German horses on their flight home from Doha to Liège
All horses from Doha have left the crisis area
The Al Shaqab equestrian center in Doha. The remaining show jumpers were shipped from here to Europe on March 9. Photo: LGCT The first plane with horses from Doha landed safely in Liège, Belgium, yesterday. On board were 75 show jumpers that were supposed to compete in the stage of the Global Champions Tour in Doha last weekend. The air attacks on Iran by Israel and the USA had led to counter-attacks by the Tehran regime. US military facilities and infrastructure in the Gulf States were also targeted. As a result, the tournament was canceled.
Qatar was also affected by the air strikes. The emirate is home to the largest US airbase in the region. It is less than an hour’s drive from the Al Shaqab equestrian complex in Doha. Grooms had been holding out there with the horses. According to various sources, the Qataris provided the best possible support to everyone in Al Shaqab. The horses, which also include four-legged athletes from Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann’s stables in Pinneberg near Hamburg, are flying to Belgium in a Qatar Airways cargo plane. The airport in Liège, west of Aachen, is one of the major hubs for international horse transportation. The Boeing 777 crossed the Arabian Peninsula just under two hours after take-off. The aircraft will then turn north over the Red Sea and head for Liège.
