PrintThe majority of 40 jumps on the Olympic cross-country course in Greenwich Park, London, England, will be portable according to Horse & Hound. The jumps will be built at an off-site location and then transported to the park and installed about a month before the start of the Olympic Games.
As a result, Greenwich Park will only be closed to the public for about a month. If the cross-country elements were built on site, the closure would be much longer.
Course designer Sue Benson plans on using the natural elements of the park, as well as adding features like drops and ditches.
Eventers expressed mixed feelings about the use of portable jumps. British rider, Mary King told Horse and Hound that she's happy with portable jumps as long as they look natural, while New Zealand eventer Andrew Nicholson said a course full of portable fences would be hard on the horses.
The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games submitted its plan to hold the equestrian elements of the Olympic Games in Greenwich Park to Greenwich Council on Dec 17. The Greenwich Council’s planning committee will make a decision in March.
