We – myself and Otello – arrived at the airport in Liege at 8 PM on Thursday. As everyone arrived, they dropped off the horses and their equipment at the Horse Inn, where the horses are staying while we wait for the flight. The Horse Inn has nice boxes for the horses, and as we were settled early enough before the flight, there was time for the flight company and the vets to come and check that everything with the paperwork and the horses was in order.

The government vets came to check the horses as well, and they went through them one by one. We started loading around 3AM, and everything went smooth. There were quite a few horses that were first time fliers, but there was no stress and everyone loaded into the containers perfectly. Then the containers were lifted up to the plane, and we took off around 5AM on Friday morning.

It was a 10 1/2 hour flight, and during the flight we check that all the horses are fine, that they're not too warm or too cold in the containers and that everybody has water and hay. We feed them during the flight, usually two times and keep an eye on them to make sure they're comfortable.

When we arrived in the US, as soon as the containers are off the plane, the microchips are checked from the horses and blood samples are taken. From that moment on, we enter a strict quarantine, where we are under USDA supervision for two days. Our equipment goes through a clearance by the USDA as well.

Hay, shavings and grains for the horses were waiting for us at the venue when we arrived with the horses. We spent the 48-hour quarantine at the venue, basically waiting for the results of the blood tests. The grooms that didn't fly with the horses made sure that everything was ready for everybody, and the people that work at the show were very helpful, so everything went smoothly. During the quarantine, we could visit the horses two times a day to take them out in small groups.

On Sunday morning, it was announced that we were out quarantine, and from that moment on we were allowed to go outside with the horses and move more freely. There is an outdoor walking space, which is nice.

On Monday, we were able to ride in the main arena and in the warm-up, and show the whole venue to the horses. On Tuesday, we had the vet check. Since it is a FEI championship, the riders have to do the vet check themselves – and that is always fun, as we are usually alone doing it and it is nice to get a different perspective on it.

Fort Worth is western oriented, with a lot of rodeo horses around. Across the venue, there is a stock yard where we can go visit, and every day, they have a group of Longhorn Texas cows walking through the city. The National Cutting Horse Association has a huge show next door as well, so we can go watch them. It's just super nice to be in Texas and to see the western side of the community.  Our exchange with the locals has been unbelievably amazing; everyone is so friendly. We are loving the ambiance here!

– Marine