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VERSAILLES, France — Horses galloped across the spectacular gardens of the Versailles Palace in a test event for the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. Versailles was once home to Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, and will stage the cross-country part of eventing plus modern pentathlon next year. The point of the two-day test is to make sure the five-kilometer cross-country path is comfortable enough for horses. Games organizers also wanted to test the stability of horses on a new pontoon bridge across the Grand Canal, the largest basin in the palace grounds. The setting will include a wide jumping arena with 20,000 seats. No equestrian competition will be held at Versailles before the Olympics, in part to preserve the site and avoid disruption to visitors.
