Impress your friends

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  Dressage originated in ancient Greece when competing horses were required to move in a natural and disciplined manner

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  Men began competing in dressage at the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, but women were not able join in until the Helsinki 1952 Games

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  Jumping originated in the 18th century when a decision by the British Parliament enclosed some open countryside and fox hunters began jumping hedges and fences

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  The first official competition took place in Ireland in 1900, with the high jump, long jump and against the clock

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  Eventing began in Europe, where soldiers wanted to test how their horses would react in different situations

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  On its Olympic debut at the Stockholm 1912 Games, the sport was still known as Cheval D'Arms due to its origins in the French military

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  At the Paris 1924 Games, the Netherlands came back from last place at Antwerp 1920 to win gold in the individual and team eventing events

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  At the Rome 1960 Games, Italian brothers Raimondo and Piero D'Inzeo won the gold and silver medals in jumping respectively, delighting the home crowd

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  At the Beijing 2008 Games, the Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven became the first rider to win three consecutive Olympic titles in the individual dressage event

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  Germany has established a dominant position in Olympic dressage, with 19 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze medals

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  Germany's Hans Günter Winkler is the show jumper with the most Olympic gold medals (five) and the most Olympic medals (seven)

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  Germany has won seven Olympic eventing gold medals and has the current Olympic (Michael Jung) and world (Sandra Auffarth) individual champions

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  Equestrian is the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete on equal terms

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  Olympic horses work out on treadmills and receive massage, physiotherapy and acupuncture treatments

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  Horses fly to events around the world in cargo planes in specifically designed transport units with a vet and grooms onboard. They also have passports that include physical descriptions and vaccinations details.