Sources: Various

China has never hosted an international equestrian event. When it has held regional competitions, horses brought in were not allowed to return home. Simply put, there were no veterinary standards or practices in place to avoid disease exposure for outside horses brought in, or for Chinese horses going out. This is probably the main reason why the Beijing Olympics hosted equestrian competition in Hong Kong where there has been top level international Thoroughbred racing for many years.  The facilities and veterinary practice in Hong Kong are state of the art.

So, on the mainland, all this has changed: in order to both host the Asian Games, and also to promote equestrian competition within China, a major effort had to be made .

According to a story published in USA Today (www.usatoday.com/sports) to accomplish these goals Chinese authorities had to build a top notch equestrian venue as well as examine, document, and guarantee the health status of all equines in the region, numbering around 2,000, including the zoo's collection of zebra. This process required thorough health exams, including tests for disease and microchipping. The Hong Kong Jockey Club supported both the veterinary and venue building efforts.

The Result? A flight carrying the first group of Europe-based horses which had participated in this weekend's Asian Games took off from China returning to Europe - the first time this has happened in over sixty years.