EAST Yorkshire show jumping coach, rider and producer Rachael Williams is actively seeking to relocate her successful yard to France in order to be able to continue trade and equine travel with ease.

Labelling the current Brexit situation “a nightmare,” the UK businesswoman believes the move to mainland Europe is now essential to the survival of her busy yard after encountering nothing but red tape now when it comes to the movement of horses from Britain to EU countries.

“We actually started looking for a yard in France last year because I was afraid of this and signs on, we can’t stay here – we can’t move horses easily now based in Britain. We are stepping up looking for a yard in France,” said Williams who has tried three times unsuccessfully since November to move a horse from Britain to San Remo in Italy under the new rules.

“We have one horse waiting to go to San Remo since November. I applied for the health papers 10 days before Christmas and heard nothing back until January 4th which told me that the papers were not correct and the horse could not go. Then we had to get our lorry approved with an EU lorry certificate, then it was a Covid test, customs paperwork, the list went on and on.

“I got onto the DEFRA system only to find it down for 48 hours. Meanwhile, the lady who owns the horse is desperate for him to leave Britain and he’s still here despite all our best efforts. It has been a nightmare.

“Before Brexit, we used to go with the horses from Hull to Rotterdam, only a 30-minute crossing, very handy. I was in EuroPort in a flash and away to Germany. We were used to it and from 2017, we did the Globals (Global Champion Tours), Valencia, Vilamoura, two-stars in Europe, now it is just not going to happen.

“I totted up all the costs involved now and it is not that much difference to send two horses on a plane to compete in the USA. And if I buy a horse, we have to pay another 19% VAT and up to 30% on a gelding. I’m furious and feel so let down by our Government. Why have they done this to us?

“There was £350 million in horse exports from the UK last year, it dwarfs plenty of other trade and as far as I’m concerned, we have no free deal, we have no deal at all.

“I live up the road from MP David Davies and I’m going to speak to him about this and see what can be done. To shut Rotterdam to horses is huge and to give the French control of horses in and out of Britain, it’s absolutely terrible,” she said.

Added pollution and travel time

“Now to move horses, I have to travel them seven hours down to Dover every four or five weeks. I’m adding to environmental pollution by doing that but nobody seems to be worried about that. England, like Ireland, does not have really good equestrian facilities, we are in the same boat. We don’t have a Bonheiden or a Valkensvaard. We started looking at yards in France last year and now that I know this isn’t going to work for us here any longer, we are going to really get looking into moving to France,” concluded Rachael Williams.