Although 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.

Sadly, the 2002 individual world champions, Jean Teulère and Espoir De La Mare, won’t be competing this weekend. While galloping over the weekend, the 16-year-old Selle Francais revived a small injury, so the French team is down to four riders. The experienced Teulère, 54, would have been the oldest rider in the eventing competition.

All signs of Typhoon Kamurri, which came through Hong Kong on Wednesday and dropped 123 millimeters of water (nearly 5 inches), seem to be gone. Although many flights were delayed and horses restricted to the barn, there was no damage to the venue, and no one seems worried about the footing despite the two meters of rain that have fallen since the end of May. After all, it’s not like this weather was unexpected. The only major effect the weather had was to hold up 24 show jumping horses on their travels. Horses from the United States, China, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Saudi Arabia were due to arrive in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The typhoon kept them on the ground, with the Australian and Saudi Arabian horses staying in Dubai. The American, Chinese and United Arab Emirates’ horses got taken back off the plane in Amsterdam. They have since arrived safely.

“The sand can take up to 100 liters of water per hour and still be safe for horses to compete,” said German Oliver Hoberg, footing expert for the equestrian events, of the main arena, which is made up of local sand and 500 tons of textile fabrics from Belgium. A porous mat keeps the sand from mixing with the soil underneath and allows water to drain.

Kamurri left even more rain (123mm) in the Beas River area, where the cross-country course will be held. We had a chance to personally experience some of that rain today while trying to get a preview of the cross-country course, and we hope to bring you some images of the very wet course and some thoughts from designer Mike Etherington-Smith, in the next day or two.

In the meantime, the first eventers take to the dressage ring at 6:30 tomorrow morning, and then there will be a second session starting at 7:15 p.m.