Behind the scenes at the Olympics

Hong Kong — They worked long days, sometimes from dawn to midnight, caring for 218 world-class performance horses competing in the 2008 Olympic equestrian games.

Dr.Katherine Kohn

But it wasn't all labor-intensive. Members of the veterinary community enjoyed some lighter moments, too, along with close-up views of the competition and ceremonial pomp.

Dr.Susan J. Spier

Two members of the international veterinary team gave DVM Newsmagazine's online readers a taste of what it was like for DVMs working the games, e-mailing regular updates that became a kind of running Olympics diary on www.dvm360.com.

They were Susan J. Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, an internal-medicine expert who teaches at the University of California-Davis, and Catherine W. Kohn, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, instructor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Operating room: This is the operating suite in Hong Kong where Dr. Jack R. Snyder, chief treating veterinarian, and Dr. Cedric Chan repaired a horse's hairline leg fracture during the Olympics..

Both have considerable experience providing veterinary care at previous Olympic games — it's Kohn's fifth Olympics — and at other major equestrian events. Spier's husband, Jack R. Snyder, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, an orthopedic specialist who also teaches at UC-Davis, served as chief treating veterinarian at the Olympics. All three were part of a 30-member international team of staff veterinarians from the United States, China, Australia and Great Britain who worked with and advised veterinarians for the various national teams.

Here are glimpses into various aspects of the veterinary team's experience, based on Spier's and Kohn's e-mails:

THE VENUE

"We arrived at the venue on the last bus from the hotels at about 7:15 this morning (Aug. 6). It is both functional and very attractive. The horses are all comfortable in their stables. The barns are spacious, well-ventilated, air-conditioned and quiet. Indeed, the facilities at this venue are second to none that I have seen," Kohn reports. "We have an excellent clinic, with state-of-the-art equipment. We can perform X-rays, ultrasonography, endoscopy and thermography."

Tight quarters: 'The horses have better housing,' Spier says of this metal cubicle where she stayed one night.

She was writing about the facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) at Sha Tin Racecourse, where all the equestrian events were held except cross-country, which was 35 minutes away at Beas River Country Club.

Warning: A sign reminds the Hong Kong public to take reasonable precautions against bird flu.

Both Kohn and Spier were impressed with the Beas River facilities, too — except when it came to staying there overnight.

"We (usually) stay at a nearby hotel that has a shuttle service to the venue. We also can stay overnight at the venue in groom's quarters," Spier writes. "One photo I'm sending shows the metal container I shared with another vet, Kate Savage, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Not very luxurious! The horses have much better housing!"

The repair: Before-and-after views of the leg of a horse Spier's husband repaired with compression screws.

The equestrian games were moved to the cosmopolitan port city of Hong Kong because China couldn't guarantee a disease-free environment for horses in Beijing.

Though separated from the rest of the Olympic games by 1,200 miles, the veterinarians never mentioned feeling isolated in Hong Kong. "This venue has terrific Olympic spirit," Kohn writes midway through the games. While the Beijing venue was holding a spectacular opening ceremony, "We too had a lovely opening ceremony here at the Hong Kong Jockey Club," she says.

Headed home: Keymaster flew back to Sweden with his leg in a cast and was reported doing well..

THE HOSTS

Both Spier and Kohn praised the HKJC's facilities and preparations for their international guests, who included teams and individual riders representing 42 countries.

"I have not heard any complaints about any of the facilities, and the staff and volunteers are friendly and polite," Spier says.

"Dr. Chris Riggs made all the veterinary arrangements," Kohn reports. She was referring to Christopher Riggs, BVSc, PhD, DEO, DipECVS, MRCVS, a British veterinary orthopedic surgeon who is head of the jockey club's veterinary clinical services and served as Olympic veterinary-services manager. Equestrian teams and officials, along with the veterinarians, gave Riggs and his staff high marks for attention to details.

