Move Away from that Needle!

Most horse owners want to do the best that they can to protect their animals from disease, so they believe in regular vaccinations.  This is common practice and it is usually a good idea. 

However, if you are in the USA and you are thinking about the possibility of selling your horse or donkey to a buyer overseas, please ask an export facility's advice before you vaccinate.  Certain vaccinations can cause inconclusive (aka "toxic") results for some of the blood tests that are required for export.  Some vaccinations can cause a delay of six months.  And some can keep your horse from ever being exported.

Your quarantine station is responsible for all required vaccinations - usually given a day or two prior to the beginning of quarantine.  Some are given during quarantine.   Let the professional export facility take care of this.  They know which vaccinations to give - and which ones to avoid.

Vaccinations to avoid are:

1)  Rabies.  Rabies and Vesicular Stomatitis have some similiarities - and as such, they can give similar results on blood tests.  Right now, because there was an incident of Vesicular Stomatitis in the USA earlier this year, every animal that is being exported to just about any country in the world must be tested for this disease while in pre-export quarantine.  So when a horse comes into quarantine after receiving a recent rabies vaccination, it is likely that the test results are going to come back inconclusive or worse - with a false positive reading.  This means that the horse cannot ship on schedule - and may not be ever able to ship.  It can also create huge problems for the quarantine station and all the other horse owners who have animals in quarantine, because false positive readings automatically shut down the quarantine facility's operation until the state and federal veterinarians have determined that the horse is disease free.  We have seen this happen on more than one occasion - and it is never a pleasant surprise to the  buyer when he or she is told that her horse or donkey cannot be shipped.

2)  West Nile. Some countries want horses to be vaccinated for this disease.  Some do not. If your horse is going to a country that does not require this, it creates special challenges for shipping.   It is best just to avoid it and let your quarantine station give it, if needed.

3)  Venezuelan Equine Encephalomylitis (VEE).  For many places in the world, horses that have been vaccinated for VEE cannot be shipped for at least six months after the date of the vaccination.  Some countries require this vaccination.  Again, ask your quarantine station before you vaccinate so that you can prevent needless delays.

4)  Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA):  Sometimes people think that vaccinating their stallions for EVA is a good idea.  If this is you, please be aware of the fact that there are very specific requirements regarding when and how this vaccine is given if the horse is going to be exported.  If the specific requirements for the importing country were not met when the horse was vaccinated, the horse will be unshippable.  Not delayed, but unshippable at any time, under any circumstances.  If you have a stallion and you are considering exporting him at some time in his life, ask a quarantine station for guidance.  They can help you avoid a mistake that will have a lifelong impact on where your stallion can and can't go.

Other vaccines can also impact test results - so the best course of action for all prospective overseas sales is to simply move away from that needle until you know what impact the vaccinations might have on your horse's ability to be shipped overseas!

On the way to Kuwait

Terry is on his way to Kuwait today, accompanying 3 beautiful Arabian horses to their new homes.  They are overnighting in Luxembourg tonight and will leave for Kuwait City late tomorrow, arriving early Sunday morning.  All are traveling well and the flights are on schedule.

Thank you Abdulaziz Al Shammari, Jasim Al Mesbah and Sheikh Hamad Khaled Al- Sabah for sharing your horses with us.  Terry is looking forward to seeing you at the airport!

Our next quarantine group for Amsterdam begins on Monday, July 23rd and we are gathering horses now for the following groups for Amsterdam, Dammam and Riyadh that will begin on August 6th for a mid-September flight.  We are also starting a quarantine group for Kuwait for an early September flight.  We have spaces available, so let us know how we can help you. 

Amsterdam and Riyadh This Week

Terry is on his way home now after almost a week delivering horses - first to Amsterdam and then on to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  Thanks to Toni Kurzrock and Annina Huovenin in Europe and Abdurahman Khalgan, Hisham Basha and Sulaiman Al Aryani for sharing your horses with us.  It was Terry's pleasure to care for them during their travels and my pleasure to work with each of you throughout the process. 

Coming up later this month are shipments to Kuwait City, Kuwait and Amman, Jordan . We will start the month of August with horses going to Amsterdam, Johannesburg, and Dammam. 

