Thanks!
I could not find out what happened to the horse. A veterinarian was requested to be waiting at the gate.
Susan
Hopefully for sedation?
It could be something more important … but possibly to verify that the horse was ok at that point, to reduce liability.
I wonder if the horse was taken off the plane, or if it was stuffed back in its box to make the trip.
If enough horse people ping the relevant information sources, maybe we will get more public info … eventually?
I have been trying to find out how the horse made out.
At the end of this article it states that the horse was not injured and that the flight “resumed a few hours later”. Does not state that the horse was on the resumed flight. I hope the horse was okay.
I see it just made NPR.
Did they have any new information?
I do know that you sign a waiver allowing euthanasia in the air if necessary and that mild sedation is recommended if a poor shipper. Traveling grooms are expected to be able to administer ace upon demand. (A young friend traveling with her horse did a lot of practicing giving shots, just in case!)
I hope we get an update soon as to the cause/outcome for the horse. Also, I’m curious to know more if the horse was in an enclosed pallet situation vs. the more open stall photos (which I wasn’t familiar with.) Great information about traveling with horses on this thread!
It looks like the more open configurations are for domestic flights and/or smaller planes? At least the article on Air Horse One made it seem like that was the case. The article cited using a 727 vs a 747 or larger for international flights. You can see how it used up the entirely of the plane vs spaces in the cargo hold with passengers in another part of the plane.
This is pure speculation on my part as I’ve never flown with horses before.
I’ve flown with horses both ways, once or twice where it was just the horses in a cargo plane, and on other occasions when it was horses in the back of a big plane with regular passengers.
It’s always amazing to see the amount of effort that goes into getting the horses on and off the planes and to think about how many horses travel that way these days. The horses that travel back and forth to Europe a lot must have very dog-eared passports.
The first time I ever flew with horses the person who was in charge misplaced all their passports, and was having a panic attack trying to remember where she put them. She said, “Well, I know they’re not in that one small trunk.”
Needless to say, after we ripped apart all the other trunks and every other possible place, the passports were in that one small trunk. I don’t think I ever took her word for anything again after that day. Lol.
More info here. Horse was euthanized and the situation sounds grisly.
Thank you…I’ve been wondering. It’s really sad.
Very sad news. Poor thing.
Thank you for sharing. I assumed it must have been pretty bad for them to turn around the way the did. Poor horse
This story made our local news also.
Unfortunate click-bait type headlines all about—horse not correctly stalled but nowhere near loose-- rather well & truly stuck. Horrible time for the handlers–must have seemed like hours before landing back at JFK and getting help onsite.
Do the covered 3 horse crates also have the neck restraints that are visible in the open-stall arrangements? It would seem that is the purpose of those but perhaps inadequate if a horse really loses its cool.
I have not seen such a thing, but the different shippers might have different set ups.
That is really sad. I am so sorry for that horse, and for all of the people involved. I can’t imagine how terrible that was for them as well.
I’m guessing that this is rare. A lifting device could be installed or brought on board, one that would fit. (Same idea as those that lift the larger truck engines, which can weigh 1k or more.). But if it is almost never used, I can see that it might not be available on board.
Oh, so sad. The story I posted that said the horse was ok was obviously wrong. Ugh. What an awful scene.