Horse racing is one of the most globally-acclaimed sports, with big races taking place across the world throughout the season. With big purses at events such as the Breeders’ Cup and the Kentucky Derby, it’s likely that European and Japanese runners will need to journey across the seas to pick up their well-deserved prize money.
Global Runners
Operations such as Godolphin have horse freights down to a tee, which isn’t surprising given how well represented their global runners are throughout the season. If you are interested in horse racing bonuses and promotions, you might also wonder how the equines fly from places like Japan to Dubai.
So, what are some of the most important factors to take into account when it comes to flying horses across the world?
Preparing a Horse for Travel
Preparing a horse for a trip overseas is just as important as catching a flight yourself. It is widely regarded by top yards that preparation for a flight is the most time consuming factor when it comes to getting a runner to their end target.
Head staff at yards will be in charge of travel, which includes taking into account important factors such as how training schedules will be impacted due to flying times, and ensuring that the equine stars are well fed and watered during their trip on a plane.
It is also during the preparation that connections will take into account the necessary paper work that must be completed before boarding, while it is also during this stage that any quarantine measures are taken into account. Racing overseas is a major operation, and the preparation could take months to complete in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Packing Order
Preparing for the trip also requires a great deal of packing, just as it would if you were to be travelling overseas for an extended period. Anything race related is typically packed only seven days before flying. Tack is typically the last item to be packed, as this takes into account that all horses will needed to be rode out after landing at their final destination to ensure that they are comfortable.
This exercise is essential after landing to ensure that the blood gets moving in the horses again. Packing it last will ensure that it is the easiest piece of equipment to find. Other items that will be packed near to last include water containers and food.
Vets Look After Horses
Vets also tend to fly with horses, and will accompany them below the deck to ensure that they feel comfortable throughout the duration of a flight. However, this is something that does change depending on the yard.
It is widely expected that vets won’t accompany horses if a flight doesn’t last any longer than ten hours, as horses will keep themselves entertained with food and drink. But, a vet could be more important for flights greater than eleven hours when a horse could become more uncomfortable in their box.
However, one factor that vets won’t need to be concerned about is dealing with arrivals of foals. The vast majority of racing associations around the world restrict in-foal mares from travelling after ten months.
Each horse will also have one groom to cater for their needs pre and post boarding a flight. Therefore, major operations such as Godolphin could take huge numbers of humans as well as equine stars to overseas meets such as the Breeders’ Cup.
What is Quarantine?
Quarantine is something that everyone would have become more familiar with following the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is an essential part of travelling to safeguard horses that are going overseas. However, this period does alter depending on the country that you’re entering.
One of the strictest is Australia, as there is no equine influenza within the country, as they don’t vaccinate against it like other nations around the world. Quarantine can be done before travelling, with many UK runners spending their two-week period at Side Hill Stud at Newcastle.
Horses aren’t able to be within 100 meters of another horse that isn’t in quarantine, but there are designated hour-break gallop times for runners to stretch their legs. Unlike other pieces of work, exercises completed in quarantine are closely monitored by vets and a huge team of staff, who ensure that dog walkers and other members of the public are kept away.
Horses are tested vigorously during this period, with lots of samples of blood and nasal swab tests completed. Temperatures of horses are taken twice a day, and after the two week period has ended, horses are free to fly overseas. While Australian quarantine rules are stricter than most, blood and swab tests need to be completed by any horse regardless of their end destination before boarding a flight.
Whether riding, flying or running, be sure to follow these tips to prepare your horse for long distance travel!
