The three-day event arena is in the middle of the beautiful racecourse that Connolly has built on a 160-hectare club in Tongzhou district. The club has a horse population of nearly 3,000 and has bred thousands of foals.

'We're not saying we're building the national team - that's the Sports Council's job - we're just here to help develop the event in China. We liaise with the Chinese Equestrian Association, who are very keen on what we're doing and hope it will have some bearing on 2008,' he says.

The Beijing Jockey Club advertised for riders and selected them by interview. They are of all ages, ranging from teenagers to thirty-somethings - the three-day event is one of the least ageist sports in the whole Olympics. They come from all over China.

Mongolians, famed for their horse-riding skills, are represented from Inner Mongolia and there are riders from places as disparate as Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. There are 14 riders at the moment but more are arriving all the time. 'We'll see what potential they have and make a selection. They've come on extremely well. They've a very good chance of qualifying. The Asian Games in Qatar in 2006 will have a huge bearing,' says Connolly.

The three-day event has a fairly low profile in China but there is an interest in dressage. Elsewhere in Asia, the three-day event is popular in Korea and Thailand and Japan. Korea has spent a lot of money and Arab states are also investing heavily. 'I don't see a lot of medals coming this way in this sport in 2008, but once it gets going it will explode. It's an expensive sport and the second most dangerous sport after motor racing,' says Connolly.

In charge of running the team is Leesa Robinson from Newcastle, Australia, who has been involved in equestrian sports since she was 16. She worked with Heath Ryan, the Australian assistant Olympic coach, for eight years, then spent six months in New Zealand training Helen Tompkins, an Olympic rider.

'The ambition is to have 30 riders and 100 horses. Because of the visa situation they can't travel so much and there's not enough competition for them, which they need. But the horses have got good hearts and brains,' she says.

The horses are mostly thoroughbreds, though there are some warm-bloods among them. Robinson says the horse is the key factor in a successful three-day event team.

'The horse is the main factor. If the rider gets it half-right the horse is going to go. And they've got me here to stop them making mistakes. They've bought horses with the right temperament for the riders to learn. The horses carry them around and these riders are miles in front from the word go because the horses are right,' she says.

The facilities are impressive. It is already one of the world's biggest stud farms and there are rows of long buildings housing stables. Robinson walks the length of one of the stables introducing the star performers - the horses.

'This is the Quiet Enforcer. This guy's got a great heart - they put him in all kinds of situations and he does great,' she says, stroking the muzzle of a chestnut horse.

'Dominic here, he's also an Aussie, he's been great but he's had a lot of setbacks. Mandy here is a great all-rounder, just keeps jumping and is great on the flat. She's got a really nice temperament, she's super. The Arrogant General is the best showjumper,' she says, referring to a dappled horse.

There were teething troubles getting the team going, including bedding the horses down after they arrived, most of them from Australia.

'A couple of the Australian horses got a cold when they arrived here but they seem better able to handle cold than the heat. In the heat a lot get the dry puffs and can't sweat properly,' she says.

'It's going to be hard for the Chinese team but they've got this amazing resource here, that's hugely important,' she says, indicating the massive stables complex. 'When you've got money it makes a huge difference. It'll be hard but it's possible. They've improved so much, it's amazing.'