A Swiss horse goes for a walk out in the windy Hong Kong weather. (New York Times photo)

None of the Olympic equestrian horses in Hong Kong have been affected by the heavy rains and winds brought in by Severe Tropical Storm Kammuri, a spokesman for the Equestrian Company said today (Wednesday, August 6).

“The horses have taken advantage of the wet weather and are resting peacefully in the stables. Many are sleeping and in very good condition,” the spokesman said.

Training in the outdoor areas has been postponed, but dressage training in the indoor arena opened at 10 am today. All arenas will reopen when the No. 8 signal is lowered.

Only slight damage to the arena in the Sha Tin Equestrian Venue has been reported.?

According to the New York Times, a special shuttle was set up to get riders and staff to the stables to be with the horses.

The arrival of two planes with a total of 24 horses has been delayed. Fourteen horses from China, the United States and United Arab Emirates were offloaded from a plane before departure in Amsterdam and are resting in a quarantined animal quarters nearby. Another 10 horses from Australia and Saudi Arabia en route to Hong Kong from Amsterdam were offloaded in Dubai and are resting there in quarantined animal quarters.

All are expected to arrive in Hong Kong as soon as weather conditions improve.

Much more information about the Olympic equestrian events is available on the “World Rides in Hong Kong” blog, compiled for you by Fran Jurga. An RSS/Atom feed is available so you can keep up with the news from Hong Kong! Equisearch.com has an entire web site set up for the Olympics, including blogs from dressage rider Debbie MacDonald and eventing groom Max Corcoran.