SJU · BQN · MAZ · PSE
Airport Horse Transport in Puerto Rico
Your horse lands as air cargo. Somebody local has to take the handover at the cargo building and get it off the airport. That is what this is.
Flying a horse to or from Puerto Rico
Air freight is how most horses bought on the US mainland reach the island, and sending one the other way runs the same sequence backwards. The flight finishes at a cargo building rather than at a barn, and the horse cannot walk itself out of there. Somebody has to be waiting on the day, sign for it, and drive it the rest of the way.
I collect from all four Puerto Rico airfields that can take equine cargo, deal with the cargo agent at the counter, and take the horse on to whatever farm, ranch, boarding yard or venue it is booked into. Three horses can travel in one run, so a pair or a trio arriving on the same flight does not need two trips.
This is one leg of the wider horse transportation service, and it is the leg with a deadline attached, because a flight lands when it lands.
Puerto Rico airports
The four airfields that take equine cargo
Four airports on the island are set up for live horses. Which one your shipper uses is usually decided by the airline, not by you, so all four are covered from Isabela.
SJU · ICAO TJSJ · about 2 hr 40
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
San Juan · Metro San Juan
Puerto Rico's main international gateway and the busiest airport in the Caribbean. Most horses flown into Puerto Rico from the US mainland and internationally arrive at SJU. I handle pickup directly from the cargo facility and transport anywhere on the island.
Best for. Primary arrival point for horses shipped by air to Puerto Rico. I meet the cargo handler, manage loading, and deliver to any destination on the island.
BQN · ICAO TJBQ · about 50 min
Rafael Hernández International Airport
Aguadilla · Northwest Coast
Aguadilla's BQN airport serves the northwest coast and is the closest airport to the Isabela stable. BQN handles mainland US connections.
Best for. Convenient arrival point for horses heading to northwest Puerto Rico: Isabela, Aguadilla, Rincón, Aguada and Mayagüez.
MAZ · ICAO TJMZ · about 1 hr 35
Eugenio María de Hostos Airport
Mayagüez · West Coast
Mayagüez's regional airport on Puerto Rico's west coast. MAZ primarily handles domestic and general aviation traffic and is used for regional equine logistics.
Best for. Regional arrival point for horses heading to western Puerto Rico: Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo, San Germán and the surrounding area.
PSE · ICAO TJPS · about 3 hr
Mercedita International Airport
Ponce · South Coast
Ponce's Mercedita International Airport serves Puerto Rico's south coast with mainland US connections.
Best for. Arrival point for horses heading to southern Puerto Rico: Ponce, Juana Díaz, Coamo and the surrounding municipalities.
What the handover actually covers
The part owners cannot do from the mainland is the hour on the ground between the aircraft and the trailer. Four things happen in it, and they happen in this order.
- Cargo facility pickup at the terminal
- Health certificate and import paperwork check
- Walk off the jet stall, post-flight hydration and rest
- Final-mile delivery anywhere on the island
A horse coming off a long flight is stiff, thirsty and has been standing in a jet stall for hours. It gets water and a stand before the trailer ramp goes down, not after. Nothing about that is negotiable for the sake of an earlier arrival time.
Off the airport
A horse that walks on is a horse that travels well.
A horse loads easily when nobody is arguing with it. It gets a look at the ramp, it gets time, and it walks on. That is the same ground work the training is built on, and it is the reason a horse off a long flight goes in without a fight at the end of a day that has already been long enough, and why the first mile out of the airport is uneventful.
How it works
From your flight number to your gate
Four steps, and the first one is the only one you have to do. Send the flight and the destination and the rest is handled from this end.
Step 01
Share your flight details
Send the airline, flight number, arrival date and cargo handler. I confirm the best route and give you a flat rate for the pickup and the delivery.
Step 02
We meet the cargo handler
On arrival day I am at the airport cargo facility on time. I handle the paperwork, check the horse for travel stress, and manage the transfer from the cargo container into the trailer.
Step 03
Safe land transport to your destination
The horse goes straight to your farm, ranch, stable or boarding facility anywhere on the island, from San Juan to the southwest coast. You hear from me during the drive and on arrival.
Step 04
Unload and settle in
Careful unloading and handover at the destination. I stay until the horse is calm and settled, and tell you how it behaved on the road.
Tell me which airport, when, and where the horse is going. You get a price within 24 hours.
After the airport
The drive is the other half of the job.
Isabela to San Juan is about 2 hr 40 each way towing, and a horse that has just flown does not want a fast driver at the end of it. Three horses can travel in one run, so a pair or a trio off the same flight is one trip rather than two, and you hear from me during the drive and on arrival.
Question
Meeting a horse off a flight.
Can you pick up a horse from the airport?
Yes, from all four: SJU in San Juan, BQN in Aguadilla, MAZ in Mayagüez and PSE in Ponce. I meet the horse at the cargo building, walk it off the crate, check the health papers, and drive it wherever it needs to go.
Related
Once the horse is off the airport, everything else it needs is the ordinary work: hauling between farms and shows, the sixteen session training program if it is going straight into work, and the herd here at Hacienda Los Ponce if you want to see who it will be stood next to.
Which airport, which day, and where is it going?
Hacienda Los Ponce, Isabela, Puerto Rico. Email barefootridingpr@gmail.com or call and WhatsApp 904.705.2294. I answer within 24 hours.
