Arrival in Greenwich

Stables

We had a busy day today, traveling to Greenwich Park with the horses and all of our equipment. The equipment was loaded at 4 am, and sent off to be scanned and X-rayed before entering the Olympic venue. After the equipment truck departed from the farm, we prepared for the final vet inspection before the horses were put on the truck to head to Greenwich. Both Otis and Remington, (listed as alternate), looked great in front of the team of vets and Otis was put on the truck with the other four team horses. 

Entrance

 It took us nearly three hours to get to London, where we pulled into the equine staging post, unloaded the horses for the vets to examine them before they entered the venue, then loaded them back onto a sealed lorry in which we were escorted to our final destination at Greenwich Park. Security surrounding the venue is extremely tight, and the lorry was examined by a bomb squad before permission was granted for it to enter the stabling area.

Bomb Squad Checking the Lorry

Upon arriving at stabling, we unloaded the horses and took them to their stalls, which were expertly prepared and decorated by our stable manager, Dougie. The stable decorations show off our patriotic American spirit and create a sense of team unity. Other nations have similar decorative displays, calling for a true international experience when walking along the pathways in the stabling area.

Late this afternoon, the riders took the horses out for a hack around the venue, letting them see the sights and stretch their legs. Tomorrow, they will do some dressage work and get a chance to see the arena in which they will compete in just a few days.

 Lindsey