PrintAlthough a steady rain drenched Hong Kong throughout most of the day today, the two hours during which the first horse inspection of the eventing horses took place remained dry and not too hot.
Not many spectators turned out for this jog, which seemed casual compared to the atmosphere of most major four-star events, where you have to line up early to catch a glimpse of the horses. There was no applause and little fanfare as the horses jogged up and back just beside the main arena, with media and event officials occupying some of the seats in the stands. I guess, as this wasn’t a competition, no tickets could be sold.
William Fox-Pitt and Parkmore Ed provided the most drama of the horse inspection. Although the horse looked level, he was sent to the holding box, and when he returned to re-present, the ground jury spent quite a bit of time deliberating before reporting that the 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse would be accepted. There appeared to be a swelling under his belly, and the cause of concern was reportedly a girth sore that flared up today.
All five of the U.S. horses were accepted, although Phillip Dutton was asked to jog Connaught a second time on his first attempt (he wasn’t held), as was Gina Miles with McKinlaigh.
I’ve never seen anything like the presentation of the Chilean horses. Neither one of them—they have two individuals—looked like they had any idea what to do. The horses barely jogged as their riders pulled on the reins and turned around and stared at them. The second horse, Literal, walked placidly down the lane as Ricardo Stangher pulled on him, and twice Stangher turned around well before the flowers and appeared to be giving up. But the vets sent him back, helping to get the horse going, and still he never really jogged at all. He was sent to the holding area and eventually spun when he returned without an improved technique. I can’t help but wonder how these guys made it to the Olympics when a Pony Clubber would be chastised for such poor handling of a horse. I actually think he may have been spun for incompetence rather than lameness, since I don’t think the vets ever had a chance to evaluate his soundness.
