Vet Report on the Equestrian events at the Athens Olympic Games

Introduction

There is no doubt that the equestrian events at the Olympic Games were an organizational success. From the veterinary point of view we have never been provided with such good facilities at the worlds premiere equestrian event to ensure the welfare of the horses. This situation actually created something of a national veterinary problem as this is not only the best clinic in Greece, but for the month of August most equine vets in the country were working there  making it difficult to provide surgical cover to Greek racing and equestrian horses elsewhere. In fact two Greek national horses were admitted into isolation on the venue so that surgery could be undertaken in the Olympic clinic.

General matters

The equestrian venue was created on about 2000 hectares as a new facility at Markopoulo for racing and equestrian sport in 2003. It has the capability of accommodating some 2000 racehorses with a huge racetrack stand, ample parking for spectators and the veterinary clinic adjacent to the stable compound. There is also an impressive equestrian park with cross country course, extensive training facilities, a separate stable compound, show jumping and dressage arenas, a large indoor arena and administrative building. During the Olympics the two operations were kept strictly apart and no racing took place at all in August or September.

No expense was spared to provide comfort and safety for the 200 odd Olympic horses from 38 different nations. During the Olympic sojourn 219 horses were accommodated of which 205 competed in the three Olympic disciplines (i.e. 75 in Eventing; 53 in Dressage & 77 in Jumping). The stable compounds were designed and built to the highest standard providing tall ceilings, good airflow, large boxes (4x4 metres), wide aisles, insect protection, automatic watering, ample electricity and easy to clean. There were 20 boxes in each block and the blocks were arranged in groups of four with a central exercise and lunging rings. Each block had ample space for tack and equipment with lockable rooms and toilets at one end. There was also a separate building for each block with four rooms for the teams and their riders. Washing facilities for the horses were provided in the compound and three electronic weigh bridges. In addition a 10 x 10 metre shade tent was provided with banks of misting fans (like those used in Atlanta96) to cool the horses after training and competition. In our opinion the horses wanted for nothing more.

The stable compound was completely secure and stewarded at all times. It contained a fully equipped farrier station and a large feed and bedding store organised by Kentucky Equine Research which did the same job in Atlanta and Sydney.

Generally the weather was as predicted  hot and dry with temperatures reaching the high 30s Centigrade and relative humidity of 30-40%. A dedicated weather station positioned on the cross country course provided the WBGT index which is the most accurate prediction of expected heat load experienced by the horses. The WBGT did reach around 30 on occasion, but excessive heat loads during competitions or training sessions were not experienced. Some of the hottest times were chosen for the Horse Inspections  probably to test the endurance of the Veterinary Commission to work under pressure!!

The veterinary team at this Olympics consisted of around 60 dedicated individuals including 16 senior veterinary students from the Vet School in Thessaloniki (see Table 1). The large number of vets was required to ensure the safety of the horses on cross-country day of the Eventing competition. For the rest of the time there were about 20 vets manning the clinic, competition and training areas. A horse ambulance with an experienced vet on board was present at all competitions and training sessions.

In addition to the official vets there were some 35 veterinarians that came with the 219 horses as Team or Individual vets.

Medication (i.e. doping) control is a crucial part of any major equestrian event nowadays and, of course, it has a very high priority at the Olympics. Samples of urine and blood were taken from horses competing in all three competitions by specially trained staff. There were two official FEI Testing Vets (one from Switzerland and one from Greece) who collected a total of 40 samples. The facilities provided for collection were excellent and included four large boxes in an isolated part of the vet clinic compound. After collection the samples are sealed and sent by courier to the central FEI laboratory in Paris for analysis. The results are sent direct to the FEI headquarters in Lausanne.

Despite the strict rules against doping there is some medication permitted during competition. This includes gastric ulcer medication, drugs to suppress excessive estrus beharviour in mares, rehydration fluids, vitamins and some herbal/homeopathic remedies. Nothing that contains drugs on the Prohibited Substance List is permitted unless there are special circumstances (for example some eye drops and anti-spasmolytic drugs for colic). However, this requires the approval of the Veterinary Commission and the President of the Ground Jury.

For further details, please refer to the veterinary section of the FEI website which contains the full report.