The Special Olympics began with excitement and celebration at the Opening Ceremony at Croke Park in the centre of Dublin - and a celebration of the mammot proportions it was! The "stars" of this show were the athletes who spoke so articulately and with such passion that no-one in the 80,000 strong crowd was left unmoved. The athletes came in country by country with a huge roar erupting when Arnold Schwarzenger walked in hand in hand with Austrian athletes and the appreciation continued for each country as they came in. After all the dramas of the SARS virus and the doubt over whether China and Canada could send teams, it was obvious that the enthusiastic Irish crowd wanted to give a special welcome to these two countries as they came into the arena.

Nelson Mandela made an impassioned speech about the need to encourage these very special athletes and, in fact, people throughout the world with mental disabilities to take their place in society as they have so much to offer.

But it was the athletes themselves who made the greatest impact with their addresses so full of hope and encouragement as they spoke of their hopes and goals.

Words cannot express the feeling of the time I spent with these special athletes at Kill International Equestrian Centre as they rode with such finesse and determination and so I would like to bring you a pictorial tour of the equestrian events at the 2003 Special Olympics World Games.