Full Service Horse Import from Germany: How Heinshof Helps International Buyers

For many international buyers, the greatest challenge of purchasing a horse in Germany is finding the horse — but it is also managing everything that comes after. Export health certificates, veterinary coordination, air freight bookings, quarantine protocols in the destination country: each step involves different specialists, different paperwork and different timelines. This is where a local partner makes all the difference.

What Full Service Horse Import Support Looks Like

A full-service horse buying experience in Germany typically covers the following stages:

1. Pre-trip consultation: Defining your brief — budget, age, breed, discipline, level — and pre-selecting horses to visit.
2. On-site accommodation: Staying at or near the farm for the duration of the buying trip.
3. Trial rides and evaluation: Riding shortlisted horses with an experienced trainer present to advise.
4. Pre-purchase veterinary examination: Commissioning and attending an independent PPE.
5. Export health certificate: Coordination between the farm’s vet, the official German veterinary authority and the destination country’s import requirements.
6. Air freight: Referral to a specialist equine air transport company that handles collection, airport logistics and customs documentation.
7. Quarantine support: Guidance on what to expect at the receiving end — duration, testing requirements, approved facilities.

How Heinshof Supports International Buyers

Heinshof, a working equestrian farm in Egestorf in the Lüneburger Heide, has developed a structured approach to supporting international horse buyers. Guests stay in one of eight holiday apartments on the farm estate. Trainer Linda Naeve-Haht — who has personally trained every horse on the yard — is available for consultations, demonstration rides and honest assessments throughout the stay.

Heinshof does not only act as a commercial horse dealer. Rather, the breeding farm offers buyers a trusted local base, transparent advice and introductions to its network of respected other breeders across northern Germany. For buyers who purchase one of Heinshof’s own horses, Linda coordinates all aspects of the pre-purchase examination and export documentation process.

Heinshof maintains contacts with certified equine veterinarians experienced in export health certification and with specialist equine air freight companies serving destinations across North America, the Middle East and Asia.

Contact Heinshof

If you are planning a horse buying trip to Germany and would like to use Heinshof as your base, contact the farm at heinshof.com or by phone at +49 4175 808 4618, e-mail office@heinshof.com. The team speaks German and English fluently plus some Spanish and is happy to discuss your requirements before you book your trip.