Editor’s Note: Heather Buchanan works for luxury lifestyle media company Equestrio, “focusing on the exceptional world of horses and the people who love them.”
Story highlights
Top show jumping horses receive first class travel treatment
Pilots fly a special low ascent and descent for the horses
First class, business, or coach translates into a stall which is divided for only one, two or three horses
When the world’s best athletes travel they receive first class treatment from expedited security to special meals to extra legroom. The same is true for the four-legged world of top show jumping horses.
With major horse show competitions in Shanghai, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Los Angeles, and Palm Beach and the Olympics in Rio, these horses may have more frequent flier miles than many people.
Horses on this international circuit can cost as much as $10 million dollars and their health and safety is of utmost importance, as well as to arrive at the next horse show rested and ready to go for the blue ribbon.
Soaring across a six foot fence is one thing – soaring across an ocean is another.
Door to door
Special horse charter companies provide stall door to stall door service, picking the horse up at its home barn and transporting it in a specially air conditioned van to the airport, in the US most likely Miami or New York.
Their horse passport and health certificate are checked, and a vet will make sure they are fit for travel.
In the animal version of a VIP lounge they are kept comfortable until ready to board, then put in a special traveling stall which has good ventilation, a vibration-minimizing floor to keep those four legs from getting stressed and space to see the other horses.
These stalls are raised on a lift on the tarmac to be put in the cargo hold where special flight attendants or professional flying grooms ensure their comfort. Pilots even fly a special low ascent and descent to minimize the trajectory angle and are particularly keen to avoid bad weather.
First class, business, or coach translates into a stall which is divided for only one, two or three horses, and prices to fly from the US to Europe are usually in the $10,000 range each way.
The Dutta Corporation which has been “giving horses wings” for almost 30 years arranges transportation for more than 3500 horses a year around the globe, specializing in the different countries’ rules and regulations in terms of quarantine, health requirements, and import/export issues.
They run both regularly scheduled flights and special charters with a fleet that includes Boeing 747, KLM, Lufthansa, and even FEDEX.
An ‘amazing experience’
Alicia Heiniger, head of the equestrian, luxury lifestyle media company Equestrio and a show jumping competitor takes her beloved horse between Palm Beach for the winter and Geneva for the summer.
“On our trip from Miami 19 horses were traveling with us and only two were a little afraid which is amazing considering a bird flying by can spook them,” says Alicia.
“As the boxes were loaded on the plane the horses were quite curious. The pilots asked us what temperature we wanted for the horses, and the professional grooms settled them in. I was able to fly on the same flight and even visit my horse in the cargo area. While there isn’t much space down there, the stalls themselves are spacious.”
“When we landed in Amsterdam, which is apparently a good destination as it is very flat and the plane can go down slowly, they unloaded the boxes and transferred the horses to a proper stall on the ground.”
“After a rest and then another vet check and customs, we left for a horse hotel where we spent the night. My horse had a stall and I had a room in the same place. We then had a 12 hour drive the next day to get home but what an amazing experience.”
Ready to take their riders to victory, these jet setting horses are precious cargo indeed.