Flying
Eventing Horses to Hong Kong 
Indeed,
an FEI crew was given the rare opportunity to be present during the departure
of 13
horses from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam and 24 horses from Stansted Airport near
London. (Phillip Dutton's (USA) ride Connaught is shown being loaded into a
stall at the right. Peter Nixon Photo.) From
the arrival of the horses from their quarantines – some personally accompanied
by their riders who could barely speak so moved were they by the fact that their
“boys” and “girls” were travelling all by themselves like
grown ups – to their unloading, pre-flight exercise and light snacks, loading
into specially approved flight stalls, loading into the aircraft and all the way
to the spectacular take off – we saw it all. The horses travel  all
by themselves? Not quite. They are accompanied by experienced crews of grooms
especially trained to take care of their inmates in flight conditions. (Loading
a stall on to the airplane is pictured at the left. Peter Nixon Photo.)
The
FEI would like to thank the IOC, BOCOG, the Equestrian Company, Air France KLM
Cargo, BAA Stansted and especially Peden Bloodstock for making possible this extraordinary
experience which has met with very positive interest from the public and the media.
Mark
Todd's (NZL) horse Gandalf is fed a carrot in his stall by a flight attendant. *
* * * Well
know American announcer Brian O'Connor, of Annandale, Virginia, will be the English
language announcer for all three Olympic disciplines (Eventing, Dressage and Show
Jumping) at Hong Kong. There will be two other announcers - one speaking French,
the official language of the FEI, and one speaking Chinese. (As initially reported
in The Chronicle of the Horse.)
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