Mane line transport

What makes a horse hoarse? A long flight could do it.

According to respected industry publication, Horse and Hound, colic is the most common equine ailment during flights and is difficult to deal with due to space constraints on board. Horses can suffer dreadfully on a trip unless properly cared for. 

It takes a special kind of company to deal with the demands of transporting livestock – and horse transportation is a frequent request between the Gulf and Europe.

As the world’s largest international shipper of thoroughbred horses, the UK’s Janah Group transports more than 5,000 horses in a typical year to destinations in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australasia.

In Arabic, Janah means “wings”, and the choice of name reflects the fact that three out of every four horses it transports are carried by air.

Many of these belong to the Dubai ruling family and are moved either for breeding, or to take part in competitive events. The company also provides the official transportation service for international competitors heading for all races and other events being held in Dubai, including the famous Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest horse race.

In the UK and Ireland (two countries that regularly send horses to the Middle East) it is common for horse transport grooms to be National Proficiency Test Council (NPTC) qualified, for which they have to demonstrate a high level of competence, as well as understand different types of aircraft and safety equipment.

The grooms fly with the horses, helping them to stretch and ensuring they drink and eat enough. Pilots transporting horses are also requested to take care with take-offs and braking after landing.

Airports, too, have to be equipped for horse transportation. Archie Garden, managing director of Cambridge Airport in the UK, said: “We transport a lot of horses because of our proximity to Newmarket. We historically worked with the Jockey Club, which is just around the corner.”

Garden explained: “We get two to six horses and load them on to the aircraft via a special horse ramp. The entire process takes around 20 minutes, which causes less stress to the animals.”

He pointed out that the average journey time before a horse becomes frustrated is around four hours in the air, so it is important to make the loading process as pain free as possible. Horses generally travel in a converted Boeing B737 business jet in special containers.

Garden added: “We arrange horse passport papers, but we do not do longer distance as we are not authorised to offer Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) clearance.”

According to the British Racehorse Transporters’ Association (RTA), anyone who moves horses as part of their business using a horsebox over 3.5 tonnes is required to have either a licence together with a DEFRA specific authorisation number. There are border inspection posts at larger UK airports, such as Manston and Heathrow.

At the other end of the journey, bringing any animal into the Middle East also requires a great deal of paperwork. For horse races, for example, all livestock must meet UAE conditions for the temporary import of horses applicable to their country of origin. This means that animals entering the UAE on temporary import health certificates must leave the country after they have finished competing.

On a smaller scale, pets brought into the UAE must be imported as cargo. To bring a pet in, owners must obtain an import permit. Requirements include a document from a veterinary surgeon (signed and stamped) showing a current vaccination against rabies. Each animal must also have a good health certificate from its government of origin and be microchipped.

For an export permit, a government vet at the cargo village of Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah International Airports, must examine the pet at least five days before travelling. Pets should have correct documentation, be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.

Animals brought into the UAE without proper documentation will be held until the papers are obtained. The importation of some dangerous breeds of dog, such as Pit Bulls and Neapolitan Mastiffs, is banned.

Companies such as Air Pets in the UK offer a specialised door-to-door pet relocation service to the UAE and Kuwait, supplying specially authorised airlines like British Airways Cargo and Qatar Cargo. Pets fly direct from Heathrow or Gatwick in IATA-approved air kennels in 24 sizes.