Well done to Silvia Ikle for pulling her horses out of the Olympics due to heat/humidity/travel risks. Its good to see a top class rider put their horses first.
It's her choice, and she made the choice on welfare grounds. But - did I read the article correctly? Are they penalised for not competing by have a question mark put over funding for next year?
It looks like their National Olympic Committee could decide to cut funding for dressage. I imagine that the committee will take into account the level of financial support that they provide and the probability of getting a medal versus the many other sports competing for the limited amount of funding available.
Animal welfare and the desire for medals are obviously factors that may conflict. Personally I feel that the right decision was made in this case.
