natural starting point for me.

According to Vivi, when training is completed and a horse is ready to be exported, the transportation companies handle all of the logistics. Epona purchases the necessary travel equipment (halter, travel boots, etc.) on behalf of the owner and ensures that all of the required documents (passport and bill of sale) are in order before the horse is released to the transporter. Insurance is the responsibility of the owner. From Epona, the horse then travels by trailer for six to seven hours to Las Cadenas quarantine center in Madrid. Stallions and mares over 2 years old spend one month there. Horses under 2 years of age do not require pre-shipping quarantine.

Direct cargo flights that transport horses from Madrid to Los Angeles are rare, so horses departing from Spain are typically transferred from Las Cadenas in Madrid to another major international airport, such as Amsterdam, Paris or Frankfurt, for the transatlantic leg of their journey. In addition to Los Angeles, there are three other import points of entry in the U.S.—Chicago, New York and Miami. The cost to export to the U.S. varies.