Published on January 9, 2019
The prestigious horse races are spread all around the globe. America, Australia, Dubai, and Europe, millions are spent at the races and for the training and transport of the contenders. Yes, racehorses are indeed flying around, literally thousands of miles and they are doing it in style; “air horse one” style!
You would quite obviously want only the best and the most expensive for your racehorse and a potential champion. Just like TVG, this is the best network to bring you all the global horse racing action.
Let’s get one thing straight. Horse transport, and overseas at that too, is no joke! Horses have very specific transport requirements and fly with amenities equivalent to private suites at The Four Seasons! Million dollar racehorses need to in style to not only for comfort but also safety.
Most of the commercial carriers including FedEx, Emirates, Qatar, UPS, Singapore, and KLM have dedicated equine care and transport facilities. These include grooms, temperature controlled stalls and various other premium amenities. These commercial carriers do not come cheap and often charge by the pound weight of the total carriage.
Transports are also facilitated by The International Racehorse Transport or the IRT also fac. This organization provides for the safe transportation of horses from the ranches to the races. They ensure complete care and comfort of the horse while transporting. The IRT is a decade-long service and lives by their motto. The handling of the horses is professional from pickup to drop off.
Horses often undergo quarantine protocol during overseas transport. They are usually transported in freight containers and depending on the amount you pay they can travel in 3 classes – first, business or economy! There are provisions for onboard vets as well along with emergency medical supplies.
The horse owner and the team usually stock their supply of food, grains, and water for a long flight. Ensuring the health and the nourishment of the horse is of utmost importance. The food usually gets loaded in separate containers.
There is ample room in a first-class equine air transport facility. The floor space can generally fit a score of race horses along with their livestock feed and water needs. Ticket can cost around several thousands of dollar/equine passengers. The flight crew is very dedicated to ensuring the safety and care of the animals. These flights are known to ascend or descend slower and often taken a detour through hundreds of miles to maintain a smooth flight. A lot of careful planning goes into the preparation of a derby race.
Along with the transport and the facilities that you can avail while transporting a racehorse investing in professional care is the hallmark of a professional racehorse team.To prepare before a major derby and then cool down and rest after the competition, especially if you have to jet-set around the globe; that is the only rule professionals swear by! Derbies like Pegasus world cup are extremely popular. So when you are catching it live, try and spare a thought about the industry and the team effort of the people at the backstage, for every equine competitor at the starting line.