Only once from the States...myriad videos - very tough vetting by a vet unknown to the seller. Bloods taken and tested, some basic xrays- - quarantine for a long time at nearest airport facility until all tests for export sorted and done. Services of the transporter checked and double checked......total process approximately 3 months, expenses incurred apart from purchase price - mind boggling. Was I disappointed when horse arrived - absolutely not he was even better than seller described.
Would I do it again - not a chance, my nerves and my bank account were in tatters by the time he arrived!
But the seller and Is till remain very good internet friends to this day
Would I do it again - not a chance, my nerves and my bank account were in tatters by the time he arrived!
But the seller and Is till remain very good internet friends to this day Totally that Carthorse - this was a particular breed I was after (TWH) and it was almost impossible to find one that had not been ruined by the 'Big Lick' that had been the majority of this breed brought into Europe at the time. Low end, broken down - abused by both stacking, soring and shoeing and training for the show scene in the States was the best I could source within Europe. Flat shod pleasure riding horses shown only in the flat shod classes were likes hen's teeth back then. I got what I wanted but it was high risk and would not recommend it no matter what you are looking for unless you can afford to lose what you are investing - at the time I could - now I could not lol!
A Tennessee Walker @Cortrasna , wow, no wonder your nerves were fried. Most of those poor horses look like abuse cases to me. And I believe it's a waste of beautiful horses, they have a great breed description.
A lot of them still are sadly Jane&Ziggy. I was very fortunate to find a breeder and producer of flat shod naturally gaited TWH's - at that time there weren't too many studs like that in Tennessee . Fortunately things are improving for this beautiful breed of horse and more and more are being bred, broken and shown naturally. An uphill struggle though because the Big Lick scene is also very much the Big bucks scene. Where there is a lot of dodgy money involved there is always cruelty and corruption in my opinion.
Not personally, but one of my neighbours did. She bought an Irish cob. Nothing but trouble - he reared and bucked. He's been out on numerous loans and always come back. He's now gone permanently (for free I believe) and as far as I know, not being ridden. She kept him as long as she could, but was never going to be happy with him.
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