Equestrian
Equestrian sport includes various types of competition in which the rider's partner is a horse. The most beautiful and elegant discipline – dressage – is considered by many to be a high art, but the most dynamic and widely practised equestrian discipline in the world is jumping, in which pairs of athletes overcome obstacles on a set course at maximum speed.
Disciplines
History
Games involving horses have been popular since the time of ancient Rome. There have been traditional equestrian competitions as well as more exotic events.
Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic programme throughout the history of the Games. At the first Olympic Games, there were events such as speed riding, darts on the move and archery. Since 1912, three classical disciplines - dressage, jumping and triathlon - have been part of the Olympic programme.
Rules
In jumping, the performance is assessed by jumping over obstacles in a certain order, with penalty points being awarded for falling over an obstacle, for breaking the course and for exceeding the time limit, which is calculated on the basis of the length of the course and the speed of movement. There are different types of obstacles (vertical, horizontal, ditch with water) on the course, the height and width of which are determined by the rules for each level of the competition. The winner is determined by the lowest number of penalty points and the shortest time spent on the course.
Top Three Facts
In equestrian sport, men and women compete in the same event.
In equestrian sport, the horse is recognised as a full athlete and is subject to doping control in the same way as the rider.
Isabelle Werth is the most decorated Olympic rider in the history of equestrian sport (dressage). She has won 12 Olympic medals, 7 of which are gold.
Competition Venue
