Event Guide - Equestrian

The Equestrian disciplines are unique amongst Olympic sports in that men and women compete on the equal terms, while horse and rider are both declared Olympic medal winners.

A total of more than 400 horses and riders from 41 different nations will be competing at the Games.

Equestrian sports consist of three separate disciplines: Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing (Three-Day Event). Each discipline features individual and team competition.

In the Dressage event, horse and rider carry out a set of specific movements and are judged on their performance for the quality and overall aspect of the test. The total three scores of each team will count towards the team classification, while each rider's own score will also count in the individual competition which takes place over three rounds, the competitors being whittled down from 50 to 25 to the final 15.

In the Show Jumping event, competitors are tested over a series of about 15 obstacles, including parallel rails, triple bars, water jumps and simulated stone walls within a specified time period. The team competition takes place over three rounds with the team amassing the lowest total number of penalties from its three best-placed riders in the final two rounds the winner. The three rounds of the team competition also act as qualification for the individual competition with the riders who accumulate the least number of penalties moving through to a two-round final.

The Eventing competition is a combination of Dressage, Jumping and Cross-Country tests and is the most complex of the three Equestrian disciplines. Formerly known as the Three Day Event, it now takes place over four days. Days one and two are Dressage, three is Cross-Country and day four is Show Jumping. The Dressage and Show Jumping phases are similar to the pure Dressage and Show Jumping competitions. The Cross-Country test takes place on the third Eventing competition day on an obstacle course of approximately 5.7 km, consisting of a maximum of 45 jumping barriers that must be completed within a pre-approved length of time (approximately 11 minutes). Team and individual competitions run concurrently, with an additional Jumping test as the final competition to determine the individual classification.

Quotas of horse/rider pairings vary between Games and between each discipline - at present each national federation may enter a team of four riders on the Show Jumping team (one of which is a reserve), five on the Eventing team (no reserves) and three riders on the Dressage team.

Riders are required by the FEI (International Federation for Equestrian Sports) to be a minimum of 18 years old while all horses must be at least 7, but there is no maximum age.

The horses must be the same nationality as the riders and each horse and rider must hold a certificate to prove experience in top international competition.

The equestrian events of the Beijing Olympics will be held in Hong Kong, China from August 9-21. The Show Jumping and Dressage events will be held at the main venue in Sha Tin and the Cross-Country eventing competition will be held at Beas River.

History

The history of Equestrian sport dates back over 2000 years to when the Greeks introduced Dressage training to prepare their horses for war.

It continued to progress as a military exercise throughout the Middle Ages with the Three Day Event designed to reflect the range of challenges military horses would face.

In its modern form, Equestrianism owes much to its inclusion in the Olympic Games, which led to the creation of the FEI (International Federation for Equestrian Sports) in 1921.

Equestrian events were first included in the Olympic Games in 1900 and then in 1912, in a format very similar to that which exists today.

Show Jumping was the first Equestrian discipline to appear, forming part of the Paris 1900 Olympic Games.

In the 1906 IOC (International Olympic Committee) Congress in Athens, Count Clarence von Rosen, Master of the Horse to the King of Sweden, formed a detailed proposal to include all three Equestrian disciplines in the Olympic Games.

The Three-Day Event (Eventing) discipline was restricted to military officers, while the Show Jumping and Dressage competitions were open to civilians although only a handful competed up to 1948.

From 1952, following an IOC decision, these restrictions were lifted, and both male and female civilians were given the opportunity to compete in all three Olympic disciplines.

Olympic Greats:

With the Equestrian events only opened up to both male and female civilians at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Danish dressage rider Lis Hartel was the first women to compete at Olympic level. Despite being paralysed from the knees down due to polio which meant she had to be helped on to and from her horse, Hartel took home a silver medal and repeated the feat in Stockholm four years later.

German Reiner Klimke is a legendary figure in the Dressage discipline and holds the record for the most medals won in an Olympic equestrian event. Klimke competed in both Olympic Eventing and Dressage, but it was in the Dressage competitions that he shone winning team gold for West Germany in 1964,1968, 1976, 1984 and 1988 and individual gold in 1984.

William Roycroft wrote himself into Olympic folklore at the 1960 Games in Rome after climbing from his hospital bed to lead Australia to team Eventing gold. Having fallen on the cross country course, he was taken to hospital seemingly ending his team's hopes. But he subsequently discharged himself and, despite his arm being in a sling, rode a clear round in the Show Jumping to lead his team to the gold medal.

Italian brothers Raimondo and Piero D'Inzeo became the first Olympians to compete in eight Olympic Games as they both rode in the equestrian events for Italy at every Olympics from 1948-76. Raimondo just eclipsed his brother in terms of medal achievement, winning one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals, while Piero won two silver and four bronze medals.

Best of British:

Equestrian Team GB competes across all three disciplines at the Olympic Games and has won a total of 22 medals over the years.

The medal haul comprises five gold, eight silver and nine bronze.

Great Britain has had some memorable Equestrian Olympians over the years including HRH The Princess Royal - President of the British Olympic Association - who took part in the 1976 Games in the individual and team Eventing competition.

Her former husband Captain Mark Phillips also competed at the Olympics winning gold in 1972 in the Eventing discipline and silver in the same event in 1988.

Having won silver in the team Eventing discipline in Sydney in 2000, Leslie Law took individual Eventing gold in Athens in 2004 before adding silver in the team event.

Ones to Watch:

Dressage:

Dutchwoman Anky Van Grunsven, who won individual gold in 2000 and 2004, will once again do battle with Isabell Werth of Germany, a four-time individual and team gold medallist. In a dress rehearsal for Hong Kong, the two went head-to-head at the FEI World Cup Dressage final in the Netherlands in March with Van Grunsven clinching victory over her rival on the final ride. Another competitor to watch will be Japan's Hiroshi Hoketsu who is in his late sixties. Hoketsu switched to dressage after competing in show jumping at the 1964 Tokyo Games. Germany have dominated the team event in recent years and have held on to gold since winning it at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

Show Jumping:

German Ludger Beerbaum looks likely to be in the shake-up for medals once again, as does his sister-in-law Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, the rankings leader who was born in Los Angeles and competes for Germany. Great Britain's best medal prospects look to be brothers John and Michael Whitaker who won a team silver at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

Eventing:

Double-medallist Mark Todd has given the sport a real buzz after coming out of an eight-year retirement to clinch a surprise qualification on board Gandalf. His presence will ensure New Zealand will be amongst the favourites, but Great Britain have a strong medal hope of their own in the shape of William Fox-Pitt, while Nicolas Touzaint of France and Phillip Dutton, who won a gold medal for Australia in 1996 and now competes for America, are also hotly-tipped. Home eyes will be on teenager Alex Hua Tian who is the first Chinese three-day eventer to compete in the Olympics.

Team GB:

Dressage:

Laura Becholtsheimer & Mistral Hojris
Emma Hindle & Lancet 2
Jane Gregory (nee Bredin) & Lucky Star

Eventing:

Tina Cook & Miners Frolic
Daisy Dick & Spring Along
William Fox-Pitt & Parkmore Ed
Sharon Hunt & Tankers Town
Mary King & Call Again Cavalier

Show Jumping:

John Whitaker & Peppermill
Michael Whitaker & Suncal Portofino 63
Ben Maher & Rolette
Tim Stockdale & Fresh Direct Corlato

Medal Hope - William Fox-Pitt