Flying Horses! Across The Atlantic To The World Equestrian Games 2014

United States Reining World Equestrian Games horses Yellow Jersey & HF Mobster met up with Dun Git A Nicadual Friday morning at Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses in Aubrey, Texas, along with their grooms, press crew, & TM Breeding Manager Barb Wibbles.

Team Veterinarian, Dr. John Newcomb, had already given the horses a thorough pre-travel check-up the day before & declared them fit for the journey.

The Team cargo was packed into one of the TM 8-horse trailers, the horses were loaded, & with Barb at the wheel, the crew & horses were off on the first leg of their journey to the 2014 World Equestrian Games.

They set off for Houston, Texas where they met up with Spooks Gotta Whiz, Lil Gun Dunit, Custom Cash Advance, & their grooms for an overnight stay at Steve Archer Quarter Horses.

At 4:00 am Central time the crew, including Dr. Newcomb, readied the horses for transport to the USDA export facility; the horses were required to be there by 6:00 am.

Upon arrival at the USDA facility, they were joined by two professionals of The Dutta Corp. International Horse Transport, who would take over oversight of cargo management, equine passport verification, & customs procedures for the Team through their arrival in Amsterdam.

The horses spent the required five hours at the USDA facility before being loaded into their containers, which would become their home until they landed in Amsterdam & their paperwork was verified.

Before going onboard, the horses were loaded into a specially designed stall, called a container, with anti-slip floors and no sharp edges.* The horses remain in the containers throughout the trip. The containers are also designed to let the grooms & veterinarians take proper care of the horses in-flight.

The containers are equipped with special loading doors to let the horses in and out easily and each container has moveable dividers that allow for a three, two, or one-stall configuration inside each one. The Team U.S.A. Reining horses were loaded into two containers, one with three stalls, & one container with two stalls.

Making the trip to Europe with them was Wimpys Little Buddy, Martin Muehlstaetter of Team Austria Reining’s mount, & the horses of Team Mexico Reining.

After being prepped for their flight with soft ride boots, standing wraps, & fleece-lined halters, all of the Team U.S.A. Reining horses loaded easily into their containers. The containers were then transported to the aircraft, operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

½ of the aircraft was designed for regular passenger travel, while the other ½ was specified for the horses & other cargo. After the passengers boarded the plane, the horse’s containers were loaded into the plane using a hydraulic lift system. 

Each container is designed to accommodate one groom or steward to care for the horses during the flight. Water is available to the horses throughout the flight, as well as hay.

Pressure changes can affect horses during air travel, just like it can humans, but with plenty of hay & water coupled with calm crew to ensure they are as comfortable as possible, the Team U.S.A. Reining horses made the flight with no problems & landed safely in Amsterdam.

Upon arrival in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the crew goes through customs then meets the horses at the import facility where they remain in their containers until their paperwork is processed; approximately one hour.

By this time the Team’s cargo has cleared customs & both horses & crew are ready to begin their 500 kilometer drive to Paris, France.

Right now the horses are en route to Paris where they will stay until Friday, August 22^nd, when they depart for Caen to move in to WEG stabling. 

For a video of the horses leaving the ranch & being loaded into the airplane, plus more photos of the trip so far, click HERE.

*Sentence Source:  KLM Airlines, Animal Transport http://www.klm.com/corporate/en/about-klm/information-school-talks/animal-transport.html