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LONDON 2012
3
EQUINE MATTERS
A veterinary insight
London 2012
We find out from XLVets Equine
members about the veterinary
provisions at London 2012 and
about their experiences at this
historic occasion.
The application process
The application process for becoming a
Games Maker Volunteer as a member of the
veterinary services team began in October
2010. Following an interview and, for some,
an online exam, the final selections were
announced in December 2011.
The training
An introductory event at Wembley Arena
was followed by role specific training at
Hackney College and finally the venue
specific training at Greenwich Park. During
training the veterinary team discussed
logistical requirements and standard protocols
for every eventuality. A test event in June
2011 over approximately half of the full
course enabled the organisers to ensure that
the logistics were workable.
Two days before the event there was a cross
country dress rehearsal. Golf buggies were
driven around the course as substitute horses.
The driver would either shout 'clear' as they
drove past the fence or pass the fence judge
a slip of paper with the details of a scenario
such as a horse fall for the emergency
personnel to role play. This was an extremely
worthwhile and important exercise, although
at times hilarious.
Veterinary services
The total numbers of horses competing at
Greenwich Park were: 75 eventers, 60
dressage, 90 showjumpers, 77 paradressage
and 55 modern pentathlon. There were 210
stables at Greenwich Park with a cycle of
horses in and out organised according to the
timing of the different disciplines. Providing
emergency veterinary care for these horses
during their stay was the veterinary field team
with access to the onsite veterinary hospital.
An additional team of vets was brought in
to cover the cross country day of the three
day event.
The Federation Equestrian International (FEI)
vets carried out random dope testing,
thermography and hypersensitivity testing of
horses with the aim of providing the clean
sport essential at this level.
The veterinary field team
The veterinary field team was deployed to
provide first aid support for main arena
events, all discipline competitions, horse trot
ups and for the horses whilst unloading from
lorries and when working out on any of the
six all weather training areas including a five
furlong canter strip. There was also 24 hour
cover for any emergencies overnight. All
the vets on site were given a radio and a
veterinary kit bag containing bandaging
material, sedatives and painkillers ready
to perform immediate first aid.
The vet field team also carried out general
health examinations of all competing horses
at a type of quarantine station two miles from
Greenwich Park called the 'Equine Staging
Facility' (ESF) designed to ensure that there
were no outbreaks of equine disease at
Greenwich Park. At the ESF horses were
unloaded into temporary stables and checked
by a vet for ID and general health and all
lorries were security checked using a sniffer
dog and cameras. Once all standards
were satisfied, horses were reloaded and
transported into the magnificent portable
stables at Greenwich Park within the
secure compound.
Cross country vetting at
Greenwich Park
There were a total of 32 vets plus
technicians, physiotherapists, farriers and
ambulance crews working on cross country
day. There were 28 portable fences on the
hilly terrain of Greenwich. Each fence had in
attendance; a doctor, three fence judges, at
least one veterinary surgeon and a veterinary
assistant. There were six sectors which had a
veterinary ambulance, a mobile cooling unit
(huge fans blowing a fine mist of ice cold
water over the horses), a hydration team,
an emergency treatment team and a
chaperone to escort horses from the course.
An emergency team was waiting at the
on-site vet clinic for any horses transported in
the ambulance off the course.
The big day started with a briefing given
by cross country veterinary controller Simon
Knapp. Simon believed that this was the
most experienced veterinary team ever
assembled at an equestrian event anywhere
in the world. He followed this by saying that
there was an estimated television audience
of two billion. The brief was to report any
incident at our fence and inform control of
our requirements, e.g. if we needed
an ambulance.
Following this all vets and technicians were
in place at their allocated jumps two hours
before the official start.