We plan to start a quarantine group for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Monday.  The next group will start quarantine on July 23rd.  We currently have spaces available in the July 23rd group, so let us know if you have horses to ship.  Spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't delay!

Introducing Our New General Manager

We are very pleased to announce that Megan Moos has been promoted to the position of General Manager at EZ 2 Spot Ranch.  Megan has been with us for two years and has proven to be a tremendous asset to our program.  Prior to joining our staff, Megan worked as a horse trainer.  She has a lifetime of experience with horses, having participated in High School Rodeo events.  After High School she spent some time competing on the Pro Rodeo circuit as a professional roper.  She studied equine science at Texas A & M University and is very knowledgeable in the areas of equine health and nutrition.  We are very happy that she is now taking on a position of leadership within the EZ 2 Spot Ranch family.

Spaces Available in Next Quarantine

I shouldn't have bragged about all the mares getting pregnant.  The winning streak was broken today when a mare with a foal at foot who was scheduled to start quarantine next week was found to be open.  So ... I have an immediate opening for a mare with a foal at foot, 2 ponies or 3 minis to go into quarantine right away for a flight to Amsterdam on or about July 26th.  If you have anything ready that can fill this space, please contact me today!

Foaling Season

Wow - what a fun and busy time this is in the horse world!  We have several adorable foals at the ranch right  - some going to Saudi Arabia, some going to the United Arab Emirates and some going to Europe.  And our own miniature horses are having their babies.  Two new foals have arrived in the past week - both fillies and both really cute and healthy babies.  We'll post some photos soon.  They are for sale! :)

And of course, foaling time means breeding time.  We are happy to report that so far, all of our clients' mares who have been bred this season are now safely in foal.  I always enjoy being able to send that good news to someone who is waiting anxiously for news in another part of the world.

We are also staying busy with shipments.  Recently we shipped horses to Kuwait.  Thank you Al and Ahmad for sharing your horses with us - and a special thanks to Mohammed for your gracious hospitality for Tanner, our groom.  He enjoyed his visit and will cherish the memories always.

Megan is flying a precious mini herd of miniature donkeys to the UK this week.  Thank you, Isobel McGuiness, for sharing them with us.  We are going to miss their lovely morning greetings when they're gone.

Also going out this week are a miniature donkey to Frank Castelyn, a miniature horse to Carol Rossier, a Mustang gelding to Sue Tuten and a Friesian gelding to Esther Dauben.  Megan will accompany these to Luxembourg.

Ashlee Hughes will be taking three Arabian horses to Amsterdam later this week, where they will be met by Hans van Dijk, the groom who will accompany them to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  Thank you, Mohammed, for sharing your mares with us.  Ashlee is going on to France where she will spend some time working as a trainer with Sylvain McQuart and his POAs. We are happy to have had the opportunity to help Ashlee make this trip.

We are gathering horses now for our next quarantine groups for Saudia, the UAE and Europe ... and we are planning upcoming shipments to Jordan, Pakistan and India.  Let us know if we can be of help to you!

Riyadh and Dammam

We have had another busy week at EZ 2 Spot Ranch, with horses flying to both Riyadh and Dammam Saudi Arabia.  Both groups are scheduled for arrival today, after transiting Europe.

A big " Thank You" to our newest grooms from the USA - Ken and Jeannie Richards. for accompanying our Riyadh horses from Houston to Amsterdam - and a big Dutch "Dank u Wel" to our dear friend (and retired KLM groom) Hans van Dijk for taking the horses from Amsterdam to Riyadh.  I just heard from Hans that everything went well on the flight and they have arrived in Riyadh.  Thank you, Sami, for sharing your lovely horses with us.

Thanks, also to Henry Quintanilla for stepping up once more for the trip from Houston to Luxembourg, and then on to Dammam, Saudi Arabia.  He and his horses will be flying out in just a little while.  Thank you Fahad, Dhafer, Faisal and Mohammed for sharing your horses with us.

We are gathering horses now for our next quarantine group that will get started on May 14th.  Let us know if you have a horse or donkey ready to join that group.