Via Aachen to China: For more than 300 horses, the traditional CHIO grounds in Aachen’s Soers will be the quarantine site in the run-up of the Olympic Games 2008. The Olympic Games in Beijing will start on August 8 and end on August 24, 2008.
The Olympic Equestrian Events will be carried out in Hong Kong. In addition to the jumping, dressage and eventing horses, also the horses of the Paralympics participants will be accommodated in Aachen, Germany.
Subsequent to the CHIO Aachen 2008 (July 1-6), the horses will be quartered in the stables of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein e.V. (ALRV). “The quarantine gives the guarantee that the horses are absolutely healthy prior to their journey”, says Dr. Johannes Hörmeyer, the official veterinarian for the City of Aachen who is in charge. Relevant for the quarantine are the provisions of the country of entry, which is China in the case of the Olympic Games 2008.
Martin Atock is responsible for the horses’ transportation to China. The General Manager of “Peden-Bloodstock”, one of the world’s most renowned horse shipping agents, is very satisfied with the situation in the Soers: “The conditions in Aachen are ideal. The grounds are completely fenced, we only have to add a few more fences. Furthermore, the journey to the airport in Amsterdam is very short.” From the Dutch metropolis, the horses will be flown out to China.
“During the quarantine, the stables, the training areas, the indoor arenas and the Deutsche Bank Stadium will be used”, explains Frank Kemperman, General Manager of the ALRV. Within a radius of 100 meters of the quarantine area, no other horses are allowed. Horses from about 40 nations are expected to come, though it is not confirmed yet which nations exactly. Aachen had already been quarantine site in the run-up of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.