Many people plan to view the upcoming Summer Olympics, which open Friday in Beijing, but Joan Goswell will be watching with more interest than most.

The Valencia resident is the owner of Mandiba, a 9-year-old male horse that will be competing in the equestrian events.

"I've been riding horses all my life, tons of them over the years," said Goswell. "I own my own farm, but all of my other horses are retired from competition. They're living the good life.

"He's an Irish thoroughbred, which are known for their heart," she said of Mandiba. "It's like everything else, when you get to a stage like the Olympics, you're more talented."

Riding Mandiba in China will be Karen O'Connor, who lives in Virginia, where she has been training with the horse.

"I've known Karen for 20 to 25 years," said Goswell. "This will be her fourth Olympics. She's won two medals, including a silver in Atlanta (in 1996)."

O'Connor and Mandiba, who spent the last few days in Hong Kong, made it to Beijing after another horse suffered an injury.

"There's a group of people called selectors who go to the most advanced trials to take a look at all the horses leading up to the Olympics," said Goswell. "We learned that they picked Karen and Mandiba as alternates about five weeks ago. And we found out they'd actually be competing 10 days ago."

O'Connor, 50, will be riding Mandiba in the equestrian eventing competition, which begins Friday and lasts for three days.

"It's like a triathlon for horses," said Goswell.

Included will be dressage, jumping and cross country.

The first of the three is an event in which the horse is controlled in steps and gaits by movements of the rider on a specific course.

Goswell bought Mandiba five years ago and is confident the horse can have a good showing.

"He's the youngest horse on the (U.S.) team," Goswell said. "It takes a lot of years to get to this level. Most of the horses that will be competing there are at least 12 years old.

"Everything about (Mandiba), his ability, mentality ... sets him apart from other horses."

Though she is reluctant to say how much she paid for Mandiba, Goswell does allow, "It's been well worth it."

Goswell plans to keep track of the events through video streaming on the Internet.

"A gold medal would be nice," she said. "I mean, you go over there to win, right?

"But I just hope he gets back here safely."