All but One Horse Pass Inspection Ahead of 2026 Asian Games

-- - Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)  
-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

All but one horse have passed the horse inspection ahead of the dressage competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday afternoon 24 September 2026. 

A field of 45 combinations from 16 nations will compete at the JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo (JPN), the venue that hosted the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.  The 2026 edition of the Asian Games saw a big increase in countries and riders as there were "only" 30 combinations from nine nations at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN) in 2023.

For the first time this year a mixed format takes place with the majority of riders competing at small tour level and one pair at Grand Prix level (Shiwoo Kim (KOR) and Sir Hubert NRW). Each team must include at least one Small Tour combination and may have no more than two Big Tour combinations. Teams made up entirely of Small Tour combinations are also permitted.

Nine countries will contest the team medals: China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Palestine, Qatar and Uzbekistan will also be represented in the individual competition.

Aachen Pre-Quarantine

European based horses competing in the Asian Games were stabled in Aachen, Germany, for a 10-day pre-quarantine, starting on 4 September and ending on 14 September when the horses left for Liege airport to be flown to Japan. Movement records had to be completed for all horses covering the 60 days prior to the start of quarantine. 

While the Asian Games get little media coverage in Europe -- the heart of FEI horse sport -- for Asian riders these Games are the pinnacle of the sport, even though they are contested at a lower level - small tour - compared to elite level Grand Prix competition in the Western world.

The importance of the event for Asian riders led to heightened tension amongst competitors, both in the qualification period (India - Thailand - United Arabic Emirates), as well as shortly after the teams were announced with lawsuits and protests filed.

Some riders' anxiety reached a pinnacle during the 10-day pre quarantine period with a dispute happening over the fitness level of a certain team horse, as well as another team rider filing an urgent formal compliance notice questioning a potential non-compliance with the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 60-Day Movement Requirement of a strong medal contender. In the end a lot of stress was generated while nothing changed. The selected horses flew to Japan and no rider was seemingly able to bar the starting place of another rival. For some dreams were dashed, for others it was the beginning of a new exciting journey.

Dressage Takes Centre Stage

The JRA equestrian park, also known as "Baji Koen", saw the Asian Games kicked off four days ago with the eventing championships. Dressage riders take centre stage as of 25 September 2026.

The team medals will be decided on the opening day, with each nation’s best three results counting towards the final classification. This means the Prix St Georges and one rider in the Grand Prix. All combinations that complete the first test will be eligible to return for the second Individual Qualifier on Saturday (Intermediaire I + Grand Prix Special).

The top 15 combinations in the combined ranking after the second Individual Qualifier, with no more than two athletes from the same team, will advance to the Freestyle. Medals will be awarded for the team competition and the individual Freestyle final.

Eventful Horse Inspection

After typhoon Dajuan brought torrential downpours of rain to the greater Tokyo area in the days leading up to the dressage competition, the horse inspection of Thursday afternoon 24 September took place in balmy 25 C° temperatures and a clear blue sky.  The atmosphere was highly relaxed around the area where Europeans trainers and horse dealers had gathered to coach and guide their Asian clients to their first milestones in their equestrian careers. 

Alina Shevsova from Uzbekistan was the first to trot up her Belgian warmblood Nocito de Muze (by Jazz) and got a generous pass from the ground jury and FEI veterinarian. The Thai team came next with a huge delegation of royal loyalists supporting the entry of HRH Princess Sirivannarvari Mahidol on the sideline. Her horse Boulevard was trotted up by trainer Matthias Rath. 

President of the ground jury Hans-Christian Matthiesen was relentless and consistent in his verdict: any horse not being properly presented or acting up was ordered to trot up again and again until a fair and consequential presentation was delivered.  Well known, internationally competed horses such as Shakespeare, Sam, Magnanimous, Tesla, Lacoste, and Sant Jordi had to be trotted up more than once before receiving the pass. No less than five (Ferati, Sir Hubert, Rosetti, Goofy La Perle, Fine Art von Bellin) were sent to the holding box. In the end all passed except for Indonesian team horse Fine Art von Bellin. His team choose to take the option to represent the horse on Friday morning. 

>By-standers got to see many older horses with a million miles in their legs being presented; famous horses with a long career in Europe down their belt and now serving as FEI schoolmasters for their eager Asian riders. Many horses were literally "bugged" by nasty bugs biting, leading to a lot of head shaking and kicking legs. Even the strongest fly-repellant did not seem to do its duty.

Leviste's horse Lacoste (better known as Raphael Netz former U25 medal winning team horse) broke loose but could not escape very far.  The Qatari horses (Jack Sparrow, Blue Hors Touch of Olympic L) were so wild they ran off with their handlers. Jack Sparrow and Shingo Hayashi's King Leatherdale were both sent to the "naughty corner" where they had to cool down and then be re-presented with a better, more pliant attitude before hearing the word "accepted." The horse inspection at the 2026 Asian Games was certainly eventful.

Let the Games Begin

An experienced five-member Ground Jury will oversee the competition, chaired by Hans-Christian Matthiesen (DEN). He will be joined by Col Sunil Shivdas (IND), Vittorio Barba (PHI), Ricky MacMillan (AUS) and Helen Hughes-Keen (NZL).

The Dressage competition begins with the Team Final and first Individual Qualifier at 09:30 local time (JST, UTC+9) on Friday, 25 September. The second Individual Qualifier starts at 09:30 on Saturday, 26 September, followed by the Individual Freestyle Final at 09:30 on Sunday, 27 September.

Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2026 Asian Games