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Schedule & Results

Equestrian

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Date		Event		Status

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About

Key Facts
Rules
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Aim of the game

Each of the three disciplines requires a distinct skill set. There is the beauty and artistry of dressage, the intensity and precision of jumping and the combined effort of eventing which equates to an equestrian triathlon.

Why should you watch this?

It is the essence of partnership as riders compete with highly trained horses, together becoming one. The different disciplines are exciting, elegant and unpredictable, demanding great skill and courage.

Venues

Olympic Equestrian Centre

International Federation

FEI

Olympic debut

Paris 1900

Combination

Denotes the horse and rider together
Refusal

When the horse refuses to jump an obstacle
Zero

A perfect round, when horse and rider accumulate no penalty points

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Dressage originated in ancient Greece when competing horses were required to move in a natural and disciplined manner
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
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
The first official competition took place in Ireland in 1900, with the high jump, long jump and against the clock
Eventing began in Europe, where soldiers wanted to test how their horses would react in different situations
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
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
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
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
Germany has established a dominant position in Olympic dressage, with 19 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze medals
Germany's Hans Günter Winkler is the show jumper with the most Olympic gold medals (five) and the most Olympic medals (seven)
Germany has won seven Olympic eventing gold medals and has the current Olympic (Michael Jung) and world (Sandra Auffarth) individual champions
Equestrian is the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete on equal terms
Olympic horses work out on treadmills and receive massage, physiotherapy and acupuncture treatments
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.

Dressage

In a flat competition arena, the rider must prompt the horse to perform special movements in walk, trot and canter, as well as freestyle routines choreographed to music. Individual and team competitions are held simultaneously, in three phases:

The Grand Prix: the horse must perform pre-determined movements. Six teams and 32 individual riders progress.

The Grand Prix Special: again the horse must perform pre-determined movements. This phase determines the team winners and 18 individual finalists.

The Grand Prix Freestyle: determines the individual medallists, based on their final displays, which are performed to music.

Seven judges assess the precision of the movements and allocate scores from zero to ten. Three faults eliminate the rider.

Jumping

Riders and horses must complete a course of 8-12 obstacles – including fences, water jumps and walls – as quickly as possible without committing faults, such as toppling rails, hitting the water and refusing obstacles. Some faults, such as a fall, result in elimination. The winner is the rider with the least number of points.

Individual: After three elimination rounds, the top 20 compete for medals in two final rounds, the A and B finals. The rider with the best combined score from these two rounds wins.

Team: Teams are limited to four riders and each team discards its worst result. The best eight from the first round reach the final. The final standings are based on scores from both rounds. In the event of a tie, a jump-off decides the winner.

Eventing

Considered the ‘equestrian triathlon’, eventing combines dressage, jumping and cross country. Riders compete on the same horse in all three disciplines, each of which has its own day.

A rider’s score (which counts for the individual and team events) is their total penalties from all three events, the lowest score winning. Teams have three or four riders but only the best three scores count.

In dressage, sometimes referred to as horse ballet, the rider must prompt the horse to perform special movements in walk, trot and canter.

Cross-country takes place on a course with 40-45 obstacles – such as logs, water jumps and fences – which must be completed in a given time.

In jumping, horse and rider must clear 9-12 obstacles, with the top 25 competing in a second round.