Swiss Dressage Team Pulls Out - British Remain

The Swiss dressage team have pulled out of the 2008 Olympics because of their concern over the heat and its impact on their horses. The facilities at the event will be state-of-the-art, and I'm no expert, but I don't think they'll be any major issues, but its their perogative to pull out if they want. But The Daily Mail last year quoted Paralympic rider Lee Pearson as telling Zara Phillips, three-day event world champion, about the difficulty of competing in Hong Kong. "It's like going into a sauna with your clothes on and then being asked to ride a horse that's sweating up like it has got a jumper on its back," Pearson told the paper. "Why do they pick these places?" Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, was quoted as responding. "It's the same for the athletes as well. I mean, why do they do it?"