Georgia from California sent me these amazing photos she took when her stallion Gaugin du Cheval was transported cross-country to compete at NEDA and Devon (2002).
Pictured left: Tall, thin compartment
Each compartment was 30" across but pretty tall. Gaugin is being shipped with a schoolmaster and an Australian thoroughbred just out of quarantine.
Pictured right: Acccompanied by an adult
Georgia with her horse. I wonder if, in these days of heightened security, the owners are still welcomed in the belly of the plane. Georgia brought hay and water, and Gaugin is the only horse with a haybag. Georgia shared her ten gallons of water with all three horses. What a mom!
Pictured left: On the conveyer
There was a professional horse handler on the flight provided by the agency that arranged the flight. "He had drugs to knock out or kill any horse that got unruly. My stallion really looks to me for reassurance and I was there to hold his hoof. He loves adventure though and except for the first take off out of SFO (steep climb - really put the horses on their tails) he was fine with the whole thing."
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"He had drugs to knock out or kill any horse that got unruly."
ReplyDeleteOMG
Wow, my horse would have had a claustrophobic fit.
ReplyDeleteThat was cool to see. We haul horses for hours in trailers but nobody in our region flies horses (although I know the big outfits down in the south do).
ReplyDeleteThanks to Georgia for sharing her pictures and stories!
ugh! that makes ME feel Claustrophobic! Eek!!! Cute stallion!
ReplyDeleteNot sure I would ever be comfortable with my horse in such conditions. But, I suspect that the close quarters actually keep them quieter since they can't move all over the place. *shiver*
ReplyDeleteThere's a huge difference between experienced competition horses and the rest. They travel almost as much as they stay at home and the confines of the trailer or truck are familiar and reassuring to them. I would fight to be with my horse in transit, for sure.
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