Horses have their place in Olympics

Large crowds have seen Great Britain perform in Sydney

Some correspondents to BBC Sport Online's Sports Talk debate have nominated equestrian events for the chop at future Olympic Games.

However, the BBC's Lee McKenzie maintains that they are an essential part of the programme.

It was predictable that some people would say that equestrian sports ought to be dropped from the Olympic Games.

They argue that the Olympics should be all about human achievement, not simply a case of who happens to be sitting on the best horse.

While this is an understandable view, it completely misses the point about equestrian activity. The rider is not just a passenger - he or she invariably plays a pivotal role in the formation of the horse as a competitor.

Abilities

If the Olympic Games were originally designed to test the basic athletic abilities of the human being, then there is clearly a place for equestrianism.

During the course of basic human development, for the sake of survival, man has had to run, jump, shoot, swim, operate a boat - and ride a horse.

Neither can the equestrian sports be accused of failing to draw public support.

There have been huge attendances at Horsley Park, including crowds of 50,000 and 45,000 at the two days of cross-country.

Show-jumping

The show-jumping arena, which holds 20,000, has frequently been full or close to capacity - even on the three days of dressage on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week.

Dressage is often criticised for being boring, but it is the ultimate test of man's ability to control a horse - a very pure form of human skill.

Even if you don't find it very interesting, it is only fair to recognise the years of effort that go into it.

As for the dressage attendances, crowds of nearly 20,000 have surprised those who don't understand equestrianism and don't want to understand it either.

But they would have to admit that there are fewer spectators at many a top football match.