There are three disciplines and both individual and team competitions.
What an exciting 2024 Summer Olympics!
The equestrian events were held from July 27th to August 6th at the Palace of Versailles in France. Over 200 riders from around the world competed in dressage, eventing, and show jumping events. Their sights all set on
winning a gold medal! There were 75 riders in jumping, 60 in dressage, and 65 riders in eventing. Riders could compete for individual and team medals. In the equestrian events at the Olympics, there are three separate disciplines. They are
as follows…
Dressage
There are three phases of dressage that take place over two days. There are seven judges that are strategically placed around the 60m x 20m dressage arena. They score the rider and horse based on how well the required movements were performed. The first, Grand Prix, is both a team competition and individual qualifier. Each rider and horse perform a Grand Prix test with 38 required movements and four collective marks.The teams that placed in the top ten advanced to the team final, known as the Grand Prix Special test. While this is a shorter test, it’s more demanding of horse and rider.The top 18 riders from the Grand Prix Special will be eligible to compete at the Grand Prix Freestyle. Each rider and horse perform Grand Prix movements to an original composition of music. The individual rider with the highest percentage wins this phase.
Eventing
In eventing, competitors perform in three phrases- dressage, cross country, and show jumping. Dressage is the first event and takes place over two days, followed by one day of cross country, and a final day of show jumping. To qualify for individual competition, the athletes must start and finish all three phases.
During this Olympic event, team and individual medals are run alongside each other.The scores of each team member are added together. The lowest team score, which have the least number of penalties, are the gold medalist. The top 25 individual riders after the first jumping round, then perform a second jumping round to determine medals.
Show Jumping
Over the course of four days, there are individual and team jumping competitions.
These events are held separately. There are 75 rider and horse pairs that compete
individually over a 12-obstable course. The top 30 athletes will advance to the final jump round.
The team competition occurs over two days and includes a first round, second round, and possible jump off. The team’s top three scores are used to establish a team score.
The lowest score is dropped off. If any of the teams tie, then a jump off will be the determining factor.
The best of the best competes at the Olympics. These riders and their horses have given their all to come home with a medal. It’s exciting and inspiring to watch these teams strive for the gold!
