Merry Christmas from EZ 2 Spot Ranch

Wow, this year has gone by so quickly. What a great time we have had getting to know so many wonderful people all over the world and having the privilege of shipping their beautiful horses. There is not enough space to thank each of you individually, but we want to say a big Thank You to all our friends for sharing your horses with us this year and to let you know how much we appreciate each and every one of you. We look forward to new and amazing adventures in 2015. Wishing you each a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Demystifying the ban on horses from TX

It seems that there has been a lot of confusion and misinformation going around about importing horses from Texas. I want to bring everyone up to date and explain the actual situation. There were several cases of Vesicular Stomatitis reported at various locations in the states of Texas and Colorado this past summer. Most countries in the world responded to this situation by requiring testing for Vesicular Stomatitis on all horses from anywhere in the United States. Horses from Texas have been shipping and are continuing to ship without difficulty to all countries in Europe, South and Central America - and to most countries in the Far East and Middle East. The only countries in Asia that have banned horses from Texas are Korea and Saudi Arabia. We have been shipping all along without difficulty to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. Kuwait did ban horses from Texas for a period of time, but that ban has now been lifted, so we are shipping horses there today. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact us at ez2spot@hotmail.com or by telephone at +2108610269. Our staff veterinarian, Dr. Charles T. Reagan or our staff biologist, Lyssa MacMillan, will be happy to talk with you about Vesicular Stomatitis.

September Happenings at EZ 2 Spot Ranch

Lots of new and exciting things are going on at EZ 2 Spot Ranch these days. We have had some staff changes in the past month and things are better than ever. Terry and I have taken back the full time hands-on management of the ranch and we are assisted by some amazing and talented folks. We want to formally welcome Joe Ivey and Michelle Hazel to our EZ 2 Spot Ranch family. We also greatly appreciate and want to acknowledge the hard work, loyalty and dedication of our part-time helpers, Jose Rodriguez and Jesse Rodriguez, Juan Balderrama, and John and Desiree Sexton. Also a big thank you to Mitzi Sexton for her generous volunteer work. You are all appreciated more than words can say. We are looking forward to a visit from our old friend and retired CargoLux pilot, Patrick Gantner, from Switzerland. Patrick will be with us for about six weeks and we are really excited about spending some time together and making sure he learns how to dance the Texas Two-Step. There's probably a little target practice in his future too -along with plenty of barbecue and good ole South Texas Tex-Mex food. We are busy shipping lots of horses these days. Many thanks to Toni and Sarah for sharing your lovely broodmares with us. They have now safely arrived at home in Germany. Thank you also to Tareq of the UAE and to Sylvio of Brazil for sharing your horses with us and allowing us the privilege to ship them to your home countries. Today we have some beautiful horses flying to Luxembourg and then on to their homes in Germany, England, Ireland and the Czech Republic. Many thanks to Jennifer, Owen, Ronnie and Radka for sharing your horses with us. And thank you to David for flying for us. On Tuesday we have another flight to Amsterdam with yet another amazing group of horses. We are honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of the famous Rose Hill Lincoln's life and journey. He will be leaving us on Tuesday and we will miss him greatly. Thank you, Cheryl and Katharina for sharing him with us. Also leaving on Tuesday are some lovely Arabian mares belonging to Irina and Kat. Thank you, ladies, for sharing your mares with us and again, thank you to David for flying for us again! The following week we will be picking up precious minis from the World Show in Fort Worth and bringing them back to the ranch for quarantine. Next month we will have horses going to Amsterdam, Bahrain and Luxembourg - and we are planning new quarantine groups for South Africa, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. We are also planning a shipment to Thailand in the near future - and are working on a shipment to India. Be sure to let us know what we can do for you! You can reach us by email at ez2spot@hotmail.com, fill out a request form on our website, www.ez2spotranch.com, contact us on our Facebook page, EZ 2 Spot Ranch or give us a call at 210-861-0269 or 210-244-3404. We look forward to hearing from you!

