Unless it’s been heavily edited, the powers-that-be may be pleasantly surprised by the  soundbite I gave BBC London from the equestrian test event earlier today.

It’s possible for a Greenwich sceptic like me to be  impressed by what has been achieved  in a very short time and I think  the set-up in itself is all rather good, just the sort of show only the Brits can put on and – here’s the one churlish bit – no less than it should be for the tens of millions this temporary horse park is rumoured to be costing.

The equine infrastructure is state of the art, though many personnel who themselves organise competitions are equally bemused and bewildered by the cost of the many miles of trackway and Harris fencing and why its needed.

The compunction to mount everything from stables to mini generators on platforms or pallets  comes from fear of puncturing the ground, hence the missionary zeal to show that when this leviathan operation is dismantled in a week or so, Locog will have left the park as they found it.

The riders are certainly appreciative of the effort and their horses want for nothing.  Although equine participants are mostly young and not in contention for the real thing, riders have been round the block many times  yet are still wide-eyed and excited by being in London, and by the park’s vista.

Piggy French, who leads dressage overnight,  summed it up: “It’s all rather surreal, like being on a movie set yet turning round and seeing the same faces you normally see in a  muddy field in the arse end of nowhere.”

I am not aware that any riders went to  meet any of the protesters who will keep vigil outside the gates until close of play on Wednesday.

It’s clear that the British trio at least have considered carefully what to say on the thorny issue of community opposition to this use of the park.

Pippa Funnell said: “We hope they realise how much it means to us to be  at the hub of the Olympic experience and  we thank them. I hope they appreciate we are doing our best for the park to be left as they would want it.”

It’s a funny sort of competition, for the youthful equine participants are  in effect pathfinders for their considerably more experienced stable-mates who do the real thing next year.

Dual Olympic champion Mark Todd, lying 23rd of 40 after dressage,  was not being dismissive when he said the results don’t really count.

For participants, this competition is all about getting an edge, and before they have even ridden the cross-country course many have already started to shortlist  the horses most likely to be suited by the unusually steep topography.

Six times Olympian Andrew Nicholson of New Zealand  revealed he would learn more about the gradients and cambers from riding a young horse than an older one for whom the test event is two rungs below its level.

“We will still know if you need a nippy one that can gallop up and down across hills.”

Most are saying that the park seems big enough to accommodate the horse components though realise it has come at the price of a severe cap on spectators – Mark Todd seemed to think the cross-country crowd could end up as few as 35,000.

“Its a huge shame, when you would have say 150,000 at Badminton, and a lot have been left disappointed but I guess its something we’ll all have to live with. It is a huge privilege to be here.”