1,354 kilometers for my husband and I to drive to Tryon North Carolina from my home. We will split the journey and drive the first day for 10-11 hours and then on for a further three hours to Tryon for the World Equestrian Games 2018.
70 countries will be participating.
1,000 horses will be competing.
550 horses will be arriving by air.The biggest equine airlift into the US ever!
Boeing 777 Cargo planes will be used by Emirates Airlines to fly the horses.
10 flights have been chartered to transport horses from Europe.
7 hours 20 minutes is the length of the horse’s flights from Liege, Belgium.
2 Peden, specially trained, flying grooms will be on each flight.
9 seats only are available on the cargo planes.
25 stables or pallets with horses will be on each flight.
1,200 stalls are available for horses at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.
1,500 acres of land comprise the TIEC where the WEG will be held.
12 arenas are available for the competitions.
8 International Equestrian Federation (FEI) disciplines will be competing: Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Vaulting, Reining, Driving, Endurance and Para-dressage.
500,000 spectators are expected.
13 days of competition in total from September 11-23.
$400,000,000 is the projected economic impact on the region.
2nd of September. The horses start to arrive at Greenville-Spartanburg airport.
The Greenville Business magazine had an excellent article on the transport of the horses. Here is a section of that article with explanation from Martin Atock of the German based Peden Bloodstock on the organization of the transport.
The horses will be flying in from Leige Airport in Belgium, a relatively small airport, but one that has become significant in air cargo. About 3,000 horses are transported from Liege every year. A major piece of infrastructure, known as the “Horse Inn,” opened at the airport in 2016, enhancing its capabilities to house and move horses. Liege is located in the center of Belgium, giving it good proximity to large numbers of equestrian competitors.
Peden has chartered 20 Emirates aircraft that can each carry 25 air stables to make the seven-hour, 20-minute flights to GSP. Dubai-based Emirates has a reputation of having one of the top air cargo operations in the world, and the carrier has extensive experience moving horses. All of the flights will be made on Boeing 777 freighters.
GSP cargo staff will serve as cargo handlers for the horses once they arrive.
“Actually, the flying bit is the easiest part,” Atock says. “Preparation is 95 percent of the effort in getting horses from all over the globe to meet the health requirements of the U.S. and to be sure we can get them back home.”
The 777 is by far the most effective aircraft to haul horses, Atock says. It offers an optimum airflow, which is paramount for the horses. Emirates is the best and most cost-efficient carrier for horses, according to Atock.
A total of 980 horses will participate in the games. Those arriving from South America will be transported to Miami International Airport and then trucked to North Carolina. A few flying from Japan will arrive in Chicago and also be transported by truck. The remainder will be arriving from U.S. destinations.
One week from today I will be on the road! But I have some other posts relating to WEG to come this week including the third installment of my interview with Alan Davies in which he talks about how he looks after the horses at major Championships like WEG and the Olympics.
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