Story in brief

• Cathay Cargo shipped the equine stars of ‘Cavalluna – Gate to the Otherworld’ to Hong Kong
• The Cathay Live Animal solution and extra care ensured the safety and welfare for the 52 horses
• A dedicated freighter charter and extra care prioritised comfort and welfare from planning to execution

Story in full

For eight performances, Hong Kong’s 10,000-seat Kai Tak Arena will become a magical backdrop to a tale of redemption and the battle between good and evil. While the central protagonists in ‘Cavalluna – Gate to the Otherworld' may be human, the unquestionable stars of the show are the 52 horses – from striking-looking Friesians and elegant Lusitano dressage horses to mischievous, miniature Shetland ponies.

In total, there are eight horse breeds in the cast. They take centre stage in a choreographed fairy tale that has wowed audiences across Europe, and the run of eight shows in Hong Kong marks the first time organiser Apassionata World has brought the show to Asia. That’s where Cathay Cargo comes in, as the show’s Official Equine Transport Partner, ferrying this stable of artistes on a charter flight to Hong Kong from Liège in Belgium.

“Our equine performers are of course the most crucial part of the show next to our riders, dancers, and musicians, and each has individual needs,” says Horse Choreographer Siri Paratsch.

Cathay Cargo has decades of experience carrying horses so it has a very good understanding of their needs. Its Cathay Live Animal solution offers extensive protocols to ensure their welfare, and is underpinned by the quality assurance of IATA’s CEIV Live Animals accreditation. Whether it’s racehorses travelling the world, or elite showjumpers competing in the Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show, Cathay Cargo has developed real expertise. It also goes the extra mile to ensure that the welfare and comfort of the animals remains paramount.

Cathay Cargo colleagues joined Flight Operations and other stakeholders to pool their expertise and experience in a working group, developing best practices to maximise animal comfort on the ground and in the air, so that everyone across the airline knows the importance of these shipments.

In the days before live animal shipments, for example, pilots are briefed, and they in turn brief the Integrated Operations Centre (IOC), so the team that manages the operation two days out is aware of what’s on board. For example the air conditioning on the main deck is crucial, not just for temperature control, but also for controlling humidity. While pallets of general cargo can tolerate a slightly elevated deck temperature, animals shouldn’t have to, and with horses in particular, as temperatures can be elevated in their stalls. Ensuring that aircraft has the right equipment available in the days before a flight is crucial.

“If the planned aircraft has a problem, with its air conditioning system or its auxiliary power unit, which powers the air conditioning during loading, we'll say that’s a mandatory item that needs to be fixed,” says Captain Stu Baker, who is also Chief Pilot (Boeing). That’s just one example of the extra care, more are listed below.

The following measures helped ensure that the horses arrived safely and fresh for their performances in Hong Kong, while also reassuring the organiser about the travel experience. “Cathay Cargo’s expertise gave us confidence to bring the show beyond Europe for the first time,” says Paratsch.

On the ground

• Horses are guided into travelling stalls by experienced grooms and handlers
• Reinforced stalls are towed slowly in pairs of dollies, rather than the standard train of six, to minimise noise and speed up transfer times
• Horses face forwards throughout towing, loading and flight
• Horses not on a charter with a plane to themselves are loaded last and offloaded first to reduce stress and time spent in the ramp environment
• On arrival, they are inspected on the specially designed horse-handling platform at Cathay Cargo Terminal before being transferred directly to waiting trucks

On board

• Pilots calculate and adjust ventilation and temperature settings before loading based on the number and size of animals
• Shippers tend to ask for the main deck to be kept at within the 10-19°C for horses, set out in IATA’s Live Animals Regulations, as horses standing in stalls generate considerable body heat and the fresh airflow helps prevent humidity and the bacterial build-up that can cause “shipping fever”
• Horses travel with grooms and, in this case, a veterinarian, who can monitor them during the flight
• Grooms can access (carrying oxygen masks in case of depressurisation) the main hold to check on the horses during the flight
• They are also authorised to stand up during landing to be with animals exhibiting anxiety
• Pilots often lengthen landing rolls to reduce braking inertia, and make slow turns on to taxiways and when banking in the air. They know that horses keep their balance by splaying their feet, which they cannot do in their flight stall
• Animal welfare procedures, including appropriate emergency responses to depressurisation, are now incorporated into pilot simulator training