Tariffs puts brake on international racing

THE cost of buying Thoroughbred horses from overseas to import for racing or breeding in the United States will be going up as a result of new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

-  - Ray Paulick (The Paulick Report)

In addition, a hefty bond placed on overseas horses coming to the United States to race on a short-term basis could make some international owners think twice before competing here.

Tariffs for multiple countries, set to take effect April 9, were announced by President Trump at a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House on April 2.

The announcement was followed by three days of massive volatility in global equity markets - sparking fears of both a recession and high inflation.

Mixed signals from White House officials on whether or not the tariff rates were negotiable only exacerbated uncertainty over Trump's tariff policy.

Canada and Mexico

The sliver of good news is that horses traveling to the U.S. from Canada and Mexico are both immune from the tariffs because of the existing United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement negotiated during the first Trump administration.

Horses were exempt from tariffs in that agreement.