Horses Traveling Between Argentina and the US: what it takes behind the scenes
A polo season may look seamless from the outside, but one of the most demanding parts of the international calendar happens far from the field. Before Camilo Castagnola, Barto Castagnola, Lolo Castagnola and the rest of the La Natividad world arrive for the US season, there is another team already at work: the people moving the polo ponies safely from Argentina to the United States.
For any top-level polo organisation, horses traveling between Argentina and the US is not a minor logistical detail. It is a carefully managed process involving paperwork, veterinary checks, flight planning, quarantine, and the daily routines that help horses arrive in condition to compete. In high-performance polo, where margins are small, the journey matters almost as much as the destination.
Why these trips matter
The international polo calendar depends on movement. Players such as Camilo Castagnola and Barto Castagnola compete across Argentina and the United States, and that means horses, tack, grooms and support teams often move with the season. The Wellington circuit, in particular, relies on horses arriving prepared, healthy and ready to adapt quickly to a new environment.
For La Natividad, as for any leading polo team, the horse is central to performance. A great string is built over time, and every trip has to protect that work. Travel is never just about getting a horse from one country to another. It is about preserving routine, condition and confidence.
Horse passports, permits and health papers
One of the first layers of the process is documentation. Competition horses often travel with an FEI Passport or an FEI-recognised identification document, which links the horse to its identity records and vaccination history. FEI rules also require that a horse be positively identified from its passport, and vaccination details must be recorded there as well.
For entry into the United States, USDA APHIS requires import permits and health documentation for equines, with import permits generally valid for 14 days. Horses coming from Argentina also need to comply with the USDA conditions that apply to imports from Argentina, including quarantine requirements in certain situations.
In practical terms, that means the horse’s identity, vaccinations, veterinary status and travel approvals all have to line up before a flight is even booked. It is a process built around precision, not improvisation.
How polo ponies actually fly
Horses do not travel like standard cargo. Commercial air transport of live animals follows the IATA Live Animals Regulations, which are the global standard for humane and safe air transport. Containers and loading systems must allow horses to stand safely, be observed, and be handled appropriately throughout the journey. WOAH guidance on air transport also emphasises proper container design, observation access and emergency access.
In polo, horses typically travel on specially arranged flights in air stalls designed for equine transport. They are accompanied and monitored, loaded carefully, and managed so the journey is as calm and stable as possible. The goal is always the same: reduce stress, protect health, and make arrival easier.
Arrival, quarantine and settling in
Once horses land in the US, the process is still not over. USDA rules require inspection and, depending on the origin and current protocols, quarantine at an approved equine import facility. APHIS currently states that horses imported to the United States from screwworm-free regions that transit screwworm-affected regions may require a minimum of seven days in quarantine. In early 2026, Florida authorities also publicly referenced a routine required examination on an imported horse from Argentina, showing how closely these arrivals are monitored.
For polo teams, quarantine is not simply waiting. It is part of the transition. Horses are monitored, routines are adjusted, and everyone involved is already thinking about recovery, hydration, feed, movement and how quickly each horse will adapt to its new base.
The part people do not always see
When a season starts in Wellington, people see the game. What they do not always see is the chain of work behind it: passports checked, permits issued, flights coordinated, horses loaded, vets consulted, grooms travelling, tack organised, and every small decision made to protect the horses before the first ball is thrown.
That is part of the reality of modern polo. Behind Camilo Castagnola, Barto Castagnola, Lolo Castagnola and La Natividad, there is an entire structure making sure the polo ponies arrive in the right way and at the right time.
More than logistics
In polo, travel is part of the season. But when horses move between Argentina and the US, it is never routine in the casual sense of the word. It is organised, technical and deeply tied to performance. The better the journey, the better the chance a horse has to settle, recover and perform.
That is why horse travel matters so much in the international game. It sits quietly in the background, but it shapes everything that comes next.
