A representative of Blue Hors stud says that they "hope Matiné will be ready for the Beijing Olympic Games."

I hope so too! That would raise the bar at the dressage competition in Hong Kong, which has lost one serious challenge. Hong Kong was chosen as the venue because as part of the international racing circuit, it has better quarantine procedures and disease control than mainland China. Still Silvia Iklé of the Swiss team felt the combination of the humidity and the long journey would be too much for her horse, Salieri, and without their star, the rest of the Swiss Olympic team felt compelled to withdraw as well.

I found the statement of the Swiss dressage team head Peter von Grebel somewhat curious: "The dressage horses are a lot more sensitive that the show jumping horses."

There is no question that heat may add an additional challenge to the competition- Hong Kong has a sub-tropical climate, adding humidity to summer temperatures reaching weill into the 90's. However, that is not very different from the climate in Atlanta, Georgia, where the 1996 Olympics were held. Other national teams are not following the lead of the Swiss, so it should still be an exciting competition, especially with Matiné in attendance.