Olympics - Getting there - About Transportation
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
It is the responsibility of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games to select an official shipping agent, cover the costs and ensure that suitable conditions and travel arrangements are available both in terms of welfare of the horse and certifying documentation.
The FEI endorses the role of facilitator and ensures that optimal travel conditions are met, providing guidelines for welfare with regards to flight recovery, dehydration, feed, acclimatisation, etc.
Peden Bloodstock has been named the official shipping agent of the 2008 Olympic Games. The organisation will be engaged in the management, coordination and provision of all equine transport services and ground logistics. Peden Bloodstock has a solid track record in large and complex movements of horses, having handled every FEI World Equestrian Games since their inception in 1990 and the past six Olympic Games.
No less than 225 horses will be travelling to the Olympic Games in Hong Kong, with a large percentage of these leaving from Europe.
How Are Horses Flown Around the World?
All the horses attending the Olympic and Paralympic Games will depart form five hubs around the world, chosen and approved by the Organiser. These are: Amsterdam, London Stansted, New York, Los Angeles and Sydney.
Horses will travel in 'Jet Stalls" with two horses per stall. Flight times vary between 12 and 15 hours with some aircrafts stopping at Dubai en route. The temperature in the aircraft will be 17 C approximately.
A Peden-appointed professional groom will accompany horse attendants on the flight, and attendants will travel through security with their charges in the 'Jet Stalls'. It is expected that horses will be in their stables within 1 hour 50 minutes of arrival in Hong Kong.
Furthermore, agreements have been made with the air companies transporting the horses to ensure that upon arrival in Hong Kong, the planes will dock in the cargo area from where the human passengers will catch a bus to the main terminal. A very valuable initiative which has been well received as it will ensure that the horses do not spend any unnecessary time in the jet stalls in transit waiting to be transported to the cargo area in hot and humid conditions.
Throughout the trip, horses need to be trained to drink as they often suffer from dehydration during long distance flights and their feed is adapted to counteract the effects of dehydration. The FEI advises for one week flight recovery time and additional time for acclimatisation.
