Nearly 70 equine athletes in the Olympic Equestrian Events have landed in Hong Kong, stepping off their flights and being whisked by first-class transport to spacious and cool accommodations in Sha Tin. The cosmopolitan horses represent 18 nations, including Belgium, Finland, Mexico, Italy, Japan, Sweden, France, South Korea, Russia, Canada, and Germany.

The first batches of horses arrived from Amsterdam and Atlanta on Saturday. Ushered into the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s air-conditioned horse vans, they were transported to the Olympic Equestrian Venue in Sha Tin, accompanied by an entourage of Hong Kong police and Jockey Club grooms, veterinarians, and mechanics.

“The horses travelled by business class, as each container accommodated just two horses instead of the usual three,” said Hong Kong’s Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing, referring to the compartments in the Jockey Club vans. “The horses travelled very well. It was a smooth, trouble-free transfer to the venue.”

At Sha Tin, each horse checked into an air-conditioned stall of almost 13 square meters (42 feet), larger than the Olympic standard.

Olympic Veterinary Services Manager Christopher Riggs, BVSc, PhD, DEO, Dipl. ECVS, MRCVS, who is also the Jockey Club’s head of Veterinary Clinical Services, reported Saturday evening that the horses “are having a good stroll in the shade, a light meal, and relaxing in a nice, cool environment.”

In all, around 220 horses competing for 42 nations are traveling on more than 50 airplanes to get to the Games in Hong Kong.