Flying horses: from stall to doors closing on the pressurised horsebox – in pictures
Kevin Hunt leads Happy Power through the Park House stables near Newbury. All photos: Mark Chilvers for The National
Annalisa Balding, who runs the stables with her husband Andrew, poses at Park House. 'We have about 50 horses owned by Arabs. They are so passionate about the sport and important for it,' she said.
To prepare the horses for transportation their hooves are bound to protect the light shoes.
The animals are loaded on to horseboxes on a trailer.
And they're off – the horses depart for Stansted Airport.
The lorry arrives at Stansted Airport, where the going is good.
'Horses are used to travelling in horse boxes and this is not much different – it’s just there are less roundabouts in the air!' said Kevin Needham, owner of the British Bloodstock Agency.
A horse prepares to enter its mobile jet stall, before being loaded on to the plane.
The stall is lifted up to be loaded on board.
On board is Jeremy Instone, the owner of Instone Air, the company that builds and leases a fleet of specialist horse stalls for air freight.
The stalls are loaded and placed inside the Saudi Arabian jumbo jet.
A stall is secured within the plane for the flight.
A horse looks out from its stall before take-off.
Tack and other equine equipment is loaded into the hold.
The plane holds 17 of the world’s leading thoroughbred racehorses.
Their destination is Riyadh, a six-and-half-hour flight away, where they will take part in the world’s richest horse race, the Saudi Cup.
