Today might be the day you discover that an Olympics-competing horse travels more luxuriously than you. And for good reason—they are, in fact, Olympians themselves.
But let’s get back to the original point. Have you ever wondered how the horses athletes work with find their way to the Olympics? If the answer is yes, I have excellent news for you. Before you take a wild guess—no, they’re not traveling by boat. The horses were actually flown to Paris, and technically, they flew privately.
On X, a recent photo showing how horses are arranged on a plane for air travel went viral, racking up more than 3 million views. „Air Horse One,“ reads the caption to the photo. The post was in response (or in „repost,“ in X lingo) to another user, who claimed that all horses employed in the Olympics are transported there via a plane named (you guessed it) Air Horse One.
As hilarious as that might be, I hate to be the bearer of (partially) bad news. The good news is that the Air Horse One plane actually exists, and it is, in fact, used for horse air transportation. Owned by Tex Sutton Equine Air Transportation, the plane is used solely for horse transport, and in the past, it has been employed to fly horses to various highly-regarded competitions, including the Kentucky Derby.
The Air Horse One, however, isn’t the plane behind horse transportation at the Paris Olympics. According to a dedicated news segment aired on Indianapolis TV station WTHR, the Tim Dutta Corporation, a company specializing in international horse travel, is in charge of it.
A human may not consider it as luxurious as flying private, but horses certainly do. Reportedly, the horses travel with their own vets and groomers and are given meals, snacks, and water throughout the flight. People working on these flights cater to each horse’s needs so that they have the best flight experience and don’t undergo too much stress by the end of their trip.
There are some international guidelines and regulations that ensure horse air transportation is done ethically. „During transportation, horses must be fully protected against injuries and other health risks,“ reads the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Horse. „Vehicles must be safe, well-ventilated, maintained to a high standard, disinfected regularly, and driven by competent personnel.“
It may not be the Air Horse One, but you can rest assured that Olympics horses still fly comfortably.
