Spanish Riding School 2005 American Tour

About Me
Name:
Fran Jurga
View my complete profile
Sponsored By:
Albion Saddles
Cross Country International
  
 

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

30 Days and Counting

The Lipizzaners are coming! In just 30 days, 30 stallions will be loaded onto horse vans in Vienna for the longest journey of their lives. First, though, they will have to cross Europe, and it is a long haul from Vienna to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

In Amsterdam, the horses will be divided among two huge KLM Boeing-747 jets. Destination: New York's JFK International Airport.

This flight is different from what you might imagine. First, the stallions will be split between two planes. Second, the planes also hold passengers.

According to US tour director Gary Lashinsky, these planes are not like the ones we think of that hold passengers above and cargo (i.e., horses) below. Instead, there is a front-back arrangement, and 15 stallions will be in the back of the plane, while the humans ride in front.

I wonder if the pilot will announce that there are two groups of passengers on board--and who the second group is.

So if someone tells you that they rode with the Spanish Riding School, don't be skeptical. If they are KLM passengers, they may have done just that--at 40,000 feet!

KLM transports over 5,000 horses a year between Europe and North America. Think of all those Dutch Warmbloods and Friesians who have crossed the Atlantic! I'll be telling you lots more about the plane and KLM's horse transport team as the take-off day approaches!