Vet Preparations in Progress for World Equestrian Games

Thehorse.com - Full Article

by: Erin Ryder, TheHorse.com News Editor
August 26 2008, Article # 12440

While the attention of most equine enthusiasts was turned to Hong Kong for the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, preparations were well under way for the next major international equine competition: the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).

The World Equestrian Games are the championships of the eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) and are held every four years. The 2010 Games at the Kentucky Horse Park mark the first time the event will be held outside of Europe, and it's also the first Games to include all eight disciplines at a single site.

With just two years to go, many of the plans to keep both the competing and local horses healthy are in their final stages.

Kent Allen, DVM, is serving as WEG's veterinary coordinator. Allen brings years of experience to the job, having served as the team veterinarian for the U.S. Equestrian Team and as vice-chairman of the FEI Veterinary Committee. Allen was the veterinary coordinator for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and was the foreign veterinary delegate for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

But nothing he's done rivals the scale of the upcoming WEG. "An Olympics is a small horse show compared to this," Allen said...

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