Summer Update

This summer has been a very busy and productive time at EZ 2 Spot Ranch. Last month we flew horses to Amsterdam, Luxembourg and Sao Paolo, Brazil. Megan had the honor of presenting awards at the Brazilian Cutting Horse Show while she was there and Terry and Dianne made a special trip to Kunming, China to meet with new clients. This month we are looking forward to shipping to Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Sao Paolo and Dammam, Saudi Arabia. New quarantine groups are starting this week for Amsterdam and Luxembourg. We are gathering horses now for shipments to Sao Paolo, Bahrain, Kuwait, Riyadh and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. We are also planning shipments soon to Viet Nam and India. Some limited spaces are available in these shipping groups. Contact us at ez2spot@hotmail.com for prices and details. For all our miniature horse clients in Europe, perhaps you have already heard that KLM has raised their rates significantly for minis flying on the maindeck to Amsterdam, so all our minis are now flying to Luxembourg on CargoLux. The rate for Luxembourg has not changed and we are happy to say that we are still committed to our policy of flying minis on the maindeck with a groom to attend to their needs, health and safety. We are happy to provide some special offers for our mini clients this fall. We will be at the AMHR National Show in Tulsa, OK and will haul minis to our place for quarantine at the special rate of$100.00 per horse. We will leave Tulsa on the last day of the show. And we are offering free hauls from the AMHA World Show in Ft Worth, leaving two or three times throughout the show. Please contact us right away about booking your space in either hauling group, as spaces are limited. We have also had the pleasure of welcoming two visitors from the EU this summer. Barbara Meier, a college student from Germany, has been serving an internship at the ranch since early June and our dear friend from the Netherlands,Quinten Wiersma, has been staying with us for his summer vacation. Barbara will be returning home next week and we will say goodbye to Quinten in September. We look forward to Patrick Gantner's visit this fall! We are also looking forward to welcoming Joe Ivy as our latest full-time addition to the staff. Joe comes to us with a wealth of experience and we are excited that he is joining our crew. That's all for now. We'll check in again soon! In the meantime, please visit our website at www.ez2spotranch.com, like us on facebook at our EZ 2 Spot Ranch page or give us a call at +210-861-0269 if you have any questions or to book your next shipment.

