Learning About Hong Kong and The 2008 Olympic Games

Second in a Series by Diana DeRosa

Veterinary Clinic & Quarantine

We had a chance to visit the Hong Kong Jockey Club Veterinary Clinic headed by Christopher Riggs and the equestrian world can feel confident that they will have what they need to deal with any medically-related situation. There will be a core staff of 12 veterinarians headed up by Dr. Leo Jeffcott and also among the staff will be Dr. Jack Snyder, who has become a constant figure at many of the past Olympic Games.

The Quarantine situation is also not new to Hong Kong because of the many racehorses that go in and out of this country. For the Games there will be a 7+10 plan put in place with seven days of Quarantine before horses leave home and 10 days when they arrive in Hong Kong.

“We want to ensure all the competing horses are in good health so they can return home quickly and maintain the health of the Hong Kong horses, which do not have any major diseases,” explained Dr. Fit.

It’s a bit more complex than this with horses having to spend the previous 60 days in an approved country before they can be exported to Hong Kong. There will also be separation of no less than 100 meters between horses during their quarantine time.

Other protective measures include tick monitoring and fly spraying. People and vehicles will have to be cleaned and disinfected and officers will be sent out to check that the protocol is being followed.

Riding in Hong Kong

Not only does the Hong Kong Jockey Club oversee the racing but they also have three Riding Schools that they are responsible for. We went to their main Riding School in Beas River where we met with the RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association). It was pretty impressive to see how much emphasis is placed on providing quality riding time for people with disabilities. We had a chance to see firsthand that Thoroughbreds actually can do the job safely for people who have varying uses of hands and legs. And it is mainly the retired racehorses that fill the stables at the various riding schools.

Nelson Yip, from Hong Kong, will be competing in the Paralympics, which will inspire the Chinese to have a greater interest in that portion of the Olympic Games. While Tuen Mun, the stable we were at, was for the general public, one of the other HKJC stables is solely for people with disabilities. With the Olympics coming to Hong Kong the interest in riding and horses has grown but in general it is the wealthier people that ride.

The horses in Hong Kong are predominantly Thoroughbreds either in racing or retired with very few other breeds. The percentage is extremely high with perhaps 99.5% Thoroughbreds and 5% other breeds and ponies. In general the power of the racing has influenced anything related to horses in Hong Kong.