Top Equine and Live Animal Air Transport Specialists

Moving a racehorse, a show jumper or a planeload of breeding cattle is not ordinary freight. The shipment needs certified stalls, flying grooms, veterinary paperwork, quarantine slots at both ends and an aircraft with the right main deck door and ventilation. Most owners and trainers do not book airlines directly. They use a specialist agent that books space on scheduled freighters or charters a whole aircraft, then manages the animals door to door.

This list covers equine and live animal air transport specialists. It is not a paid ranking.

How we chose these specialists

Each company was checked on its own website this session. We kept firms that publish an air transport service for horses or other live animals, state their offices, and describe their in-flight care, such as grooms, stalls or vets. One UK bloodstock shipper we planned to include was left out because its website was returning an error during our check.

For the aircraft side of the job, our guides on livestock air charter planning and main deck door size and freighter selection explain why the freighter type matters as much as the agent.

Top equine and live animal air transport specialists

1. Intradco Global

Intradco Global is part of the Chapman Freeborn Group and describes itself as an equine, livestock and exotics air charter specialist with more than 30 years of experience. It handles international horse shipments, genetic and commercial livestock supply projects and exotic animal relocations, uses professional flying grooms, and books space on scheduled services with cargo airlines as well as full charters. Fit: large livestock projects that need a whole freighter.

2. Instone Air

Instone Air is a UK specialist for horses, livestock, zoo animals, exotics and aquatics. It traces its name to Instone Air Line, which it says carried the first horse on an aircraft in 1919, and states more than 40 years in the business. Instone designs, builds and operates its own Airstable horse containers and says it is the only UK company licensed by the CAA to design and manufacture certified horse containers to ETSO standards. It also offers border inspection facility services and consultancy.

3. IRT

IRT has offices in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany and the USA, and describes 50 years of horse shipping. Its pre-flight service covers airfreight and charter, health and quarantine, customs, permits and insurance, while in flight it supplies professional grooms and experienced vets. IRT also flies horses domestically in the United States, including to Alaska and Hawaii, and has long handled trans-Tasman racing traffic.

4. Peden Bloodstock

Peden Bloodstock has offices in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, and Rheurdt, Germany. Its core business is flying horses, with road and sea legs arranged to move a horse from stable to stable, and it manages the health and customs rules of both the departure and destination country. Fit: European racing and sport horse owners who want one agent on both sides of the Channel.

5. The Dutta Corporation

The Dutta Corporation is based in Wellington, Florida, and has shipped horses for more than three decades. It sells space in its own jet stalls in coach, business and first class configurations, sends grooms on every flight, and handles customs, tax and agriculture compliance. The airlines it lists include Atlas Air, CAL Cargo, DHL, Emirates, FedEx, KLM and Martinair, LATAM Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo and Qatar Airways Cargo, on Boeing 747, 777, 767, 727-200, MD-11 and Airbus A319 aircraft.

6. EIAF (Equine International Airfreight)

EIAF is an Australian horse airfreight specialist originally incorporated in 1996 under a previous owner. Its services include international airfreight, charter flights, quarantine, customs, insurance, foreign exchange, flying grooms, ground transport and receiving agency work, and it operates a quarantine facility in England. It regularly runs services between Australia, Europe, Asia and New Zealand for racehorses, polo ponies, show jumpers and breeding stock.

7. Tex Sutton Equine Air Transportation

Tex Sutton has flown race and show horses in North America since 1969 and markets its dedicated aircraft as Air Horse One. It positions itself as a domestic specialist moving horses between the major racing and show venues. Its public site carries little current schedule detail, so ask for this season's flight plan and aircraft type directly.

8. EquiJet

EquiJet flies horses domestically and internationally to shows, race tracks, polo tournaments and breeding farms, with contact points in the USA and Germany. Its service covers airport pickup and delivery, extra equipment, paperwork, customs and quarantine, and it says its partners have worked in the competitive horse world for more than 20 years.

What drives the cost of flying a horse

Price depends on how much of the aircraft a horse uses. A single horse in a full stall pays for space that could carry two or three, so the stall choice is the biggest variable. The next is routing: direct freighter services between major horse markets, such as Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Australia, cost less than routings that need a positioning leg or an extra transit stop. Quarantine fees at origin and destination, veterinary tests, flying groom fees, ground transport and insurance are usually quoted separately.

Timing also counts. Demand peaks around major sales, championships and racing carnivals, and agents book freighter space months ahead for those dates. Owners who can travel on a scheduled freighter rotation rather than a fixed race date often get better prices and more choice of aircraft.

How to use this list

Ask every agent for the aircraft type and operator on your routing, the stall type and how many horses share a stall, who the flying groom is, and whether a vet travels. Quarantine is often the longest lead time: confirm the import protocol and slot availability before you book the flight. For multi-horse or livestock charters, the freighter has to be found first, and peak dates around major sales and championships fill early.

Agents and stables that need dedicated freighter capacity can post a wanted listing on the ACMIWORLD marketplace (Access, Listing and Request are paid subscriptions). For a wider view of freighter operators, see our list of cargo ACMI providers.

Insurance deserves its own check. Mortality and transit cover for valuable horses is usually arranged by the owner rather than included in the shipping price, and the policy should match the actual routing, transit stops and quarantine period. Ask the agent in writing which events it accepts responsibility for and which sit with the owner's insurer before the horse leaves the yard.

FAQ

How are horses carried on aircraft?

In purpose-built stalls loaded onto the main deck of a freighter or combi aircraft. Stalls usually hold two or three horses, or a single horse in a premium configuration, with grooms travelling alongside.

Do horses fly on scheduled flights or charters?

Both. Agents book stall space on scheduled freighters for small numbers and charter whole aircraft for large groups, championships or livestock projects.

What paperwork does an international horse shipment need?

Typically health certificates, test results required by the destination country, export and import permits, customs documents and quarantine bookings. The agent should prepare a timeline for each.

Can the same specialists move other animals?

Several can. Intradco Global and Instone Air both handle livestock, zoo animals and exotics, and Instone also moves aquatics.