With the advent of the Internet, cheaper airline travel options, and popularity of foreign breeds, more people are importing and exporting horses between countries. But whether home or abroad, purchasing or selling a horse is seldom simple. However, if you know what you are getting into and are prepared to wade through the red tape, foreign money exchange, and long-distance phone calls, expanding your buying or selling options overseas can pay off.

There are several pluses to buying a horse from overseas. One is locating new bloodlines from rare breeds or purpose-bred sport horses that can be introduced into your breeding line. Another plus is that many countries, such as Germany and France, have government-backed studs where breeding and/or training is closely monitored and quality horses are in abundance. Other countries in Europe–Ireland, for example–are farming countries and horses are commodities, therefore many barns will have several horses that you can try out.

Marketing a horse overseas can be beneficial, as many North American breeds, such as the Quarter Horse and the Appaloosa, are still small in number in other countries, yet their popularity is on the rise. A saturated market in the United States could be wide open in foreign lands. Contacting buyers overseas can be done through classified ad websites, equine publications, and contacting foreign breed and sport associations.

You can make contact with sellers in several ways. Barbara Strawson, a dressage rider who recently returned from a year in Germany working and training with Nicole Uphoff, recommends getting in touch with a top trainer in America and ask if they can point you in the right direction