Equestrian Day 1 Preview: Gold defenders face tough challenge

(HONG KONG, September 6) -- Team Great Britain, hoping to make it four team golds in a row, face a tough challenge when they step into the HK Equestrian (Shatin) arena Sunday, September 7, for the start of the team Dressage competition in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

With rules revised since the 2004 Athens Games, allowing riders to bring in their own instead of using host city horses, Team GBR will field their best squad to face intensive competition from the other 11 teams.

Winning the World Championship in Hartpury, England, in 2007 may put the four-member team in a strong position to ward off challenges from contenders like Athens 2004 Silver medalist Germany, and the Netherlands with their bronze at Athens and the silver four years earlier at Sydney.

Also in contention are the medal veterans from Denmark, with their silver at the first Paralympics in Atlanta, and the Norwegians who took bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games and the Hartpury championship.

With the exception of Italy and Sweden, who will be fielding three riders only, the other competing NPCs will have four. Scores from the top three riders will go towards the final results and standings of the participants.

Tomorrow's morning session will see Grades 2 and 3 riders step onto the 20-metre by 40-metre arena to show their mettle in walk, trot and canter tests. In the evening, it's the turn of the Grades 1a and 1b Paralympians to walk their horses before Grade 4 athletes take to the field of play, which will be lengthened by 20 meters, for the walk, trot and canter with lateral work.