Using Fed-Ex to get Athletes to the Olympics

March 12, 2012 in Daily Bulletin, Signature

2012 is an Olympic year and this means that the world’s fastest runners will soon be gathering in London. We are, of course, referring to horses. But how do you get them all the way to England? Bill Chappell found out:

  • The 1100 pound horses will be Fed-Exed from Newark airport to London in specially designed stalls that will house two horses each. Fed-Ex charges by the kilo.
  • The horses will be given an inflight meal that consists of hay, carrots, Gatorade and apple juice.
  • The horses are going to be jetlagged when they arrive in England, although certain horses deal with changing time zones better than others.
  • While the horses aren’t seated for takeoff, landing, or times of turbulence, they are required to keep their equivalent of a seatbelt fastened throughout the flight. No word on whether or not they have to put their smartphones into flight mode.

To read about the measures being taken to ensure that the horses don’t fret, the role that mood lighting has to play, and why they may give the horses the equivalent of a couple of glasses of champagne click here.

Source: NPR

Via: Marginal Revolution