Neville Wright once bought an airline ticket for a 200-pound anvil when returning home to Bobinawarrah, Australia, from the International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio. The seat was cheaper than shipping the anvil home. Source: Jeff Lazewski
The now deceased Australian farrier from Bobinawarrah in the state Victoria, was a five-time IHCS attendee between 2004 and 2014, choosing to attend every second year during this time span.
From memory, I’m guessing that Wright was maybe 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed around 280 pounds. A big strapping Aussie, for sure.
200-Pound Anvil in the Next Seat
One year, Wright needed a new anvil and bought a big one at the IHCS trade show. With sky-high freight charges on an American-built anvil heading to Australia, Wright carried the anvil home on his 9,850-mile airplane journey. He figured it was cheaper to buy an in-cabin airplane ticket for the 200-pound anvil and strap it into the seat next to him rather than wait months for its “down under” arrival.
Joke or Not?
When I first heard this tale, it reminded me of the kind of slapstick comedy that took place in the highly popular “Airplane” movie. However, Wright later confirmed it really happened.
American Farriers Journal staff members recall Wright later telling us how he carried the 200-pound anvil in his beefy arms down the airplane aisle and placed it in the seat next to him. Fortunately, he didn’t catch any passengers in the forehead with the horn as he walked down the airplane aisle.
“Neville Wright carried the heavy anvil on his 9,850-mile airplane journey back home …”
With today’s more stringent airline restrictions, it’s unlikely you could carry an anvil onto a flight today. And we don’t know whether Wright got any extra snacks, beverages or meals that weren’t consumed by his strapped-in anvil seatmate on the 23-hour flight home.
As the highly muscular Wright saw it, no purchased product (even one that weighed 200 pounds) was too big to carry home from the IHCS trade show. This meant carrying the anvil several blocks to his hotel room and then, days later, placing it in a taxi along with his luggage, carrying it through the airport and strapping it into an airplane seat for the long 23-hour plane ride home. But it sure helped that Wright was a big strapping Aussie!
