Athletes are converging on Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics — which kicked off on Friday, July 26 — including the horses competing in the equestrian events. Much like the riders themselves, horses are also required to have a passport in order to enter France.
The Associated Press reported on July 23 that “horses have passport controls to check that they are the right horse.” Other paperwork, such as vaccines and blood tests, is also required to be checked ahead of a horse’s travel.
According to the U.S. Equestrian Federationhorses that compete in Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) competitions are required to have official identification documents to compete domestically or internationally.
Stephanie Simpson, groom for U.S. Olympic Eventing Team member Boyd Martin.
AP Photo/Pamela Smith
For the Olympics, horse owners must apply for either a FEI Passport or a FEI Recognition Card that is “completed by the veterinarian at the time of issuance.”
Both the passports and recognition cards for the horses must be renewed every four years.
Since horses do require passports, what does their trip overseas from the U.S. to Paris entail exactly?
The AP also reported that the Olympians’ horses started their journey on a farm in Pennsylvania before they were driven to JFK International Airport in New York City and then flown eight hours to Luxembourg on July 17. The horses were then transported from Luxembourg to a pre-Olympic base camp in Vittel, France, a commune four hours away from Paris.
After a few days of rest and shaking off the jet lag, the horses would then be transported to the Palace of Versailles for their official Olympic check-in on July 24 ahead of the first equestrian event on July 27. The individual dressage events are also scheduled to take place in Versailles’ formal gardens.
Hailey Burlock, groom for U.S. Olympic Evening Team member Will Coleman.
AP Photo/Pamela Smith
Horses are not the only animals that require a passport to travel internationally.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), dogs, cats and ferrets traveling from the European Union (E.U.) are required to obtain an EU Pet Passport to enter the U.S.
The USDA APHIS classifies the pet passport as “a document issued by an official veterinarian in a EU Member State (country within the EU) or other designated country that contains official health information related to a specific pet.”
For animals traveling outside the U.S., the USDA APHIS advised that pet owners may be required to present paperwork that “may include vaccinations, tests, treatments and a health certificate (also called an international health certificate, a veterinary health certificate, a veterinary certificate, or an export certificate).”
Pet owners can work with an USDA-accredited vet to help understand the specific requirements for each country before an animal travels abroad.
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