Tuesday Video from Dubarry: ‘We Give Horses Wings’

Check out this video from the FEI, detailing how horses are prepped for international travel.

The FEI World Cup Finals take place this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, drawing the best show jumping and dressage horses in the world to America’s entertainment capitol for an exciting four days of competition. For North American competitors, this usually means a long haul down the highway — but what do the top horses from the rest of the world do?

Flying horses internationally is much more complicated than simply buying a ticket, checking your carry-on and boarding the plane: it’s a huge undertaking, involving an entire support team on the ground to get everyone up in the air. The FEI takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Schiphol Animal Centre at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the launch point for the 2015 World Cup contestants’ journey.

Phew, and I thought packing two horses for a one-day show four miles down the road was exhausting. Props to this highly-trained and experienced team of professionals, who make this look and sound like the easiest thing in the world. The video description states the combined net worth of the cargo on this Qatar Airlines flight was to the tune of €150 million. The precious cargo arrived safe and sound, and horses and riders are gearing up for the World Cup which runs April 16-19. Check out details about the World Cup live stream on the FEI website to watch your favorites. We’ll bring you updates and recaps next week!

Go riding!