Olympic News

Some Olympic Facts and Figures

• With 218 horses from 42 countries and regions taking part in the
equestrian events, Hong Kong is a new record in Olympic history.
• There are altogether 200,000 tickets for the events.  All the 120,000
tickets allocated to Hong Kong are sold-out. 
• China is for the first time competing in the Olympic equestrian events. 
• Seven countries are represented in all three disciplines dressage, showjumping and eventing

Olympic champion Anky van Grunsven advertises the Olympic Games in Hong Kong on a wall in one of the streets
 

And here Anky van Grunsven aboard Salinero in real, training in the rain

German horses in Hong Kong strongly represented

As at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 quite a number of German bred horses will be participating in Hong Kong. No less than 66 of the 222 registered four-legged top athletes (including reserves) go back to German breeding. So nearly 30 percent of all the dressage, jumping and eventing horses have a German heritage. Their highest share is in the dressage; 24 out of 56 horses. That‘s 42.9 percent bearing a German brand! In jumping 37 out of 93 (39.8 percent) participating horses dominate the list. Lower however is the share they have in Eventing. In this discipline in which 73 horses participate, the share of German bred horses starting was only 5.5 percent.

For more Olympic details, please also visit the website of LCSD at www.lcsd.gov.hk/ and the special Olympic website of the FEI at www.fei.org

Hong Kong Jockey Club wins green building award for Olympic venue

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has won a Green Building Award for its Olympic equestrian venue construction. Secretary for Development Mrs Carrie Lam presented the Grand Award in the Existing Building Category - Alterations & Additions to the Club’s Olympic Project Manager, Julian Wright.
The award, which was presented at a ceremony in Exchange Square in Central on 31 July, was in recognition of the green initiatives and innovative design of the core Olympic venue in Sha Tin, which made optimum use of pre-existing facilities and used recycled and sustainable materials wherever possible.
“The award acknowledges the Club’s commitment to environmental initiatives and its support for the Green Olympics”, said Julian Wright in his acceptance speech, after thanking the Green Building Council for the award on behalf of the Club.
The Club worked on the project in conjunction with local engineers ARUP and local architects Ronald Lu & Partners, as well as international architect Timothy Court & Company.
The Professional Green Building Council Awards Scheme aims to promote sustainable and green development, to recognise developments and research projects with outstanding contributions to sustainability and the environment, and also to encourage the industry towards wider adoption of sustainable practices in planning, design, construction, maintenance and renovation projects. The inaugural Green Building Awards were staged in 2007.

The Olympic equestrian stadium in Hong Kong is in the publicity even before the start of the Games as it won the ‘Green Building Award’  Picture ©FEI

Vet check dressage show for the audience

Today all dressagehorses came in to present themselves for the judges. The vet check apart from the reglement and rules turned out to be more or less a show for the audience. Some of the horses presented really were not the slightest interested in this silly hard court. They hardly could be convinced for a trot. Others showed their extreme fitness and looked like they were happy to show a most energetic trot or even more. For 47 horses of the 48 presented for the team dressage the desired word ‘passed’ could be heard. Also all reserve horses for the teams passed the check without any problem.

Salinero is fighting fit Picture Claartje van Andel dressagedirect

Since Anky van Grunsven’s Bonfire didn’t pass the first vet check at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996,  Anky is not very much in favour of trotting up herself next to her horse. Since she broke her leg two years ago, she even less likes the trotting up. Therefore always her trainer and husband Sjef Janssen presents her horses. Salinero trotting up in the hands of Sjef couldn’t resist the idea of piaffe and passage in front of the judges and so he did. Satchmo showed very fresh and had to be calmed down by Isabell Werth as well. Trotting straight over the line was too much asked and he sidelined to the grass a few times.

Also Satckmo showed very fresh Picture Claartje van Andel dressagedirect

Imagine  18-year old grey stallion Balagur has been a very obedient and reliable police horse in his earlier life. Now in the hands of his very small Russian rider Alexandra Korelova he performed a complete energetic show which was received with applause.  The black Mythilus from Courtney King for the USA and Prestige from Jordi Domingo for Spain were remembrances of their father Ferro, who was a silver team medalwinner at the OG in Sydney. They just simply trotted over without making much fuzz about it.
Unfortunately bad luck appeared when 14 year old Lusitano stallion Nilo of Brazilian Roger Clementino has to show himself tomorrow once more. After the bronze medal at the Pan Am Games Brazil deserved a team position in the Hong Kong Olympic Games. It was a huge challenge to climb from Intermediate level to Grand Prix and to book with three riders the minimum result of 64,5% two times. It would happen to be a disaster and very unrewarding for all the troubles the Brazilian riders have already gone through when Nilo would not pass tomorrow… The lack of experience in presenting a horse showed and might be one of the causes. German professionals like Hubertus Schmidt and Ton de Ridder presented the horses of the Japanese team. Probably it will be a good idea to have presented Nilo by one of them, or even better, by the Brazilian teamcoach Johan Zagers. Tomorrow we will know more....    

Unfortunately bad luck for Roger Clementino and Nilo Picture Claartje van Andel dressagedirect

More international news

Johann Hinnemann turns 60

Master trainer Johann Hinnemann, one of the most prominent dressage riders and trainers of the past decades, celebrates his 60th birthday on 29th August. The student of Dr. Reiner Klimke won both Team Gold as well as Individual Bronze at the World
Championships in the Canadian Cedar Valley in 1986.

In the years after, Hinnemann became trainer for many a top rider. Amongst others he was national trainer for the Canadian and Dutch dressage equipe. The last 20 years he works together with Coby van Baalen and Marlies van Baalen. From 1993 until 1996 he worked as honorary trainer for the German Olympic Committee for the German Riding Federation (DOKR). During 1997 and 1998 he, together with Klaus Balkenhol was trainer of the German dressage equipe. In 1996 he was granted the title of Riding Master.
Recently he coached Dutch Antoinette te Riele to the individual silver medal at the EC Ponies in Avenches.

Wansuela Suerte says goodbye to the Sport

During the Verden show evening at the World Championships for Young Horses Grand Prix-mare Wansuela Suerte officially said goodbye to international dressage. A standing ovation accompanied the 15 year old Hannoverian mare and his rider Hubertus Schmidt on their last round of honour.

Almost for seven years Hubertus Schmidt and the former Verden Auction horse Wansuela Suerte were considered a Dreamteam of the German dressage scene. In 2001 the master rider started to ride the Warkant daughter, who before had been presented successfully in the international M class dressage by his owner Martina Teichert. At the Olympic Games in Athens, the European Championships in Hagen 2005 and the World Championships in Aachen 2006 the combination obtained Team Gold.

The mare’s new home lies in the USA. At the stables of Michelle Gibson in Florida the four-legged coach will help his riders grow further.

Success for Dutch Horses

At the American Young Riders dressage Championship, the 14-year old Dutch horse Millenium ridden by Katie Johnson won gold. “I did not have a horse for this Championship and, last April, phoned Pam Schachter who mounted Millenium. We hit it off, but I had not expected to win the Championship,” said Katie.

Another Dutch horse, the 8-year old Tibet (from Idocus) showed by Brianna Dutton got silver. Brianna, who schooled the horse herself, was pleased with their performance. ”We started from scratch. He likes to work and we get along very well.”

Chelsea Pederson who grew up with HS with Honors grabbed bronze.

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