# Athletes have started arriving - when do the horses get here?



## Bernster (16 July 2012)

Reading the BBC website today.

Athletes are on their way in via the airports.  Heathrow - right on the other side of London so miles to travel but luckily they have the new lanes to cruise past the rest of the traffic I suppose.

Got me to wondering what happens with the horses?  Presumably some coming by air and some by ship.  Do they get jet lag the same as we do (I assume they must do) and when will they start arriving or are they already here - getting accustomed to the rain?!  Anyone know?

From being a cynical, slightly moany anti-olympics person, am now getting v excited (may have something to do with finally getting some tickets !).


----------



## mrogers (16 July 2012)

I would of thought they would have already arrived and are in quarentine etc


----------



## teapot (16 July 2012)

Believe all were over a couple of weeks ago. They move in later this week/early next I think


----------



## Bernster (16 July 2012)

Ah of course, the quarantine thing would mean they would get here earlier.  

Wonder where on earth they've all been staying?  Is the country now littered with a sprinkling of dressage superstars bunking up with local liveries or being wined and dined at pro yards and competition venues?!


----------



## mutley75 (16 July 2012)

Could play a game of who is staying with who!


----------



## Bernster (16 July 2012)

Shame Totilas isn't coming, I'm sure we could have put him up for a night or two


----------



## Thistle (16 July 2012)

Bernster said:



			Shame Totilas isn't coming, I'm sure we could have put him up for a night or two 

Click to expand...

Especially if you have a mare in season (nudge nudge, wink, wink!)


----------



## KingfisherBlue (17 July 2012)

Thistle said:



			......Especially if you have a mare in season (nudge nudge, wink, wink!)
		
Click to expand...

Sitting at my PC, rather bleary-eyed......read that and chuckled........


----------



## Rambo (17 July 2012)

Not sure 'quarantine' applies to horses does it ? 

Most of the top horses spend their lives in transit between shows don't they ?


----------



## oldvic (17 July 2012)

Greenwich opens for the horses early next week. The horses from Europe will mainly come in a few days before their competition and go straight to Greenwich. Many of the others have been based here or in Europe for some time while a few have come over recently and are at competition yards to finish their preparations.


----------



## Bernster (17 July 2012)

Thistle said:



			Especially if you have a mare in season (nudge nudge, wink, wink!)
		
Click to expand...

Well, he might have taken a fancy to her, she is a pretty little thing 

Funnily enough, I was checking out Totilas foals 2011/12 only the other day.  EUR150k I read !!  That could get me a lot of matchy matchy...


----------



## Bernster (17 July 2012)

oldvic said:



			Greenwich opens for the horses early next week. The horses from Europe will mainly come in a few days before their competition and go straight to Greenwich. Many of the others have been based here or in Europe for some time while a few have come over recently and are at competition yards to finish their preparations.
		
Click to expand...

I like the idea of hordes (herds  ) of world class horses scattered round the countryside being entertained by the local horsey set.


----------



## Thistle (17 July 2012)

Saw one at Futurity last week, very cute loads of presence and extravagant movement. Didn't really move from the shoulder and was marked down for that!


----------



## barehoofhannah (17 July 2012)

There was an interesting article in Horsemanship magazine last issue about travelling horses including a bit about traveling by plane. I was really intrigued. If anyone sees this post and travels their horse by plane i'd love to see a you tube video diary of the whole set up and what happens (obviously not bringing the plane down with signal interference but what ever was possible) for now travelling an hour to the local woods is probably the closest ill get to it!


----------



## PolarSkye (17 July 2012)

Bernster said:



			Shame Totilas isn't coming, I'm sure we could have put him up for a night or two 

Click to expand...

There's a box free at ours . . . plus there's a very lovely coloured mare (gorgeous dressage moves) in season who would love a "playmate" . . . 

P


----------



## I love my Spanish horse (17 July 2012)

I know for a fact some of them are at Hartpury in quarantine, as we've got a breed show this weekend and theres less stables available because of it. Will be all closed of with tight security though id imagine, so little chance of doing any star spotting!


----------



## Laafet (18 July 2012)

We also have a load near us at Eddy Stibbe's, can't remember which countries off the top of my head. Their feed comes from the place where I keep my horse.


----------



## Bernster (18 July 2012)

Wow!  Can't wait for next weekend when we can see them in action


----------



## oldvic (19 July 2012)

Laafet said:



			We also have a load near us at Eddy Stibbe's, can't remember which countries off the top of my head. Their feed comes from the place where I keep my horse.
		
Click to expand...

The Americans are at Eddy's.


----------



## Thistle (19 July 2012)

And the Brazilians are at Eddy's old place, Wareseley Park. Have been there all season


----------



## Sealine (19 July 2012)

I've heard that Addington is being used in the run-up to the Olympics for training purposes.  

I also heard that Bury Farm offered their facilities but couldn't afford it.  Apparently you have to pay for the privilege of being used.  Not sure how that works!


----------



## Swirlymurphy (19 July 2012)

The Kiwis are in the next door village   They keep driving past in rather nice lorries.


----------



## TarrSteps (20 July 2012)

Natwood said:



			I know for a fact some of them are at Hartpury in quarantine, as we've got a breed show this weekend and theres less stables available because of it. Will be all closed of with tight security though id imagine, so little chance of doing any star spotting!
		
Click to expand...

Those would be Canadians.  Although they are out of quarantine and into their training camp now.

