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<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Horizontal transfers (HTs) refer to the transmission of genetic material between phylogenetically distant species. Although most of the cases of HTs described so far concern genes, there is increasing evidence that some involve transposable elements (TEs) in Eukaryotes. The availability of the full genome sequence of two cereal species, (<it>i.e</it>. rice and <it>Sorghum</it>), as well as the partial genome sequence of maize, provides the opportunity to carry out genome-wide searches for TE-HTs in <it>Poaceae</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have identified an LTR-retrotransposon, that we named <it>Route66</it>, with more than 95% sequence identity between rice and <it>Sorghum</it>. Using a combination of <it>in silico </it>and molecular approaches, we are able to present a substantial phylogenetic evidence that <it>Route66 </it>has been transferred horizontally between Panicoideae and several species of the genus <it>Oryza</it>. In addition, we show that it has remained active after these transfers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study constitutes a new case of HTs for an LTR-retrotransposon and we strongly believe that this mechanism could play a major role in the life cycle of transposable elements. We therefore propose to integrate classe I elements into the previous model of transposable element evolution through horizontal transfers.</p>