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| Staff Writer |
Horse racing has now become a truly global sport. The world’s biggest meetings and races, such as the Breeders’ Cup, Dubai Carnival, Royal Ascot, American Triple Crown and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, now attract horses and entrants from all over the world.
As horse racing fans, we perhaps take for granted how horses are transported to these races and what this process looks like in practice. In actual fact, hours and hours of work go on behind the scenes to ensure that horses arrive at their destination in good health and that the journey for these equine superstars is as comfortable as possible.
When it comes to horse travel, few know the business of shipping horses from A to B better than Stephan Vogt. As Director of Global Equine Transport, Vogt and his team have well over a decade of experience in horse transportation and know first-hand the effort it takes to get horses to the races on time.
In between him making arrangements for the New Year, we were able to talk to Vogt about how he got started in the industry, the process before and after the journey and the steps that he and his team take to ensure that horses arrive in the best condition possible.
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You, might be reading this and wondering how someone finds themselves in the horse travel business.
Perhaps it isn’t surprising that Vogt fell into it slightly by accident. Always a keen lover of the sport, Vogt’s father was a successful Owner in his native Germany. This strongly influenced the young Vogt, who now even owns horses himself.
With his love for horses always present from a young age, his first forays into horse transportation were somewhat unpredictable.
“It’s fair to say that I kind of ended up in the horse shipping industry by accident. After my German ‘Abitur,’ I completed a 2.5-year apprenticeship as a Freight Forwarder for normal cargo with a big German logistics company. Following that, I studied logistics and retail in Germany and international management in Shanghai, China.”
“After university, I wanted to explore the industry further, so I completed the National Stud Diploma Course in Newmarket, UK.”
“During the last few weeks of the course, some co-students and I went to the local pub. A friend was looking through the local papers and told me there was a job advertisement looking for someone with knowledge of logistics, horses, and preferably German language skills. Long story short, I went for the job interview the following week and started two weeks after completing the diploma course.”
“Since my first day in horse shipping, I have loved the work and remain excited to tackle new tasks and challenges.”
As is often the way in horse racing, plans change all of the time.
Horses and travel plans may be declared months in advance of races, but injury or a loss of form may see the horses withdrawn from races at pretty late notice. There will also be times when owners decide to supplement their horses into races just days or weeks before a big race.
While the ever-changing nature of the sport could be stressful for some, for Vogt, it is part and parcel of the job and something that he meticulously prepares for.
“It is more common to have last-minute cancellations rather than last-minute bookings.”
“To ensure the quality of shipment, we aim to secure an estimated number of bookings to guarantee each horse a space on the flight. At various stages, we check with our clients to confirm if they are still on schedule or if there have been any changes in their plans. The airlines we regularly work with understand our situation and generally provide favourable cancellation terms. For late bookings, we do our best to accommodate them, and so far, we haven’t had to leave a horse behind!”
One of the reasons Vogt and his business have enjoyed success is that he leaves no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring that horses travel to the races in comfort and have every need catered for.
Many factors contribute to the successful transportation of horses: temperature, food and drink, comfort, and, of course, paperwork are all key areas that need to be ticked off.
“When horses travel by road, temperature is a crucial factor in ensuring a horse’s comfort during shipping. Most of the time, it’s about keeping the departure temperature down, especially when we travel with a large number of horses. All the lorries we use are equipped with ventilation systems, and if the outside temperatures are too high during the day, we adjust the schedules to travel at night. On aeroplanes, the temperature can be controlled via air conditioning and ventilation systems on board.”
That meticulous detail can also be replicated when it comes to what horses eat and drink.
“Water, feed, and hay are always provided during transportation. We request instructions from the trainer or owner about the feeding requirements if a member of their own team can’t travel with their horses. For example, if we have a fussy drinker or eater on the shipment, we use the stable’s hay and fill the water containers with the yard’s tap water to help the horse drink and eat during the flight.”
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When we travel, the process often starts with the paperwork, and similarly for Vogt and his team, the route to a perfect journey starts well in advance.
“The key to every operation is good pre-organisation. We ensure that testing schedules and deadlines are prepared in advance before we involve the owners or trainers. This approach gives them ample time and a clear overview of what needs to be done, making it easier for them to inform their vets. Naturally, the more experienced the client is in shipping horses, the smoother the process is for us. However, we always follow up to ensure nothing is missed. For less experienced clients, we are happy to provide assistance in all matters. That’s what we’re here for!”
As a journey is composed of many different connecting elements, Vogt ensures that everyone associated with him and his operation is brought into the process and can handle the delays and changes of plans that often come with travelling. Accidents and emergencies can also happen, so having some form of medical response unit close by is also imperative.
“The key to a successful shipment is good organisation and involving every party in the planning process to discuss potential causes for delays or interruptions. When the whole team is engaged with the goal of running a tight ship and allowing some buffer time in the schedule for unforeseen delays—especially since ministries and customs can be unpredictable—the preparation should lead to a successful shipment.”
“We always hope for the best but prepare for the worst. For large shipments, and if the budget allows, we ensure veterinary support is available. If that is not feasible, our personnel and travel/flying grooms are highly experienced and can manage minor scratches and injuries. Additionally, we have contact details for the nearest veterinary practice to call on for backup if needed. An important part of our process is to thoroughly inspect the horses before taking custody, to identify any small signs of discomfort that could develop into colic or other issues.”
Horse racing is big business. Not only is the potential prize money lucrative, but the horses themselves can be worth millions and are significant investments for those who invest in them. Looking after these valuable commodities is certainly a responsibility that Vogt doesn’t take lightly.
“Owners can insure their horses during travel if they choose to. While we cannot personally insure the horses, we are happy to assist in finding the right insurance partner. It is up to the owners to decide whether insurance is necessary, depending on whether the horse is a good traveller. Frequent travellers familiar with the process are less likely to encounter issues. In 99.9% of cases, all horses travel fine, but as always, it is sometimes better to be safe than sorry.”
“One of the keys to our success is working with reliable partners we can trust. With so many individuals involved in a shipment, the process is almost self-regulating. All the individual gears of the process must work together. If one is not working up to standard, it will be reported immediately.”
With the ever-changing landscape of horse racing at the very top level, never before have owners and trainers had such an eye on international prizes.
While this is certainly great news for Vogt and his team, you can be assured that nothing will change for him and his meticulous nature.
We all have funny or eventful travel stories to tell, but for Vogt, he thinks the best tales can often be retold over dinner or a nice bottle of wine, something we hope we will be able to take up with him the next time we meet!