Dunedin Sports Horses sources, produces and places sport horses for US riders, working across Europe where our principal Martha, based in Ireland, rides, vets and houses every horse in person before it ships. In over ten years we have placed more than 100 horses, honestly and exactly as described. Every horse is seen by all three of us, Martha's judgement on the ground in Europe, Hayley's read from the saddle as a 5-star rider, and Katie's structure behind the deal, and we do not agree until all three of us do.
Buying a horse from across an ocean runs on trust you have no way to check. The video looked right. The horse on the day was a different animal. The commission was never mentioned. Most US riders who have shopped abroad have a version of this story, or know someone who does. It is why importing feels like a risk before it feels like an opportunity.
We are a small team who source, produce and place horses we would be happy to keep ourselves.
Martha is based in Ireland and travels across Europe, often seeing horses before they reach the open market. She rides each one, oversees the vetting in person, and houses the horse for one to two weeks before it travels. Nothing ships on a video and a phone call. Hayley, a currently competing 5-star event rider in the US, confirms the fit from the saddle. Katie runs the structure behind it, so the paperwork, the transport and the terms are handled cleanly and disclosed plainly.
The result is a horse that arrives exactly as described.
Four steps, no exceptions.
Ride it. A business principal rides the horse in person, not a contact sending clips.
Vet it in person. The vetting is overseen on the ground, with x-rays on file.
House it. The horse stays with us one to two weeks in Ireland so we know it before you do.
Ship it. Transport to the US is arranged and managed, and the horse arrives as described.
You can buy from the horses we already own and are producing, seen and assessed from the saddle and standing ready. Or, if the right one is not on our list, Martha can source to your brief from across Europe, handpicked to your criteria and often seen before they reach the open market, with full vetting and transport to the US. Many riders who come to us to buy stay with us for training, lessons and the next horse.
Pricing and the right-horse conversation happen directly with Katie, Hayley or Martha, never through a form and never in public. Tell us what you ride, where you want to get to, and bring your trainer. We work alongside them, and we will welcome them to Ireland to look for themselves.
You import safely by having someone you trust ride and vet the horse in person before it ships, not by trusting a video. At Dunedin, our principal Martha, based in Ireland, rides each horse, oversees the vetting on the ground, houses it for one to two weeks, then arranges and manages transport to the US so it arrives exactly as described.
No. You do not need to fly to Europe, because a Dunedin principal is already based in Ireland and sees the horses in person. Martha rides, vets and houses each horse on your behalf, and you are welcome to send your own trainer to look. If you want to come, we will arrange trips and rides. Most of our buyers do not need to.
You avoid hidden commissions by working with a producer who discloses terms plainly and routes every price conversation through a named person. Dunedin sells horses it owns and produces, with the terms stated directly to you by Katie, Hayley or Martha.
It requires the person selling to have ridden and vetted the horse themselves. Dunedin houses each horse one to two weeks in Ireland before it ships, so what we tell you comes from living with the horse, not from a listing. If there is something you need to know, we will say so plainly.
Yes. If the right horse is not among the ones we own, Martha can source to your brief from across Europe, handpicking to your criteria and often seeing horses before they reach the open market, with full vetting and transport to the US. The brief starts with a conversation about what you ride and where you want to get to.