TEXAS — After a months-long ban because of New World screwworm restrictions, horse exports from Texas to Mexico are allowed once again.
It’s great news for Kerim Talamas, who runs Cavaletti Equine Logistics in San Antonio. He typically transports dozens of horses a week, mostly for rodeo sports. All of that came to a halt in June, when the pause on exports began. As part of a phased reopening across the border, exports recently resumed at the Del Rio international crossing.
On a normal week, Talamas might take 50 horses into Mexico. But to catch up on his backlog, he took 130 horses in the first week exports resumed.
“I’m excited, but at the same time nervous,” Talamas said. “We were not prepared for this amount of horses. So we’re struggling with equipment. We’re struggling with manpower.”
Horses aren’t the only animals impacted by New World screwworm restrictions, but Texas is the state that trades horses with Mexico the most, and the parasite has hit the industry especially hard. Just over 10,000 horses have crossed from Texas into Mexico this year, a number that’s usually more than 15,000 by this time.