pickles

Silvia Iklé announced she would not be taking her horse or another horse she owns ridden by a teammate to the games due to differences in climate and time zone. As a result the The Swiss Equestrian Federation withdrew the entire team, as without the two horses the team would be weak. The team's trainer has also resigned due to the The Swiss Equestrian Federation's decision.

I think its rather shabby to state that it will be too stressful for her horses to go from Switzerland to Beijing. The US team surely has just as far to go and won't withdraw horses just because of that...makes me wonder if there is a bigger issue.

pegasus

I read that the air quality in Beijing was really bad, worse even than the smog in Los Angeles. A lot of human athletes have expressed concerns over the poor air, so it's not just horses. Sounds like this person really cares about her animals.