Some time ago Slush Creek Walkers received an email from inquiring about a black filly by Delight’s Midnight Legend.

The email was from the Dominican Republic, which is an island in the Caribbean in between Cuba and Puerto Rico. The island is divided in two, on one side Haiti and on the other side is the Dominican Republic.

A deal was struck for two Jubal fillies. Payment was made via Western Union which was really much simpler than we had expected. It is also the safest. There are many scams out there. Do not accept Cashiers checks or money orders. You may consider a bank wire transfer but have to be willing to give your bank information.

Then we began coordinating with Miss Celia of Lazcar International. They would ultimately be responsible for transporting the fillies from Miami to The Dominican Republic. Miss Celia was very kind and extremely knowledgeable. She gave us excellent help getting everything coordinated.

Lazcar International, Inc.
5003 SW 127 Place
Miami, Fl. 33175
Phone: (305)223-2162, (305)223-2163
Fax: 305-227-2141
E-mail: Celia@lazcar.com 

Miss Celia also put us in touch with the quarantine farm in Miami where the fillies would live for four weeks. We needed to make sure that the quarantine farm had space for these two fillies.

THEBAS FARM
12401 SW 51 STREET
MIAMI, FL 33175 FARM
PHONE 305-301-0222

Once the space for the fillies was confirmed, we assisted with the search for a transport company to take the fillies from Montana to Thebas Farm in Miami. There are several good transport companies out there. Just make sure to check references. Don’t just take their word for it - really check them out. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions. After all, you are hiring them to do a job for you so they work for you. Find one that you feel comfortable with. The other option is to let the purchaser handle all the transportation arrangements.

We also enlisted the help of our veterinarian as soon as the payment on the fillies had been received. The fillies would need to be vaccinated for Venezuelan Encephalitis (VEE) which was about the only difference from Slush creek Walkers vaccination program. For the VEE vaccination to be beneficial, they needed to have two doses at least 3 weeks apart. They required a current Coggins test and an Interstate Health Certificate. The Coggins and Health certificate are required for traveling anywhere within the US. The Health certificate needs to be done within 20 days of the trip.

Another concern for the fillies was the change in climate from Northeastern Montana to Miami, Fl. We did not want to do this in the dead of winter when it was -20° or -30° below zero and send them in all of their “winter woolies” to somewhere it is 70° above. We did wait until earlier in the spring where the temperature change would not be so drastic. They were still hairy when they left but had begun to shed.

We also wanted a little extra weight on them for this trip. We did not want them fat but just a bit of cushion, so about a month before the trip we began giving them a little additive in their feed. This was recommended by our vet and by our feed dealer/nutritionist. It was also recommended that we send some of our hay and water along with them on the trip to Miami. That way there would not be any drastic changes to their diet during the trip. This was going to be a huge change for these fillies that were born and raised here and our intent was to minimize the stress during this long trip.

I guess the point of this article is to let you know this was not a quick sale. It took time and effort on the part of all parties involved but the payback was that two healthy, happy, well adjusted fillies arrived in the Dominican Republic. The purchasers are thrilled with their Slush Creek horses and we are proud that these two fillies are there representing our breed and breeding program.

The purchaser sent us this note just a couple of days ago along with some pictures:

Indeed, we are very happy with both of them. Onix is more proactive than Jubie and somehow a bit more elegant. On the other hand Jubie is a year younger than Onix and still has enough time to develop. They both behave very well, and temperament wise, they are very mature. Our helper, Juan (the fellow riding Onix) is happy with them and finds them extremely comfortable in their gait .

My wife and I are very happy with Slush Creek Walkers, for the quality of horses and service provided to us .

Thank you for all your help , FAL