LAN flew 50 Argentine Polo Ponies from Miami to Madrid this past Sunday.

The ponies were participating in the Polo Summer Season in Sotogrande, Spain, and the journey required specially equipped stalls and they were accompanied by four human minders.

LAN of course does not normally fly this route, it was handled with a Boeing 777 Freighter.

I didn’t realize LAN’s Cargo operation had this dedicated aircraft, and explains why the ponies weren’t flown on oneworld partner and Spain-based airline Iberia which services the route twice daily (American flies Miami – Madrid as well). Iberia, though, did provide the grand houndling in Madrid where the horses continued by truck.

LAN Cargo’s Boeing 777F can handle up to 78 horses, and has carried giraffes, rhinoceros, elephants, dolphins and wallabies (oh my!).

Of course ponies are nothin’ compared to the panda who was yanked away from his parents in San Diego and forced to connect via Shanghai and Chengdu enroute to Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan.

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