The largest commercial airlift of horses ever undertaken for a single sporting event is officially underway! 67 equine competitors bound for the FEI World Equestrian Games departed Liège Airport in Belgium yesterday afternoon and arrived at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina earlier today before making their way to the Tryon International Equestrian Center. Learn about the logistics of their journey in the video above.
This flight, which carried reining and endurance equine athletes, was the first of several chartered Emirates freighters that will bring over 500 horses across the pond over the next few days. The only comparable equine airlift in horse sport history, which saw 440 horses fly into Lexington, Kentucky, took place prior to the 2010 WEG. Additional horses will be flying from the United Arab Emirates to Greenville, and those from South America have flown into Miami International Airport prior to being transported to Tryon.
Many event horses have already begun their journeys to Tryon as well – Brazilian team horses have already arrived in Miami and European team horses will be a part of the next few flights departing Liège in this historic transport effort.
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