Behind the Scenes - What Happens After Your Horse Leaves Quarantine

Exporting horses involves many different steps and many different people who care for the horses at different stages of the process - especially when the quarantine is over and the trip to the horses' new home is underway. People who import or export their horses don't get to see the entire process and might be surprised when they find out all that is involved in this somewhat tricky business of international equine export. Here is a brief behind the scenes look at what happens when the horse leaves the quarantine station. 1. First comes the haul from the quarantine facility to the airport of departure. Some quarantine facilities (such as EZ 2 Spot Ranch)do this themselves with their own staff and their own equipment. Others will hire a hauler to do the job. Either way, the horses must travel some distance, usually in the middle of the night, in order to reach the airport in time for the next step, which is ... 2. A five-hour quarantine period in a facility on or near the airport. Horses are put into stalls at this facility where the US Department of Agriculture veterinarian looks them over and verifies that the horses are in good health, are fit to fly, have no injuries and that the paperwork is in order. EZ 2 Spot Ranch usually flies from Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston, TX). In Houston, the 5-hour facility is owned and operated by the Texas Department of Agriculture. There is a concrete floor and several different types of pens/stalls that are used for the horses during this five-hour period. Some of the stalls have concrete walls. Others have wooden walls. And still others have pipe corral type dividers. 3. About an hour before loading time, the flight containers are delivered to the 5-hour facility. An employee of the ground staff at the airport drives the tug that pulls these containers. The quarantine facility staff and grooms who will fly with the horses prepare the containers for loading the horses. Dividers are positioned properly, shavings are put on the floor, haynets and water containers and buckets are prepared and positioned for the flight. 4. Then it is time to load the horses up a ramp into the shipping container. The USDA port veterinarian supervises the loading, again ensuring that the horses do not sustain any injuries or exhibit any health problems during this process. If a horse is well trained to lead and load, this goes well. If not, there are all sorts of ways that accidents can occur. That is why we spend so much time during quarantine practicing leading and loading. We want to do everything we can to keep your horses safe! 5. When the containers have been loaded and the doors have been secure, the horses leave the care of the quarantine facility staff and grooms. For security reasons, quarantine facility staff and grooms are not allowed to stay with them during that period of time. The airport employee drives the tug to the airline's warehouse. In the warehouse, airline staff take on the responsiblity for caring for the horses while they wait for the plane to arrive. During this time, the grooms are checking in for the flight at the passenger terminal and waiting to be given permission to board the plane. In the case of minis who are flying as belly freight, there are no grooms. No one from the quarantine facility sees the horses after they are loaded into the shipping crates. That's why we strongly discourage that type of travel for minis - but some facilities do handle it that way and some clients prefer that method of travel in order to save money. 6. When the aircraft is ready for boarding, the grooms are allowed to board the plane and wait for the horses to arrive. Airline ground crew staff drive the horses from the warehouse and transfer the containers onto a scissors lift. The airline staff then engages the lift mechanism that brings the horse containers up from ground level and moves them into the aircraft. When the containers are securely in place and airline staff give the "OK", the quarantine facility's grooms can check on the horses inside the containers. This is the first time the grooms have contact with the horses since they left the 5 hour quarantine facility, so the horses have been in the care of airline staff for a period of several hours. 7. Depending upon the airline, grooms may either be allowed to stand in the containers with the horses during taxi, and take off to keep them calm and safe or the grooms may be required to be seated until the aircrafr reaches altitude and the fasten-seat-belts sign is turned off. In that case, the grooms go to check on the horses as soon as possible after take off to make sure they are OK. 8. When the plane is cruising and the horses are doing fine, the grooms return to their seats and are free to read, watch a movie, eat a meal or rest. However, they are seated within earshot of the horses so that if there is a disturbance of any kind, the grooms are aware of it and go immediately to check on the horses, find out what has happened and take whatever steps are necessary to resolve the issue. Some horses are very good fliers and they eat, sleep and relax during the flight. Others are nervous fliers and they can paw, kick, bite their neighbors, attempt to rear up or even try to jump out of the container. Things can get very interesting during the flight! Most experienced grooms can show you their scars from in-flight incidents with unhappy horses. 9. When it is time for landing, again it depends upon the airline. Some allow the grooms to be in the container with the horses during landing. Others require the grooms to be seated until the fasten-seat-belts sign goes off. Then the grooms can do a final check to make sure the horses are OK. 10. At that point, the grooms have to leave the horses in the hands of the airline and ground crew staff again. They are not allowed to stay with them. The horse containers go down the scissors lift, onto the trolley, and off to the airline warehouse. Meanwhile, the grooms exit the aircraft with the other passengers and/or crew, retrieve their luggage and clear customs. They then exit the airport and go to the warehouse where they wait for the horses to arrive. This can also be a period of several hours in which no one from the quarantine facility has access to the animals. 11. After the customs documents are found to be in order and the port veterinarians at the arrival airport have examined the health certificates - another period of several hours in which the grooms are not allowed to be with the horses - the grooms are allowed to go to the part of the warehouse where the horses have been waiting for offloading. The grooms are assisted by members of the airline staff to offload the horses and either put them into transit stalls or take them directly to the new owners or haulers who have come to pick them up. 12. When horses go to transit stalls to wait for another flight to continue their journey,they are in the care of airline staff during the entire waiting period. The grooms are not allowed to remain in the airline's secure area after putting the horses in the stalls. This can be a matter of several days, depending upon when the next flight is ready to leave. With cargo planes, delays are the "norm" and a flight that may be scheduled to leave on a Tuesday doesn't actually go anywhere for two, three or more days later. 13. When the waiting time is over and the next flight is ready to begin, the grooms are allowed access to the horses. They are accompanied by airline staff, where they move the horses from the transit stalls and load them into the flight containers for the next leg of the journey. 14. The procedure is the same as it was in the beginning. The grooms leave the horses after loading, go to the passenger terminal to clear passport control and wait for a shuttle to take them to the aircraft. The horses are in the care of airline staff and ground crew until they are reunited with the groom on the aircraft. 15. When the horses arrive at the final destination airport, the grooms must again leave the horses in the care of airline staff and ground crew in order to go to the terminal and clear customs. Depending upon the country's visa laws, grooms may be required to stay on the aircraft and continue back to Europe, without seeing the horses again. In some countries the grooms are allowed to be picked up at the passenger terminal after clearing customs and go with the new owners to help offload the horses from the shipping containers. In either case, the horses are out of the groom's supervision and under the care of airline staff and ground crew for a period of time - usually several hours. So that, in a nutshell, is how it works. We have had clients express surprise that we don't have 100% control of the horses at all times. It would be nice if it worked that way - but the realities of international travel are that horses must pass through many different hands and travel through many different secure areas in various parts of the world in which our staff are simply not allowed.

Checklist for Choosing a Quarantine Facility

Shipping a horse overseas can be a scary and challenging task, especially if you are new to the world of importing horses. We have developed the following checklist in the hope that it will provide useful and helpful information that will enable you to make an informed choice. Here you go! □ 1. Does the facility focus its attention on export only? If so this is a positive sign that you have found a good facility. If they provide training, showing, breeding, sales, boarding, lessons, trail rides, etc., chances are that quarantine is a sideline and not their primary business. Export is a difficult and demanding business and requires a staff that has the knowledge, skills and expertise necessary to meet all the requirements of the task. It also requires a facility that is specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of a quarantine facility and a knowledgeable, competent staff to take care of all the intricacies involved in a complicated process. □ 2. How long has the facility been in the equine export business? If they have been in the business for ten years or more, this is a good sign. Many people think that, because they know something about horses in general, that exporting horses is easy. They try to enter into the field without the knowledge, skills and appropriate facilities to provide the required services. Inexperienced staff can cause significant delays and additional cost due to errors in the timing of testing, administering the wrong vaccinations or failure to provide proper documentation for export services to your country. □ 3. Can the facility provide references in your country? Do the references speak your language and have they experienced the services provided by the facility? If so, this is a good sign. If not, beware. They may either not have the experience they would like you to believe or they may not do a good job. □ 4. Can the facility tell you everything that is included in their quote and answer all your questions about payment and services that are provided and not provided for the price quoted? If they are vague and give you estimates or approximate costs, beware. There may be hidden costs that are not revealed at the beginning, and you could end up with an unpleasant surprise when it is too late to move to another facility. □ 5. Does the facility use a well-known reputable veterinarian to provide the required services for export? Ask about the veterinarian’s experience and credentials. Not all veterinarians are as scrupulous as they should be – and you could be getting into a bad situation if the veterinarian is not one who is committed to a high level of ethical behavior. □ 6. Is the facility designed well for the climate? Will the horse be kept in a large stall with good bedding? Will your horse be given daily turnout time? Can your horse see and “talk to” other horses? Is there good air circulation in the barn? Are there automatic waterers or water barrels that are cleaned and filled daily? A horse who is kept away from other horses in a dark, stuffy, totally enclosed 10 X 10 stall for 30 days or more is not likely to be either mentally or physically healthy by travel day. Enclosed barns with poor air circulation are breeding grounds for illness. Enclosed stalls in a hot climate can create very unhealthy conditions for the animals. Horses are herd animals by nature. Being kept away from all encounters with other horses can be stressful and lead to depression and anxiety. Automatic waterers save the facility time and labor, but the staff can’t tell how much water the horse is drinking. Water barrels are a much better way of monitoring your horse’s water intake – and letting the staff know if there’s a problem before it becomes serious. Some people’s heads are turned by the appearance of a fancy barn that cost a great deal of money. Please bear in mind that the horse doesn’t care how much the barn cost or how impressive it may look to people who can’t see beyond appearances. What matters is the quality of care, compliance with quarantine rules and regulations, the level of safety and the mental and physical health care that the facility provides for the horse. It is quite possible for a A very simple facility to actually be a much better place for your horse than a fancy barn that was built to impress. Look for oversized stalls in the barn. Ask if your horse will have turnout time during quarantine. Ask about ventilation, stall bedding, frequency of stall cleaning and daily routine care. Ask how water intake is monitored. Look beyond a flashy exterior to make sure you are putting your horse in a place that will provide truly excellent care. □ 7. Is the staff knowledgeable about feeding horses? Does the facility have its own feed program? Do they know what to do if a horse is underweight when it arrives at the facility? Do they know how to transition a horse from one feed program to another? Are they willing to modify the feed program for each individual horse? Do they use quality hay? Don’t be fooled by hearing that some big brand name feed is used. All that means is that the feed is expensive – not necessarily good for the horse – and not at all helpful in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to feed properly or who takes your horse’s unique needs into consideration. □ 8. Are you given a price quote that is unbelievably low? If so, beware. Get several different quotes. If it sounds too good to be true – it probably is. Airfreight for horses is costly – so think in terms of buying a regularly priced business class ticket for yourself for the same flight. It is likely to be around the same price. □ 9. What kind of visitation policy does the facility have for owners or prospective exporters? Are you welcome to come and visit your horse during quarantine? Are you welcome to visit the facility prior to choosing which facility you will use for quarantine? If there is a “closed door” policy in place or if you are told that visitors are not welcome because of quarantine rules, beware. They may be trying to hide something – whether it is inadequate or dirty housing, sickly horses, poor quality feed or non-compliance with quarantine rules and regulations. Quarantine barns are restricted areas with strict sanitation requirements. You should be instructed about the sanitation rules and escorted through a quarantine area by a qualified staff member when you go to visit – but your visit is most welcome at any time at a good facility. □ 10. Does the facility have adequate equipment to do the job? Horses have to be transported from the quarantine facility to the airport on the day of the flight. Normally there are are at least three horses in a shipping group – and oftentimes there are six or more. Do you see trucks and trailers that are in good condition and will provide safe transport for your horse? Are staff members qualified and competent drivers so that your horse will have a safe trip? □ 11. What other services does the facility provide? Do they have a farrier who visits the horses regularly and provides hoof trims and/or shoeing as needed? Are you charged for hoof trims? Is the farrier on call for emergencies? Do they provide blanketing as needed? Do they custom feed according to your horse’s needs? Do they provide basic health care extras such as hand walking for a horse who may be recovering from a pulled muscle or treatment for minor cuts or abrasions? Will they recognize and be able to treat minor health issues such as a runny nose or eye irritation? Do they have a qualified and competent veterinarian on call 24 hours a day for emergencies? Do they provide trailer training for a horse with little travel experience so that loading at the airport will be smooth and safe? Shoeing and extra veterinary services will probably incur extra expense for the owner – but daily individualized care, hoof trims, vaccinations and worming should be provided free of charge. Most quality facilities also provide new nylon halters and lead ropes for each horse at no cost to the owner. □ 12. Does the facility owner/manager communicate with you well or do you wait for days or weeks to get answers to your questions? A good quarantine facility is going to be responsive to your questions and needs. They will send you photos of your horse at arrival and departure and inbetween times, if you would like. They will give you updates on your horses’ progress and keep you advised of any changes in schedule or any new developments. They welcome questions and value you as a client. □ 13. Does the facility choose grooms carefully so that qualified, competent, well-trained people are caring for your horse during travel? Do they have a list of qualified grooms from which they can choose? Do staff at the facility fly with the horses themselves when needed? □ 14. Does the facility provide good security? Do staff greet any and all visitors promptly? Do they have a small and limited number of people who regularly enter the quarantine areas? Are they located in a reasonably remote area? Or is the facility on a major highway with lots of traffic and many passers-by who can stop and interact with your horse without the facility staff’s knowledge or supervision? Does the facility provide board, lessons, trail rides, shows or other activities that could allow your horse to be exposed to groups of people and other horses that are not affiliated with the quarantine business itself? □ 15. Does the facility provide information and assistance to you regarding your responsibilities in your home country? Do they provide contact information for a freight forwarder or liason in your country who can help you with your import permits, customs documents, transportation from the arrival to your home stable, etc? A good quarantine facility will have contacts and connections all over the world and will be happy to provide as much assistance and support as you need in order to ensure smooth travels for your horse from beginning to end. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the services that we provide, we would love to hear from you! Contact EZ 2 Spot Ranch by email at ez2spot@hotmail.com or you can call Dianne Nielsen at (001) 210-861-0269 for more information. We always welcome the opportunity to help others learn about our amazing business of exporting horses from the USA all over the world.

April Update

Wow! I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted! Yikes!!! It has been a very busy April for us, both personally and professionally. Terry and I had a great visit to Ramona, CA earlier this month where we had the pleasure of visiting with our daughter, Dawn, son in law, Scotty and their children - Tyler and his wife, Sabrina, Tanner and Tori. We did the grandparent thing - going fishing and watching soccer games. Such a nice visit and a break in our daily routine. We came back in time to visit a little bit with our German friend and client, Toni Kurzrock and her friend, Kirsten Baer. In fact, Toni and Kirsten flew with horses for us on Easter weekend. Thank you so much for taking good care of the horses. And thank you also to Karim Talamas, Catherine Zug and Toni for sharing your horses with us. It was a pleasure working with each of you. Thanks also to Piet Visser for accompanying a lovely group of Arabian horses to Dammam, Saudi Arabia for us earlier this week. And thanks to Mohammed Ibrahim, Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Talib and Yousef Badar Alawoud for sharing your mares with us. Today we have some precious ponies that are on their way to Johannesburg, South Africa. Thank you to the Davids family for sharing your ponies with us. And thanks also to Megan, our ranch manager and Quinten Wiersma, our Dutch friend, for flying with the ponies for us. Much appreciate you all! We are starting new quarantine groups next week for Amsterdam and Dammam, Saudi Arabia - and we are gathering horses now for our next shipments to Luxembourg, Kuwait, Brazil and Korea. Be sure to contact us if we can be of help to you in any way. You can send an email to ez2spot@hotmail.com, send a facebook message to our ranch page or fill out the contact form on our website, www.ez2spotranch.com. And of course phone calls are also welcome. Call us at 210-861-0269. We look forward to working with you!

horses to Saudi Arabia and the European Union

Hello, everybody. We are happy to report that a group of beautiful Arabian mares are in Amsterdam now, waiting for their flight to Damman, Saudi Arabia tomorrow. Thank yous go to our wonderful clients, Othman Alsurab, Mohammed Al Eiban, Aiban Abdurahman Al Aiban and Rami Saleh Balhareth for sharing your lovely horses with us. Many thanks also to Mohammed Ibrahim for his excellent help. And last but not least, thanks to our grooms, Phil Pelch and R. Joe Duncan for accompanying the horses to Amsterdam and to Hans van Dijk for taking them from Amsterdam to Dammam. You are the best and we really appreciate the excellent care that you provide for our clients' horses. Tonight there will be a very precious group of minis flying to Luxembourg. Many thanks to Andre Hunger, Cornelia Schneider, Kim Shawyer and Minka Vheren van Sloan for allowing us the joy of caring for your minis for you. Thank you also to Christina Zeitelhack for your assistance in arranging for the quarantine and to Christiane Toman of EmoTrans for providing the groom to accompany the minis on the flight. Much appreciated! We are gathering horses now for our next quarantine groups for Dammam and Amsterdam. Please let us know what we can do for you. You can reach us by email at ez2spot@hotmail.com. Also be sure to take a look at our website, www.ez2spotranch.com for more information or to fill out a request form.

Equine Distemper (Strangles)

We have heard that many of you are concerned about an outbreak of strangles, also known as equine distemper, at a quarantine facility located here in Texas. We want to reassure you that this disease has not occurred at our facility and we are shipping healthy horses as usual. Here is a little information for you about this highly contagious disease that affects the upper respiratory system of equines. It is caused by the Strepcoccus Equi bacteria and it affects the lymph nodes in the horses' upper respiratory tract. The lymph nodes become swollen and, in advanced cases of the disease, actually become abscessed and eventually rupture and drain. Abscesses can form throughout the body, including the lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys and brain. Strangles is spread through contact with infected horses. It can be spread through food, water and equipment that is shared with infected horses and when the bacteria from nasal discharges and abscesses in infected horses becomes airborne, they can be inhaled by other horses, causing them to contract the disease. While strangles can affect horses of all ages, the younger ones (under five years of age) tend to be more susceptible. It also tends to be more prevalent when the weather is cold and damp. Symptoms usually develop between two and six days after exposure. Horses who are infected with strangles need to be isolated from other horses for between four and six weeks. Treatment for the disease includes antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, intravenous fluids and lancing of abscesses. Hot packs may be applied to swollen and abscessed lymph nodes to reduce the swelling and discomfort. Vaccination against strangles is available, but even vaccinated horses can contract the disease. (source: www.nativeremedies.com)

Horses to Europe and Saudi Arabia

Last week was such a busy time that I'm just now finding a minute to sit down and write about our last shipment. We had the pleasure of send four adorable miniature horses, one handsome Arabian stallion and three amazing Warmbloods to Amsterdam last week. Everyone arrived safely and all is well. Many thanks Cedric de Broecq, Mariska Schreiken, Elena Chistyakova, Mohammed Said and Kerim Talamas for sharing your horses with us. Thanks also to David Notman for flying with them - and to Chris and Megan for taking such good care of them, getting them to the airport and loaded safely for the flight. Tomorrow we will be sending six lovely Arabian mares to Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Our Dutch friends, Trisha and Gert will be flying with them to Amsterdam after having a nice little vacation here in Texas. Thank you so much for flying with our horses. It was great seeing you! Thanks also to Hans van Dijk for flying with them from Amsterdam to Dammam. As always, we truly appreciate the great service and professional care that Hans provides. We are enjoying a visit from our friend Melanie from Germany these days. Melanie came to help us out at the ranch last year and we are so happy to welcome her back for another Springtime visit. We are gathering horses now for our next shipments to Kuwait, Bahrain, Amsterdam and Luxembourg and we are looking forward to upcoming flights to South Africa. Let us know what we can do to help you!

Beautiful Mares and One Handsome Stallion Flying Today

What a great time we've had caring for six gorgeous Arabian mares during the last month+. They are at the airport today, getting ready to fly to Amsterdam and then on to Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Many, many thanks to Dhafer, Khalid, Majed, Ali, Abdullah and Rashed for allowing us the privilege of caring for these horses. Thanks also to Dhafer, Mohammed and Saeed for your assistance in making things go smoothly. Also flying out today is a very handsome stallion who will go to Germany. Thank you, Karim, for sharing him with us. Thanks also to Toni and Bjoern Kurzrock for flying with the horses from Houston to Amsterdam and for Hans van Dijk for taking the mares to Dammam. We appreciate all that you do. And of course, thanks to our great staff for taking such good care of the horses! Good job, guys!

EVA Vaccination Can Make Your Stallion Unshippable

Every now and then we run into a situation that makes it impossible to ship a horse from the USA to virtually any other country in the world. It is very upsetting when someone outside of the USA learns that the horse that they have purchased is not going to be able to leave the USA. It also comes as a very unpleasant surprise to the horse's previous owner. This situation is 100% preventable. Here is how to prevent this from ever happening to a stallion that you want to buy or sell and ship internationally. Option 1. Don't vaccinate him for EVA. Pure and simple. If he has not been vaccinated and he does not have the disease, the test results for EVA will be negative and he will be able to be shipped. No problem. Option 2. If you believe that you must vaccinate your stallion for EVA, follow the proper protocol and keep documentation so that it can be presented when it is time for him to be shipped. The simplest, easiest way to do this is to have your veterinarian draw blood and send it in for testing for EVA on the same day that the vaccination is given. Ask your veterinarian to provide you with documentation of the vaccination and to send you a copy of the negative test results from the lab. Keep these documents in a safe place. When it is time to send your stallion to the quarantine facility for shipping outside of the USA, tell the staff that the stallion was vaccinated for EVA and provide the documentation mentioned above. The quarantine facility will then be able to prepare the shipping documents without any difficulties. The trouble arises when: 1. the stallion's owner and/or veterinarian did not follow the proper protocol 2. did not keep the proper records and/or 3. did not tell the quarantine facility that the horse was vaccinated. When test results come back positive (and they ALWAYS will when the horse has been vaccinated), it is the quarantine facility's unpleasant task to tell the exporter and importer that their horse can't be shipped. So stallion owners - please prevent this situation from happening to one of your horses. Just follow the proper protocol and share the documents with the quarantine facility at the very beginning.

