Everything in place to ensure horses can stay cool under pressure

The heat and humidity concerns surrounding the equestrian events stem from the ability of the horses to cope under thermal stress. A horse's ability to sweat and cool itself down is compromised under excessively humid conditions.

'If the outside ambient air temperature is hot and it's humid, then the cooling mechanisms are less effective and the concerns are that it will affect the horses' performance and possibly jeopardise the horses' health,' says Chris Riggs, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's head veterinarian.

Riggs has been tasked with ensuring the facilities during the equestrian events are able to best assist the horses in both acclimatisation and cooling.

A relatively long acclimatisation period of 10 days is expected to help the horses adjust to the temperature, and they can be trained in an air-conditioned indoor arena, a first at an Olympic Games.

'People can choose how they acclimatise their horse,' Riggs says. 'They might decide to go straight out to exercising outside, they might decide to do the first couple of days in the indoor arena and build them up.'

A clinic has been established to assist with the careful monitoring of urine and blood. Weight loss and electrolyte levels will also be assessed and organisers have assembled a team of crack veterinarians. As all the competitions will take place outdoors, water and ice will be available during the early morning or early evening competition times.