Yes, quarantine most definitely applies to horses competing in FEI competitions.  The exact details depend on the country but often it's done by making the FEI areas their own little zones, which is why FEI stabling it closed off at big shows which also have national competitions running along side.

I know of at least one case at an Olympics where a horse broke quarantine and was not allowed back into the country it came from.  In the old days that was one of the reasons some countries usually sold their horses after big events, it was too difficult and costly to get them home.

I'd be very surprised if any horses were coming by sea.  Horses fly all over the world every day.  The ones from Canada came by FedEx.


----------



## oldvic (20 July 2012)

Swirlymurphy said:



			The Kiwis are in the next door village   They keep driving past in rather nice lorries.
		
Click to expand...

They had a 4 day camp there and have now gone back home except probably Lenamore who is the only one not based in the south of England.
The European horses and the Irish based ones will come by boat or the tunnel as it is massively cheaper than flying and they are used to travelling like that.


----------



## TarrSteps (21 July 2012)

oldvic said:



			The European horses and the Irish based ones will come by boat or the tunnel as it is massively cheaper than flying and they are used to travelling like that.
		
Click to expand...

My mistake - I don't consider that "sea travel", more driving with water in the way!   So yes, anyone who can come relatively easily by road will do so.  Also, a lot of overseas riders are already based in Europe.  Horses based in North America, the Southern Hemisphere etc will, of course, come by air or, more likely, have already done so.  

What is the plan for getting them to the park?  Presumably they come to a staging point somewhere and then on to the official transport lorries but do the do that all on the same day?  Or are they being picked up "at home" as it were?


----------



## oldvic (21 July 2012)

They come in to a staging post where everything is checked, x-rayed and sealed and the horses are checked then loaded then the lorry is sealed until they are in the stabling area. They have the time to arrive so they don't all come in at once and clog the system.


----------



## Miss L Toe (21 July 2012)

You mean the tack boxes and so on are X-rayed for bombs and suchlike?


----------



## DragonSlayer (21 July 2012)

Thistle said:



			Especially if you have a mare in season (nudge nudge, wink, wink!)
		
Click to expand...

'....now how the HECK did he get in there with her?? someone can't have shut the stable door correctly....!'..


----------



## DragonSlayer (21 July 2012)

Bernster said:



			I like the idea of hordes (herds  ) of world class horses scattered round the countryside being entertained by the local horsey set.
		
Click to expand...

...and as you finish a stonking local one-day event in first place...

'What....this old horse?? oooo, he's nowt special really...'.... (when you really swiped one of the team horses for the day when no-one was watching!)


----------



## DragonSlayer (21 July 2012)

TarrSteps said:



			I'd be very surprised if any horses were coming by sea.  Horses fly all over the world every day.  The ones from Canada came by FedEx. 

Click to expand...

I bet the stamps were expensive!


----------



## oldvic (21 July 2012)

Miss L Toe said:



			You mean the tack boxes and so on are X-rayed for bombs and suchlike?
		
Click to expand...

Yes. Everything is x-rayed and goes through security.


----------



## TarrSteps (21 July 2012)

DragonSlayer said:



			I bet the stamps were expensive! 

Click to expand...

You joke. . . .


----------



## teapot (21 July 2012)

oldvic said:



			Yes. Everything is x-rayed and goes through security.
		
Click to expand...

And UPS being in sole charge from the moment of handover. 

That's the sort of infrastructure that some people don't even think about. 

Which Olympics was it where every rider's boots had to be de-mudded/haired/greased because of the potential risks?



TarrSteps said:



			You joke. . . .
		
Click to expand...

It's what £10000 to fly a horse across the Atlantic isn't it?


----------



## DragonSlayer (21 July 2012)

TarrSteps said:



			You joke. . . .
		
Click to expand...

Why not?


----------



## TarrSteps (21 July 2012)

teapot said:



			Which Olympics was it where every rider's boots had to be de-mudded/haired/greased because of the potential risks?
		
Click to expand...

Sydney, perhaps?  Although many Olympics have had very strict quarantines.  In Sydney the main fear was bringing something in, in places like Seoul it's been carrying something out. 





			It's what £10000 to fly a horse across the Atlantic isn't it?
		
Click to expand...

They did two to a pallet, possibly 1 in the case of the largest horses, so in the $5k range but with many accompanying costs for quarantine, stabling etc.


----------



## oldvic (22 July 2012)

TarrSteps said:



			Sydney, perhaps?  Although many Olympics have had very strict quarantines.  In Sydney the main fear was bringing something in, in places like Seoul it's been carrying something out. 




They did two to a pallet, possibly 1 in the case of the largest horses, so in the $5k range but with many accompanying costs for quarantine, stabling etc.
		
Click to expand...

Hate to say it but I think it's gone up quite a lot! It was more than 5000 a horse to go to Rolex!


----------



## DressageGroom (22 July 2012)

It's costing the US para team over $35,000 in equine transport fees alone, not thinking about the athletes & associates or equipment (and of course the funding disparity...) so maybe we should look into snail-mail...


----------



## TarrSteps (23 July 2012)

oldvic said:



			Hate to say it but I think it's gone up quite a lot! It was more than 5000 a horse to go to Rolex!
		
Click to expand...

Eep.  I paid from the other end so perhaps that was cheaper.  (The horse also did quarantine at home and shipped the airport privately.)  And I guess the exchange rate isn't helping!

Mind you, it was already something like $125k for the Canadian horses to get to Seoul in '88 . . .


----------

