Horses Arrive for Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games

Thirty-eight horses for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (Singapore 2010) Equestrian competition arrived today in Singapore after travelling eight hours from Queensland, Australia. These horses will
be paired with athletes to compete in the Equestrian Show Jumping event during the Games.

Equestrian riders will be able to view and draw their mounts on 13 August 2010. This will be the first time that a horse draw is conducted in Olympic history. The assigned horse-rider combination will apply throughout the competition for both the team and individual events.


Horses being taken for a little exercise after their 8-hour flight, and before their journey to Singapore Turf Club Riding Centre.

A new format will debut during the Equestrian team event. The 30 individual riders 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. The provision of
horses is a Games requirement to ensure a level playing field for the athletes as horses are of similar standards1. 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," said Mr Goh Kee Nguan, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee.

In the largest movement of horses in Singapore, the horses, after their arrival, were loaded onto trucks bound for the Singapore Turf Club Riding Centre (STCRC) – the equestrian competition venue. They will be under quarantine there from 16 to 30 July 2010.

The horses will be a legacy from Singapore 2010. SYOGOC has plans to relocate them after the Games to local clubs and riding schools so that they will continue to play a part in raising the profile and standard of equestrian in Singapore.


A horse being loaded on a truck bound for Singapore Turf Club Riding Centre - the Singapore 2010 equestrian competition venue. It is among the 38 horses which arrived in Singapore today in preparation for the equestrian competition of the first YOG.