Hi all! Does anyone have experience transporting between coasts by flight? Looking at a cross country move later this year and pondering logistics. My horse tends to be sensitive and can be a bit colicky under stress so I am thinking a flight would be less stressful than a few days in a trailer. Thanks in advance!!
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One logistics consideration is how close you are/will be to airports that offer horse flights. In some cases, that could add a day+ of trailering on either end of the flight. If you are lucky enough to be close to the right airports, flying can be a great option!
Brookledge and Horseflight are agents for FedEx flights and can help you with ideas and schedules. Tex Sutton flies horses domestically as well.
I shipped my horse coast to coast in a box stall several years ago, it was almost exactly 3 days total including one overnight layover.
Assuming your horse has been trailered distances, why would you think a flight would be less stressful?
Add the commotion of the airport, pressure changes in the cabin + differences in how he’d be prepped for flight could all be unfamiliar stressors = colic.
The air-ride semis provide a great service.
My WB arrived to the Midwest from FL in just over 24h.
The company I used has merged with Brookledge.
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Because the total amount of time spent in transit, as in standing and bracing on something that is moving, hitting bumps, having a little sway at times, etc is considerably shortened by flying coast to coast than driving. I board retirees and have had a few horses flown to me from the west coast to retire. I’m in Tennessee, and the horses fly into either Memphis or Lexington, and have a 3 to 4 hour trailer ride off the plane. They transfer from the plane directly onto the trailer. Total travel time from the west coast to Tennessee is under 9 hours, from boarding the plane to unloading at my farm. If your horse is traveling a long distance, flying really is easier on them.
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We used to fly horses from CLT to LAX on the regular on Fedex
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I moved several states during the huge spike in gas prices a few years back (not coast to coast though) and ended up flying my horse instead of trailering after considering the costs v. greatly reduced travel time. It was far less than a day of traveling even factoring in trailering from the destination airport, which was still a few hours away from me. I used Horseflight to arrange the flight and had a great experience with them- they were very communicative and sent several pictures and video updates during transit. The one minor hiccup I had was with arranging trailering for the last leg after the flight-- I think they probably just do not have many contacts in the area I was moving to, and I ended up scrambling last minute to find someone. Luckily it all worked out! I agree with others that flying v. trailering for long distances really is easier on the horses.
It is a bit fun to tell people I “FedExed” my horse, lol
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Another vote for Horseflight! My trainer sends horses all the time, for Devon, indoors etc. They usually fly Ontario - JFK and then on the way back Newark - SFO. Something about the runways at SFO are too short for horses to fly out of but landing is fine.
Note: Ontario, CA
