Deleu Ranch is licensed to provide pre-export isolation ("quarantine") housing for horses being prepared for international export. Before any horse can legally leave the United States, it must pass a strict window of veterinary testing, observation, and biosecurity isolation — and every part of that process happens on facilities like ours, held to a federal standard. We do not take that responsibility lightly.
International trade in live horses is one of the most heavily regulated movements in agriculture — and for good reason. Diseases such as Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), Equine Piroplasmosis, Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), Vesicular Stomatitis, and Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) can devastate a receiving country's herd health and trigger immediate trade suspensions that take years to lift.
Because of that risk, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) — through its National Import Export Services and approved export isolation facilities — requires every horse leaving the United States to be tested, observed, and held in isolation for a fixed period immediately before departure. A licensed quarantine facility is the last line of defense between an infected animal and an international incident.
Being entrusted with that role means every gate, every needle, every log entry, and every day of isolation matters. This is not a courtesy service — it is a federally-relevant checkpoint, and we run it accordingly.
While exact hold periods and testing panels vary by destination country and USDA/APHIS requirements at the time of shipment, every horse in our care follows the same disciplined sequence.
Every horse arrives with a full clinical exam by a licensed, USDA-accredited veterinarian: temperature, heart rate, respiration, and a nose-to-tail physical check for any sign of external parasites, skin lesions, nasal discharge, or lameness before it is ever admitted into isolation housing.
Day 0 — Arrival & ExamBlood is drawn and submitted to an approved diagnostic laboratory for the required test panel — commonly including EIA (Coggins), Equine Piroplasmosis, CEM culture where applicable, and any additional serology required by the destination country's import health certificate. No horse proceeds until clean results are on file.
Days 1–5 — Lab Testing WindowHorses are held in dedicated isolation stalls, separated from the rest of the ranch's herd, with no shared airspace, water, equipment, or handlers between quarantine horses and general population animals. Traffic in and out of the isolation unit is logged and controlled.
Full Duration Of Hold PeriodEvery horse in isolation has its temperature taken and logged at least once daily (twice during the highest-risk window), with immediate escalation to the attending veterinarian for any fever, off-feed behavior, or abnormal finding. These logs become part of the official export paperwork.
Continuous — Twice-Daily ChecksDedicated tools, buckets, and lead ropes stay with each horse or isolation group; footbaths, disinfection routines, and controlled visitor access reduce any risk of cross-contamination for the duration of the hold. Bedding and waste from isolation stalls are handled separately from the rest of the ranch.
Enforced DailyIn the final hours before shipment, the accredited veterinarian performs a last examination and completes the official international health certificate, which is then endorsed by a USDA APHIS Veterinary Services officer — the document that actually clears the horse to cross the border.
Final 24–72 HoursOn departure day, the horse moves directly from isolation to an approved export carrier — ground or air — with its complete documentation packet: health certificate, laboratory results, isolation logs, and passport or ownership paperwork, ready for customs and receiving-country inspection.
Departure DayTest panels vary by destination, but our isolation program is designed with these core risks in mind — the same conditions targeted by USDA APHIS export health certificate requirements.
A blood-borne, incurable viral disease spread by biting insects and contaminated needles. Confirmed by the "Coggins test" — required on virtually every export health certificate.
A tick-borne parasitic blood disease that many countries screen for aggressively, since infected horses can remain carriers for life and pose a risk to naive herds abroad.
A highly contagious venereal bacterial infection; breeding stock in particular undergo culture testing and, for stallions, a defined treatment and testing protocol prior to clearance.
A reproductive and respiratory viral disease of particular concern for breeding stallions and mares crossing into countries with strict EVA-free import standards.
A reportable vesicular disease causing oral and hoof lesions; active surveillance and regional freedom status directly affect whether a horse can be certified for export at all.
Every horse is treated and inspected for ticks and other external parasites prior to and during isolation — a routine but non-negotiable part of border biosecurity.
Dedicated stalls and turnout set apart from our general herd, cattle, and public visitor areas, with controlled single-point access.
All testing, exams, and health certificates are performed and signed by a licensed, USDA-accredited veterinarian in coordination with APHIS Veterinary Services.
Every temperature check, feeding note, medication, and visitor entry is logged and retained — a paper trail regulators and receiving countries can rely on.
Disinfection protocols, dedicated equipment per horse, and controlled waste handling minimize any possibility of cross-contamination during the hold period.
Fly and tick control measures are maintained through the isolation period to reduce insect-borne disease transmission risk between animals.
We coordinate hold periods around your confirmed export transport date so horses move straight from isolation to an approved carrier without unnecessary delay.
Isolation is only half of the process — the paperwork it generates is what customs and receiving-country veterinary authorities actually review at the border. We prepare and organize each horse's export packet in full:
We work directly with owners, agents, and international shipping companies to make sure nothing is missing when the horse reaches the port of departure.
Discuss Your Export TimelineAn export shipment is only as reliable as the quarantine behind it. We treat every day of isolation as if a country's border is watching — because, in a very real sense, it is.
— The Deleu Family
Export timelines are built backward from the required isolation window — the earlier we're involved, the smoother your horse's departure will be. Contact Deleu Ranch to discuss destination requirements, testing lead times, and isolation scheduling.
Contact Us About Export Quarantine