London's Greenwich Park is to be filled with the world's top horses in their finest horse equipment as it was confirmed last week that Greenwich will be home to equestrian and other events for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The decision was made during a long meeting between Greenwich Council's planning committee members, residents and the Games organisers as arguments were heard for and against the location hosting the games.

While Greenwich was given the go ahead to hold the equestrian events, councillors imposed around 40 conditions on games organisers' preparations to transform the 87-hectare park into a venue for showjumping, dressage, cross-country and the Modern Pentathalon.

Hundreds of local people for and against the application crowded into Woolwich Town Hall for the meeting, giving the area a small taster of what's to come when the games get under way.

The plans to hold the events at Greenwich have certainly been controversial and met with a lot of criticism. However Olympic equestrian competition manager Tim Hadaway is confident that the plans will be a success and said, "We have every confidence that we can comply with the conditions in the year and a half before the test event."

No doubt once the stadium and arena has been finished and is full of the world's top horses gleaming in their horse equipment and top riders, such as Zara Phillips, concerns over the events' location will have been long forgotten.

[Image © cmaccubbins via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence]