Then the
stallion Yelo - also a cross bred. He is 7 years old and was
not going to come with us to Australia, Jean-Marc explains.
"My black horse did not pass the Veterinary inspection
to travel, his blood test was not right. This was in late
July and with just 7 weeks to prepare, Yelo has stepped in to the
act and I have been able keep our Australian performances as we
had planned".
Yelo - took up the job at short notice
...
The third
horse is the chestnut trotting bred gelding named Javari De
Lamothe. "He has not raced" said Jean-Marc.
"You can see they are all very different types ... and all
very good horses!"
Javari De Lamothe strides from the container to the
truck.
The
horses had their Identification papers checked by Inspector
John Durasavic (right) from the Air Cargo Unit of the
Australian Quarantine Department.
As part of
the routine arrival procedure, the horses had their temperatures
checked before they were trucked to the Spotswood Quarantine
station for a two week stay.
In
quarantine, their health and wellbeing will be very carefully
monitored and any sign of an elevated temperature or a 'snotty'
nose, loss of appetite or failure to drink is noted.
These symptoms can be critical signs of early travel sickness or
other infections which could cause problems if not detected and
treated early - in a worst case scenario, the horse/s could have
some serious illness which could potentially affect horses in
Australia. Authorities do not take any risks when it comes
to protecting our equine population.
The
horses were in the capable hands of
IRT (International Racehorse Transport)
an Australian company established over 30 years ago and
specialising in the travel arrangements for some of the world's
most famous equines.
IRT are very
busy at this time of the year bringing the International
contenders to the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. The IRT
Operations Manager, Chris Burke and Operations Assistant
Michael Panagakis (above) were very familiar with the procedures
and got the job done in a friendly and professional manner.
Jean-Marc
said "We will settle in and allow the horses to rest after
their long trip and then we begin rehearsals for the show.
"I am sure Australian audiences will love what we have for
them, we travel all over Europe and our performances are very
popular."
Thankyou for
making the weather so lovely for us" said Jean-Marc and
Sophie agreed that they were looking forward to our lovely warm
Spring weather.
Jean-Marc
Imbert 
Today, Australia welcomed Jean-Marc
Imbert, his partner Sophie Matheoud and their 3 special
horses Nikito, Yelo and Javari De Lamothe. They arrived in
Melbourne to prepare for their performances in 
