U.S. showjumper and five-time Olympian McLain Ward gives you the inside track on equestrian show jumping. Get ready to watch like a gold medalist, when the sport takes center stage at Versailles during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Equestrian is on at the Paris Olympics.
The sport was featured in Paris in 1900, but it didn't make its official Olympics debut until Stockholm 1912. The sport has come a long way, giving women the chance to compete in all the events in 1964. The sport then became the only entirely mixed discipline at the Games.
There are different rules for the different events. However, medals are up for grabs in both the individual and team competitions.
Some of the equestrian events require more precision and technique, while others are about endurance and experience, giving the athletes the ability to flex their different skills.
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What are the rules of equestrian at the Olympics?
There are three disciplines in equestrian: jumping, dressage and eventing.
Men and women compete in these three events in both team and individual competitions.
Here are some rules for the events:
Jumping: Riders and horses are timed as they jump over obstacles and try to knock over as few as possible. Penalties are given for each obstacle toppled or for exceeding the time limit.
Dressage: Riders and horses perform a series of movements to music. Judges will be looking out for movement around the course as well as accuracy and the execution of difficult movements.
Eventing: Riders and horses will compete in a three-phase event that combines jumping, dressage and cross country. The cross-country portion is a longer course with solid and natural obstacles, testing the endurance of the athletes.
How does scoring work in equestrian at the Olympics?
The three disciplines have different scoring rules.
Jumping: The score is based on the number of penalties accumulated by the rider and horse. The lowest score wins. If the event is tied, a jump-off is held to determine the winner.
Dressage: This event is decided by judges and their scores. Marks range from zero to 10. The scoring then is converted into a percentage with the highest percentage marked as the winner. If there is a tie, the collective marks (which evaluate the total performance and impression) are used to break the tie.
Eventing: The winner here is determined based on the total score from the three phases: dressage, cross-country, and jumping. The lowest score wins. If this event ends in a tie, the cross-country score is used to break the tie.
When and where does equestrian take place at the 2024 Olympics?
Equestrian will run from July 27 to Aug. 6 at the Palace of Versailles.
How many equestrian events will take place?
There are six different events. These events are as follows:
Jumping
- Team
- Individual
Dressage
- Team
- Individual
Eventing
- Team
- Individual
There will be 200 riders divided among the three disciplines: jumping (75), eventing (65), and dressage (60).
