Never mind Dressage, looks like Badminton will have to banned from the Olympics, due to general political incorrectness and the unethical treatment of animals:
"Top level shuttlecocks are made from sixteen feathers embedded in a rounded cork base covered with leather. Goose feathers are the best. Duck feathers are sometimes used but they have a tendency to dry out and break. The feathers - nearly all from China, where the there is a strong taste for goose - must come from the left wing of the bird, and each wing provides only seven or eight feathers of the requisite size. They are easily bent and broken, so players may get through a dozen or more during the course of a match. Shuttlecocks also have to be used quickly; they cannot be vacuum-packed and begin to degrade after a couple of months on the shelf."
from David Goldblatt & Johnny Acton, How to Watch the Olympics, [Profile Books, London, 2011], 400pp.
Haven't done the math, but how many birds are sacrificed in the service of The Games and then burnt-at-the-stake?
BBQ'd to all their meaty, greasy goodness.
Pop 'em in a snack pack and watch the shuttlecocks fly!
Horrifying vegetarians since 1992.
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