Transporting 60 horses from Europe to Calgary to compete in one of the richest equine tournaments on the planet can make anyone crazy. The moves to surmount the logistics hurdles are as stunning as the horse-and-rider dexterity that spectators witness in the tournament ring.

Loading up one big jet results in a heck of a payload, with horses outnumbering people and headaches piling up. Jon Garner, Spruce Meadows Competitions Manager, reveals what goes on behind the curtain at The Masters Tournament, an annual event that traditionally runs in early September.

Keeping everything and everyone on time to ensure some 60,000 people on the grounds are accommodated, while hitting split-second timing for live television, requires precision planning, says Garner. Discover Alberta ranch vacations. Read on for a sneak peek at the Masters.

Timeline for the Horses

At the end of April, the Spruce Meadows organizing committee sends out the invitations, which need to be cleared by various federations. This is just the beginning of jumping through hoops of red tape to bring competitors who will vie for some $2 million in prizes. By mid to end of July, Garner finds which teams might be coming and which horses and riders will potentially be participating. 

“Depending on the country involved, each list could be short or long,” he says. “Some countries don’t have the caliber of riders and horses that others do, so for them it can be like taking a knife to a gunfight. You must be armed or leave bloody and battered.”

Shaping Up the Entries

The ‘definite entries’ are shaped up in August, showing the riders on each team, along with the horses. Each rider is allowed to bring a maximum of two horses, with a maximum of eight horses per team.

This year Garner and his team are bringing seven teams on the charter from Europe, which is the most they’ve ever done. There will be a total of 60 horses, including a few individuals with horses. There are a total of nine teams at The Masters this year, including Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

“We find some teams are more organized than others, and Germany, not surprisingly, is one of the very organized ones,” says Garner.

Battling the clock and time difference requires Garner to have a shipping agent based in Denmark who does a lot of the footwork in Europe. The right paperwork is essential, because if it’s wrong, no one’s going anywhere.

Passport Technology for Horses

“A horse, just like a person, has a passport for traveling,” says Garner. “We are getting into barcodes now, and some horses have been chipped.”

The horse’s papers show a black and white drawing of a horse shape, and the markings specific to that horse will be put there. The federal veterinarian in Canada will ensure the markings match the horse.

“All the horses are unique, and all their individualities are documented,” adds Garner. “Some horses are tattooed, for example. You have to ensure the vaccinations and blood work are all in place.

“You are dealing with two different federal constituencies with the vets – the European vet and the Canadian vet, and they may have different priorities. If the Canadian vet doesn’t like something with one horse he can quarantine the entire plane, so we have to make sure everything is okay.”

Flight from Belgium

For the European horses, the airport in Belgium is central. The horses get trucked there for an evening flight that lasts about 10 hours to Calgary International Airport, which has an excellent live handling facility that’s been recently upgraded. The trip from the airport to Spruce Meadows takes about an hour. The aircraft is an MD-11, which is a wide body freighter provided by FedEx.

“The plane is quite heavy coming over, of course,” says Garner. Plus there are about three tonnes of fresh flowers from Holland on the jet to be used in the tournament.

“Once the plane clears, we have a fleet of trucks there on standby to take the horses,” he adds. “We have a mix of stallions, mares and geldings, so within reason we want to ensure certain horses are paired together.”

The flight can take a maximum of 20 grooms on the plane, and each team has one groom who flies on the load plane. There are 24 passengers on the plane, including Garner, a partner and a vet.

“You don’t really talk on a flight like that, it is really loud,” he says. “Ipods are a wonderful invention.”

Reaching the Final Destination

The horses are unloaded at Spruce Meadows and Garner ensures everyone has their suitcases, tack equipment and feed. Then the riders come in before the tournament. Everyone goes into tournament mode until it’s time for the horses and riders to return home.

Other Diversions

Aside from the Masters Tournament, people attending Spruce Meadows can visit Equi-Fair, the TELUS Battle of the Breeds, and the Spruce Meadows Prairie Dogs on the grounds.