as observation by staff that knows horses,” John says. “Many things happen to horses during air travel: their legs swell, their digestion gets off track or maybe they run a tempera- ture. There are many early warning signs that can be key when a horse is traveling. We have all the fresh hay and water they need. You can feel the air circulating; the lighting, everything here is built to very exact specifications. We play soothing music—I think the horses like it.” Before flying, horses are weighed so that stalls can be positioned by weight on the plane. John explains that horses are grouped in threes in the shipping containers, while ponies may travel in packs of six. They rest, eat and are shipped together. Some of the stalls in the export barn have moveable walls to accommodate larger horses, groups of ponies or foals, or mares with foals.


Easier Quarantine Currently horses coming into the U.S. get off at a cargo area, load onto a truck and drive to quarantine facilities in Newburgh, New York—an hour and a half drive that takes place after an approximately nine-hour flight from Europe or a 16-hour flight from Asia. At The Ark, horses will arrive directly at the quarantine facilities, where blood will be drawn immediately by a veterinarian and couriered to the USDA headquarters in Iowa for testing (which takes three days, thus the three-day quarantine period). Horses will go directly to their stall and rest in comfort until they are released to their owner. Dressage trainer Vera Barisone owns and operates Bari-


sone Dressage in Long Valley, New Jersey with her long-time business partner Michael. They import several foals from Vera’s native Holland every year, flying them into JFK from Amsterdam. “Most of the time they arrive really late at night, then


they have to go in a sealed truck—meaning they’re not allowed to touch the ground until they’re in quarantine up to Newburgh,” Vera says. “Most of the babies are just weaned; when I see them at the auction, they’re still with the mother. With the youngest ones, I can’t let them come over until they’re four and a half months old. They have so many shots, they go to the auction, they’re taken away from their mother a day or two later and then they get on an airplane. The foals fly in groups, so at least they’re not alone. Last year I bought four babies and they all came together—but it’s pretty stress- ful. Anything that reduces stress would be good for them.” Vera adds that the old quarantine facilities in Newburgh


are also on the spartan side, and definitely not as high-tech as the new barns at The Ark where the stalls feature nega- tive pressure using inner and outer doors—the inner door is a steel mesh, typical stall door, while the outer door is glass that seals the stalls shut. The air circulation system ensures horses never share air or disease-spreading sputum, which can easily be shared when a sick horse coughs or clears its nostrils. All of the supplies a horse needs for its three-day quarantine occupancy will be preloaded into the stall before the horse arrives and later, along with all bedding and waste,


Messina is a Hanoverian dres- sage mare used for training employees at The Ark. “People coming to work for us give us their resume, but until they have a lead shank in their hand we don’t know how they really handle a horse,” says Ark owner John Cuticelli. “The good news about Messina is she’s not fractious and she won’t give them any trouble. Thanks to Messina our employees are trained for all aspects of handling horses, including load- ing them into the jet stalls and onto the airplanes.”


will be incinerated on-site. The incinerator operates at 1,750 degrees and takes four tons of waste and in seven minutes reduces it to one cubic foot of ash, which means no biohaz- ards are transported from the facilities. “Most of the time there’s one [foal] that has a little fever and then the next day is fine; last year one had a fever and had to stay an extra day in quarantine,” she recalls. “We had to get the other ones out of there before they caught something too, which meant two trips for us. I think having a quarantine facility right at the airport makes sense—it makes me very happy. The babies are stressed enough and if they can come off the plane and go right into a comfort- able stall instead of getting on a truck for an hour and a half, which is a lot for them, it would be great.” Vera also points out that because horses can begin quar-


antine immediately upon arrival at The Ark, instead of truck- ing to Newburgh, they can be released sooner. Not surpris- ingly, she also prefers the amenities offered at The Ark. “In Newburgh they’re allowed one bag of shavings, while John will allow four. He wants them taken care of. He also wants a lot of transparency so people feel comfortable and know their horses are well taken care of. You can leave instructions whether you want the horses walked or not, and John works with the USEF to make sure everything he does is in compli- ance. I think it’s really exciting that they’ll set a standard for facilities. Everyone who travels with horses has a horror story, so it’s really exciting that they want to do this,” she says. While he also built the high-end Ruffian Center veterinary


facilities at Belmont Racecourse, John notes, “The Ark in its entirety is a unique facility in the world. What is special to us is we’re airside live, meaning you can take the horse out the back door and directly onto an airplane.” For horse owners, the upgrade in facilities is not just a


matter of luxury or convenience, but more about the health and safety of their equines. “Horses are sensitive animals,” John concludes. “When they are about to embark on a flight, the goal is to keep them as calm as possible with the appropriate surroundings. I think they’re very happy here.”


Warmbloods Today 33


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