Sweet Lady Fames, HAHR # 1A368796

We have the prettiest, sweetest half-Arabian mare at our place - and she was abandoned by her owner. She needs a good home where she will be loved and used. She was shown at halter and has excellent manners. She is in perfect health and condition.

How to vote for us in the FedEx Grant contest

We are so excited about all of our friends, colleagues and clients who have taken the time to vote for us in the FedEx Small Business Grant contest. Unfortunately, it seems that some of you have had challenges getting to the page for voting. Here is a direct link that one of our Dutch clients forwarded to me. Hope this helps. http://smallbusinessgrant.fedex.com/Gallery/Detail/c8d4c57b-b91a-486c-8558-6ac7f9f20b4d If that doesn't work or you don't want to go through FB, here is another route: Search for smallbusinessgrant.fedex.com A page will come up where you can enter a business name. All you need to do is type in EZ 2 Spot Ranch in that space. And click the magnifying glass. Don't worry about any other details (State, type of business, etc.) All you need is the name of the business. Our logo and photo will come up. Click on that and it will take you to the page where you can cast your vote. You can vote once a day, every day, through 23 February. We greatly appreciate your support and assistance in helping us do well in this contest.

Grant Contest

We have been accepted into the FedEx Small Business Grant contest and we need your help. Please go to www.smallbusinessgrant.fedex.com and vote for EZ 2 Spot Ranch. Your vote is very important because that is one of the major factors that they will use in deciding the winner. You can vote once a day from now through February 23rd. We appreciate your help and support!

Amsterdam and on to Dammam

We are happy to report that all is well with this week's shipments. We had the pleasure of sending some lovely horses to the EU, arriving safely in Amsterdam this morning. Many thanks to Sandra van den Hof and Oscar Aerdts of Belgium for accompanying Megan and the horses from Houston to Amsterdam. Thanks to Toni and Bjoern Kurzrock, Gesa Horak, Henk le Sage, Team Sport Eichorst, Carl Hanley Sport Horses and Jaime Guerra for sharing your horses with us. And thanks also to Rob Veen of World Animal Transport, Sabrina Bos of Horse Service International and the staff at Guido Klatte for clearing papers upon arrival. We appreciate the good work that you do for our clients. There are also some very nice Arabian mares resting at the KLM Animal Hotel, waiting for their flight to Dammam on Monday. Thanks to Abdullah Al Shehry, Amro Ghurab, Saheb Al Adballah, Abdulelah Alojayan, Faisal Al Anzi and Bandar Al Atiat for sharing your lovely mares with us. Thanks also to Dhafer Al Qahtani, Mohammed Ibrahim, Haidar Yousef and Marwan for the help you provided with this shipment. Our next flight is on Sunday - horses going to Kuwait. We are gathering horses now for our next shipments to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Amsterdam and Luxembourg. Let us know what we can do to help you!

Compliments from Saudi Arabia

We received the nicest note from Yousef Al-Rashi, one of our clients in Saudi Arabia. We wanted to share it with you. Yousef wrote: Dear Terry & Dianne, Since our start in shipping horses from the USA to Saudi Arabia with your respected EZ2SPOT Company in 2009 til this day we recognized the vast development on care improvement year after year and time after time. The care and excellent handling of the horses is perfect; the close monitoring thru out the trip with timing is amazing. We thank you for your job well done and hope to continue doing business for many years to come. Our sincere regards, yousef-al-rashid Thank you, so much, Yousef for your kind words and continued trust in our company. We will continue doing our very best to provide excellent care for all our clients, both human and equine.