Royal Send off for Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Teams
Monday, July 28, 2008
On Friday the 25th July HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Patron of the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), attended a reception for the Olympic Dressage and Eventing teams, the Paralympic Dressage team, their team mangers, coaches and team suppliers. The reception, held at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, gave The Duchess the opportunity to give, personally, her best wishes to the riders before they depart for Hong Kong, where all the equestrian events will take place.
The Olympic teams are currently going through the process of the Pre-Export Quarantine; the Dressage team at Hartpury College; the Eventing team at the Unicorn Trust in Stow on the Wold and the Jumping team are utilising Towerlands in Essex. The Paralympic team will also use the Unicorn Trust for their Pre-Export Quarantine from the 18th August.
Pre-Export Quarantine is required for all Team horses travelling to the 2008 Games. It lasts for 7 days and each venue has been selected to meet the specific needs of each individual team, allowing them to fine-tune their horses prior to travelling to Hong Kong. Strict bio security measures are in place for the duration of the quarantine period.
During the reception The Duchess of Cornwall greeted the riders and wished them luck at the Games, she also met some of the support staff and team suppliers who were present to thank them for the valuable contribution that they have made to prepare all the teams for the Games.
Andrew Finding, Chief Executive of the BEF comments, “This was a valuable opportunity to gather some of the teams together prior to their departure for Hong Kong and focus on the task ahead. The team was delighted that our Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, was able to join us and share her personal well wishes with the team. The Federation as a whole wishes the Olympic and Paralympic teams the very best of luck as they go off to Hong Kong knowing that they have had the very best of preparation. I would also like to thank all of the support staff, team suppliers and the all important owners who have done so much to get our Olympic and Paralympic campaign to this point.”
