EQUINE athletes were given the VIP treatment as they boarded a special cargo plane to Rio.

A total of 34 eventing horses from Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Japan, Italy and China trotted on board today's flight from Stansted, the first of nine shipments delivering more than 200 horses to Rio International Airport.

The horses were loaded into customized pallets for the almost 12-hour flight aboard an Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777-F, which took off at 3.20pm. 

The complex operation involves three hubs in Stansted, Liege and Miami.

Here's the journey by numbers:

  • 11 hours 40 mins - the estimated flight time from Stansted to Rio
  • 17,500 kgs - the combined weight of the horses flying from Stansted
  • 515kg - the average weight of an eventing horse (630kg is the average weight of a Dressage horse and 610kg for Jumping horses)
  • 9,900kg of horse equipment
  • 6,000kg of feed (not including feed during the flight)
  • 40 litres of water per horse

Just like human flights, each equine passenger has an allocated baggage allowance, by weight – including the horse itself, water, hay, 30kg shavings as bedding, water buckets, feed buckets, tack bags (for saddles and bridles), rugs and any spare equipment.

Each horse is also allowed one large haynet, water and his or her own personal bucket, and a small overnight bag with a spare headcollar (halter) and rug, in case it gets chilly. 

The in-flight entertainment is rumoured to include The Horse Whisperer, Black Beauty, Seabiscuit, National Velvet and its sequel International Velvet.

In-flight meals and drinks include bran mash (a bit like porridge) before they get on the flight, then hay and water throughout the flight. Some like apple juice in their water.

Every horse has a passport but, unlike human athletes, they must be microchipped to travel. They all also have an export health certificate. 

Horses, like people, also like to travel in comfort. Some may wear a light rug but generally wear as little as possible to stay cool and comfortable. Most will wear protective leg gear – a bit like flight socks.

Flights are a carefully orchestrated operation. All horses have arrival slots at the airport so that vet checks can be carried out, and loading follows a specific order to place all passengers in the right part of the plane.

All Olympic horses travel in style, in 112cm wide stalls, with two horses per pallet. This is the equine equivalent of business class. This gives the horses plenty of room to feel comfortable, but there is the option to upgrade to first class.

Specially trained staff fly with the horses, looking after their welfare, comfort and safety. They are known as Flying Grooms.

Stallions travel at the front of the plane so they aren’t distracted on-flight by the mares.