Olympic Equestrian

Equestrian events have been held at the Summer Olympics since 1900.¹ Athletes compete in three categories of events: dressage, eventing and jumping. Each category features a mixed individual and a mixed team competition.²

Fast Facts

1. Introduced to the Olympics in 1900¹
2. Event categories: Dressage, eventing and jumping²
3. Three mixed-gender individual and three mixed-gender team events²
4. Governed by the Fédération Equestre Internationale³
5. One of only a few Olympic sports where men and women compete side by side for the same medals⁴

Equestrian Events at the 2008 Olympics

Equestrian events at the 2008 Summer Olympics were held from August 9 to August 21, 2008, at the Hong Kong Sports Institute and Beas River in Hong Kong. Germany led all nations in total medals, taking home five. The U.S. equestrian team won three medals, while Canada, the Netherlands and Great Britain each earned two.⁵

History

The individual jumping event was added to the Summer Olympics in 1900. Four additional equestrian events were introduced in 1912, including individual dressage, individual and team eventing and team jumping. The sixth event, team dressage, was added in 1928.⁶

Events

• Individual mixed dressage²
• Individual mixed eventing²
• Individual mixed jumping²
• Team mixed dressage²
• Team mixed eventing²
• Team mixed jumping²

About the Events

In the dressage events, riders demonstrate their horse's ability to complete a routine of specific movements.⁷ The jumping events challenge riders and horses to complete a course of approximately 15 jumps.⁴ The eventing competitions combine dressage and jumping with a cross-country riding portion.⁸ Dressage and eventing competitions are scored by a panel of judges for technical and artistic qualities, while jumping events are scored on technical aspects, including completing the course in the specified time.^{7 4 8}

Related Pages on Mahalo

Horseback Riding | US Olympic Equestrian 2008 | Summer Olympics 2008 | Olympics | Summer Olympics

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