MOVING A HORSE – A LICENCE IS REQUIRED                                                                               

                                                                    

To transport a horse within Spain a MOVEMENT LICENCE (Guia) has to be obtained from the local Agricultural Office.)

If you are moving a horse temporarily – 10 days or less the new Decreto dated 65/2012 requires only a fax to your local Oficina Comarcal de Agricultura (OCA) stating registration number of the horse (passport or tarjeta sanitaria), address and code of yard it is leaving, address and code of yard where it is going. Recently new changes to OCA License the name has now changed to “Registro de Explotación” (Farm Registry). Also known as REGA.

You need to provide dates the horse is going and returning, the name and ID number of the person responsible for the horse at this time.

If you are moving a horse permanently – you must attend the OCA with the horse documents, a signed copy of the ID of the owner of the yard it is leaving giving permission for the horse to go and the same for the yard it is going to (with permission the horse may enter) Some OCA´s charge an admin fee of around 0.75 cents.

You will be given two copies of a “guia de traslado permanente”. One is for the destination and the other stays with the explotación where it was previously registered. The person/company transporting the horse must sign both.

You will need an adequate, legal and horse insured vehicle that has been registered at your local OCA. If you are transporting a horse that is not registered in your name, any distance, you must complete a course “Bien estar del animal en el transporte” – as well as all the previously mentioned.

Always contact your relevant Oficina Comarcal de Agricultura to confirm details of any of the above. Each province acts independently, although these laws are European level.

If you are IMPORTING a horse to SPAIN – you must ensure that it is delivered to the care of an approved stable with adequate REGA licenses.  You will need EUROPEAN vehicle insurance and, if you are a professional, you will need an International Operator’s License, which is obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

You will also need a PASSPORT for your horse, an EXPORT license to leave the UK and an in-date health certificate signed by a ministry vet. The health certificate is applied for on the Trade Control and Exports System (TRACES).

The horse must start transport within 48 hr and be complete within 10 days. The export certificate is applied for through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). QUARANTINE isn’t required when travelling within the EU.

Stables holding REGA licences are now liable to big fines if they transport or sell a horse to a property or owner that does not hold a REGA licence. The onus is on the stables holding the REGA Licence to ensure horses are being delivered to a licenced property.

There are also big fines imposed if the paperwork is not saved as these can be spot inspected at any time, as well as movement papers. If stopped and the correct movement papers are not available – again big fines. If moving your horse through a number of different provinces – you need to check the movement requirements for each province – in Murcia and Alicante a Movement paper (along with passports etc.) are required but in Almeria there is a ‘book’ system.

                                                       

 

                                                             A true horseman does not see his horse with his eyes, he feels his horse within his soul.