THE WEATHER

Even before the games' official start, team members hunkered down alongside the horses and competitors to ride out a typhoon that blew into the city.

"The No. 8 has been hoisted, as they say in Hong Kong," Kohn writes (Aug. 6). "We have lots of wind and very heavy rain. By law everyone must stay off the stgreets, and most public services, including transportation, are discontinued." But the rain didn't stop for a while. Early on opening day (Aug. 9), "we got very wet as we walked to the clinic from the security checkpoint," writes Kohn.

Summer humidity is high in Hong Kong's subtropical climate, a pre-game concern. "The horses are better able to manage conditions of hot and dry than hot and humid," says Dr. Leo Jeffcott, veterinary dean at the University of Sidney, Australia, who was the Olympics' senior international veterinarian.

To compensate, some Hong Kong events started at 6:30 a.m., ending by late morning or noon, while others began as late as 10:45 at night, ending at midnight or later, to keep horses and riders out of midday heat and humidity.

The weather cleared and temperatures cooled midway through the events. "The day of the cross-country was the coolest on record for this date in August," Spier wrote. "The air quality has been good, with a steady breeze so the conditions have not been as bad as some feared."

On the final day of the games, Typhoon Nuri blew in, but didn't force postponement of any competition. It may have delayed some flights home, however.

THE SURGERY

After the four-hour cross-country event, one of the most dangerous for horses and riders, a horse on the Swedish team, Keymaster, was found to have suffered a hairline pastern-bone fracture in its right foreleg.

The 15-year-old gelding was taken by ambulance to the main equine hospital at Sha Tin, where Snyder and Dr. Cedric Chan performed a surgical repair. "It sustained a spiral P1 fracture, which was repaired with four compression screws," Spier reports (Aug. 14). "The horse is doing well and should fly back to his home country by the end of the games."

Keymaster later was reported off medication and was to be flown home wearing a cast.

THE WORK

"We have been fairly steady in the veterinary clinic, probably seeing five to eight horses a day," Spier reports (Aug. 17). "The eventing horses have left or are leaving on planes, so there are trips to the airport to ensure they are safely transported and loaded into their containers. Horses that are out of competition are having lameness work-ups and those that didn't perform up to expectations are being examined. There are also the usual things — skin irritations, urticaria, conjuctivitis and routine ultrasound exams monitoring for tendon or ligament injuries."

Both Kohn and Spier wrote of heading to work some days before 6 a.m., and finishing after midnight.

THE FOOD

"Meals are ... well, interesting!" Spier writes (Aug. 17). "Plenty of seafood, Dim Sum and .. other things that we normally might not consider edible. Like chicken feet, duck feet, goose webbing, steamed roach, fish head, pig intestine, beef skin, minced pigeon, in many different preparations and presentations!

"By the way, there are very few overweight people here. We've really had time for only one meal a day, with the days starting early and the competitions running until midnight or later.

Table etiquette: "David Johnson, an equine vet from Australia, teaches us how to eat Asian food," Spier writes.

"One of the Swedish veterinarians said this is the healthiest he has ever felt. With the late nights and early mornings, there isn't much time or stamina for celebrating in the usual manner!"

Choosing a bouquet: Dr. Leo Jeffcott of Australia, senior international veterinarian, visits a flower market.

THE CITY

Despite the team's arduous schedule, some of the veterinarians found time for a bit of sight-seeing and exploration.

"Hong Kong has very interesting and diverse shopping," Spier reports. "From designer to 'fake,' for instance knock-offs of (designer or brand-name) handbags and scarves, watches and any kind of electronics.

"And there are amazing markets for flowers — note the photo taken there of Leo Jeffcott (senior international veterinarian) — and large markets for food, birds (pet birds and song birds) and fish (both edible and goldfish."

AND THE GAMES

"Great jump-off last night! Very exciting to watch!" Spier writes after seeing the U.S. team beat Canada in a jump-off to win team gold in equestrian jumping.