Modifications to the 1996 olympic 3-day-events to optimise safety under hot and humid conditions

Various concerns have been voiced regarding the safety of 3-day-event horses competing in conditions of excessive heat and humidity expected during the next Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia USA in 1996. In response, considerable applied research has been conducted recently to characterise the physiological responses of 3-day-event horses and to study how to optimise safety and recovery on speed-and-endurance day. The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) has reduced the maximum required distances for all phases of speed-and-endurance day, lengthened Phase X from 10 to 15 min, and inserted a new veterinary control point, currently termed C Halt, into Phase C to allow assisted cooling earlier in the test. FEI has also recommended that horses travel to the USA no less than three weeks prior to Olympic competition to allow for adequate recovery from transport stress and to allow for acclimatisation to typical Georgia summer weather conditions.