Importation of Horses into the Isle of Man

Due to the COVID-19 situation, the importation of horses must be carried out in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure 

An import licence is required for horses travelling to the Isle of Man together with a self-declaration that the wagon has been thoroughly cleansed and disinfected prior to transporting the horse(s).

Licences are valid for 30 days from the date of issue.

The majority of horse imports come via Heysham. If your horse is travelling via any other port, please contact Animal Health on +44 1624 685844 or Agriculture@gov.im for further information.

The licence will be emailed to you after you have submitted your details. The licence will automatically be sent to the IOMSPC Freight Office so there is no requirement to handover a printed copy.

Horses which are not fully vaccinated against Equine Influenza must be kept isolated for 14 days following importation.

14 day Isolation Period = this is the quarantine period during which the imported equine must not come into direct (nose-to-nose) contact with any other equine, nor be kept in shared air-space with other equines. The 14 days covers the incubation period and will enable detection of the disease should it occur and further isolation to contain the disease.

• The imported equine must not compete on-Island within the isolation period or attend any other event/gathering with other equines. 

• The isolation could be indoors (within a stable) or turned out, provided the field boundary does not allow for direct contact with neighbouring equines. 

If you have a query regarding your equine's vaccination status – please contact your private veterinary surgeon.

If you have any queries or would like more information on this matter please contact the Animal Health team on +44 1624 685844 or agriculture@gov.im

Information required for a horse importation licence:

• Name and address of horse-owner
• Destination address for horse (if different to above)
• Age of horse
• Colour of horse
• Sex of horse
• Breed of horse

Horse(s) may travel to the Isle of Man in a horsebox with other equines from different UK holdings and may be delivered to different Isle of Man destinations. The horse(s) must then be isolated from Foot and Mouth susceptible stock for a period of 5 days.

1. If a horse is collected in a livestock lorry with other cattle and/or sheep from the same UK holding (and the horse has been resident at the same UK holding for a period of 21 days prior to export) then the horse may be delivered to a different Isle of Man destination. Again, the horse(s) must be isolated from Foot and Mouth susceptible stock for a period of 5 days and remain there for a further 16 days

2. If a horse is collected in a livestock lorry with other cattle and/or sheep from a different UK holding than the cattle and/or sheep then on importation to the Isle of Man, the horse must reside at the cattle/sheep holding for a period of 21 days, after which time it may move

For further information please contact:

Horse Import Licence Statistics

 *the actual number imported may be less as this data is not clarified by DEFA.