Chilled out
While the Games are taking place in Brazil’s winter season, there can be weather fluctuations, so keeping horses cool in Rio is a major focus.
Horses cope with heat very differently to human athletes because of their size but, just like humans, getting their core temperature down after exercise is key.
Every day, over 46,000 litres of water and 400kg of ice to chill the water is being used across the Olympic Equestrian Centre just for washing down horses after training and competition.
Tents housing banks of cooling fans, used for both the equine and human athletes, are available at the finish of the eventing cross country phase, and next to the training and warm-up arenas for jumping and dressage, keeping Rio 2016’s most-muscled athletes chilled. Brazil’s Dr Thomas Wolff, President of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Veterinary Commission said:
“The health and wellbeing of our horses is the top priority during these Games. Many of our horses on site have their own team veterinarians, and it’s great to see how impressed they are with our facilities.”
