Flying First Class

Have you ever shipped an animal via plane? I know it is routine for dog breeders and handlers, but it still make me quiver in my shoes, even though Sammy flew from Buffalo to Newark and arrived none the worse for the trip.

Rest assured that the equines who will be competing in the Olympics next month are all flying first class, according to an article in the July 24 New York Times. I can assure you that this philosophy also applies to horses who are "shipped" via air to race across the country. "The trick to help them recover is you keep the whole transport as smooth and stress free as possible," says Martin Atock, managing director of Peden Bloodstock, the German agency that is arranging the transport of every national team's Olympic horses.

Essentially horses are shipped in containers that are mobile horse trailers. The idea is to make the horse think that he/she is in a trailer, a situation to which they are routinely exposed. The "trailer" is then loaded onto a huge cargo plane and the horse flies to the destination, ideally experiencing the same conditions he/she would experience if he/she were transported by truck."Apart from wearing protective foam boots, and, occasionally, ear muffs to block engine noise, the horse has an experience similar to riding in a trailer," says Atock.

Of course, there are thousands of ways in which the situation is not similar to road travel, not the least of which is the noise, cabin pressure, exposure to climate changes and turbulence. Ideally one plans to have all these disruptions minimized but we all know the adventure that air travel has become these days. Anything can happen.

Race horses seem to do just fine flying from across the country and even out of the country and I am sure the Olympic equine athletes will also handle the journey with flying colors. They are taking the long trip to Hong Kong, where the equestrian events are being held, in stages, stopping over in Europe to break up the travel. And many of the horses competing have flown before since they routinely travel to Europe to compete.

As for me, I learned if you do have to ship a pet stateside, Continental is a great airline to choose even if it means going a bit out of your way. The dogs never sit on the tarmac and they are transported (at least in my experience) with extreme care. Sammy earned his wings and on those days when he seems to have chewed every roll of toilet paper in the house, I threaten him with a one-way, return trip! (not that it seems to have much effect!!!)