From: Horsetalk.co.nz (20jul10)

More than three dozen sport horses sourced from New Zealand and Australia arrived in Singapore late last week for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

In an Olympic first, riders will draw their mounts for the sole equestrian event of showjumping from a pool of horses who have been sourced and schooled in Australia by the same trainers.

Riders will draw their horses on August 13, and the assigned combinations will remain the same for both the team and individual events.

The 30 individual riders in the event will also vie for team event medals by competing in five teams. Team members will come from different National Olympic Committees (NOC), or even from different continents.

"After many months of planning and preparation we are very excited to finally welcome the horses to Singapore for the Youth Olympic Games," said Mr Goh Kee Nguan, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee.

"The provision of horses is a Games requirement to ensure a level playing field for the athletes as horses are of similar standards. The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) has broken new ground in deciding to procure and train the horses under the same trainers in Australia. We have therefore set the stage for world class competition, and I look forward to seeing the riders and horses excel at the Singapore 2010 Equestrian competition."

The 38 horses were sourced by Paula Hamood of Glen Haven Park stud near Kilcoy. The horses were selected on their ability to jump a course of 1.20m fences and were subjected to a stringent pre-purchase veterinary check. More than 100 horses were tried out by Glen Haven Park staff before they settled on the final 38. The horses will all be sold into the developing Singapore market after the Games.

The horses are mares and geldings aged between five and 12 years old. The majority are thoroughbred or quality warmbloods and warmblood crosses, which are expected to best suit the conditions in Singapore.

The team at Glen Haven Park includes 12 full time staff, with four riders/trainers, five grooms, a showjumping manager, farm manager and office manager.

The horses' journey to Singapore started from their training centre at Glen Haven Park, two hours north of Brisbane. Transportation of the YOG horses was arranged by International Race Horse Transport and loading of the horses onto the plane took almost two hours. The horses were accompanied on the flight by the YOG Head Veterinarian, Dr Roshni Selvam, three grooms and two riders from Glen Haven Park. Two additional grooms and two more riders from Glen Haven Park arrived on a separate flight.

All the horses were in good order following the eight-hour flight from Brisbane, and are settling into their new home, the YOG Equestrian venue at the Singapore Turf Club Riding Centre.

Post arrival quarantine for the horses started on Saturday and will continue until noon on July 30. During the quarantine period the horses will still be trained and looked after by their Glen Haven Park riders and grooms. The Glen Haven Park grooms, together with local grooms, will continue to look after the horses throughout the games.

Jake Lambert is New Zealand's representative at the Games, which take place from August 14 to 26, 2010.