A trial event in August, involving 17 international and 20 local competitors -- described by Ridley as "two-star riders and horses" -- uncovered problems which have raised concerns among some potential participants.
Chief among concerns are the searing sub-tropical heat of a Hong Kong August, with temperatures around 35?C and humidity of up to 90 percent, plus the thick pollution that drifts over the border from southern China's manufacturing belt.
"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," Britain's Daily Mail newspaper quoted Paralympic rider Lee Pearson as telling Zara Phillips, reigning three-day event world champion and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
"Why do they pick these places?" Phillips, who is expected to compete next year, was quoted as responding. "It's the same for the athletes as well. I mean, why do they do it?"
Ridley said no horses became "distressed" because of the heat during the trial event -- which was delayed a day by a typhoon -- but plans have been modified to ensure the animals are properly cooled during the Olympics.
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