Equestrian: Heat takes toll

By EUGENE BINGHAM

Out on the dusty wild expanses of the Olympic equestrian cross-country on Monday, it was hot, damn hot.

So hot there was only one thing for it: taking a dip.
British rider Ian Stark did. Not that it was part of his plan.

The hind legs of his horse, Jaybee, clipped the fence on the second water-jump sending Stark face first into the drink.

At any other time, the rider probably would have been grateful for the chance to cool off.

Temperatures at Sydney's Horsley Park hit more than 28 C during an afternoon of action-packed three-day eventing.

The heat added to the challenge on the 25km endurance phase, which included the 7.4km cross-country course dotted with 42 jumps to make both horse and rider sweat.

Around Horsley Park, spectators crouched under umbrellas and trees for shade.

Water-tankers cruised around the venue spraying water to dampen down the dusty roads and a truck full of ice was brought in to help the teams to cool their horses.

As each rider crossed the line, a cooling crew swung into action, pouring buckets of water and ice over the horses and sponging them down.

Champion New Zealand rider Blyth Tait said the conditions were harsher than the last Olympics in Atlanta, where the competition took place earlier in the day.

He believed the heat could be a factor on Tuesday during the final showjumping phase.

In fact, the most difficult test may come on Tuesday morning when the vets are brought in to ensure whether each horse is fit enough after the cross-country to compete in the showjumping at all.

At the day's end, the conditions had claimed several scalps and impacted on the leader board. Heat-weary horses struggled to clear fences and to make the finish line within the time limit.

The Italian and French teams both withdrew, while the Belgians and the Japanese also suffered.

Constantin van Rijckevorsel, from Belgium, broke a leg after crashing on the 17th fence, and countrywoman Karin Donckers also required hospital treatment after a tumble on the steeplechase.