About
About
Aim of the game
There are three different disciplines – dressage, jumping and eventing – in which riders must avoid accumulating penalty points for errors
Why should you watch this?
You will be amazed by the harmony between riders and horses in events that demand great skill, courage and endurance
Venues
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Combination
Denotes the horse and rider together
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Refusal
When the horse refuses to jump an obstacle
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Zero
A perfect round, when horse and rider accumulate no penalty points
Impress your friends
Dressage
In a flat competition area, the rider must prompt the horse to perform movements such as steps, trots and canters, as well as freestyle routines choreographed to music. Individual and team competitions are held simultaneously, in three phases:
The Grand Prix: the horse must perform pre-determined movements. Six teams and 32 individual riders progress.
The Grand Prix Special: again the horse must perform pre-determined movements. This phase determines the team winners and 18 individual finalists.
The Grand Prix Freestyle: determines the individual medallists, based on their final displays, which are performed to music.
Seven judges assess the precision of the movements and allocate scores from zero to ten. Three faults eliminate the rider.
Jumping
Riders and horses must complete a course of 8-12 obstacles – including fences, water jumps and walls – as quickly as possible without committing faults, such as toppling rails, hitting the water and refusing obstacles. Some faults, such as a fall, result in elimination. The winner is the rider with the least number of points.
Individual: After three elimination rounds, the top 20 compete for medals in two final rounds, the A and B finals. The rider with the best combined score from these two rounds wins.
Team: Teams are limited to four riders and each team discards its worst result. The best eight from the first round reach the final. The final standings are based on scores from both rounds. In the event of a tie, a jump-off decides the winner.
Eventing
Considered the ‘equestrian triathlon’, eventing combines dressage, jumping and cross country. Riders compete on the same horse in all three disciplines, each of which has its own day.
A rider’s score (which counts for the individual and team events) is their total penalties from all three events, the lowest score winning. Teams have three or four riders but only the best three scores count.
In dressage, sometimes referred to as ‘horse ballet’, horse and rider must complete movements such as steps, trots and canters.
Cross-country takes place on a course with 40-45 obstacles – such as logs, water jumps and fences – which must be completed in a given time.
In jumping, horse and rider must clear 9-12 obstacles, with the top 25 competing in a second round.
Stats
Top Medalists
| Men | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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ger
Reiner Klimke
|
6 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
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GER
Hans Günther Winkler
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5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
|
usa
John Michael Plumb
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2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| Women | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NED
Anky van Grunsven
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3 | 5 | 1 | 9 | |
|
GER
Isabell Werth
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 8 | |
|
GER
Lisetott Linsenhoff
|
2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |
