The Equestrian disciplines are unique among Olympic sports, in the sense that men and women compete on the same terms and horse and rider are both declared Olympic medal winners.
Eventing is a combination of Dressage, Jumping and Cross-Country tests which are carried out over 4 consecutive days.
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Dan Hughes has set his sights on success in Rio 2016 after being announced as new Performance Director for the British Equestrian Federation.
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The history of Equestrian sport dates back over 2,000 years, to when the Greeks introduced Dressage training to prepare their horses for war.
It continued to develop as a military exercise through the Middle Ages, with the Three Day Event - which includes Dressage, Cross Country and Show Jumping tests - designed to reflect the range of challenges horses faced in the army.
In its modern form, Equestrian owes much to its inclusion in the Olympic Games, which led to the creation of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) in 1921.
Through its development of international competitions, the FEI has helped to spread the popularity of horse sport outside its traditional army base.
Historically, Eventing was the military mission of a cavalry officer that had to deliver a message through enemy lines and back to his base. The first Eventing competition was recorded in France in 1902 and became an Olympic sport in 1912. Eventing in the UK started in 1949 when Badminton Horse Trials were held for the first time. Since then, Britain has become one of the most successful nations in the history of the sport
Jumping was the first Equestrian discipline, which was included in the Paris 1900 Olympic Games. In the 1906 IOC Congress in Athens, the Count Clarence von Rosen, Master of the Horse to the King of Sweden, under the guidelines of the IOC President Pierre De Coubertin, formed a detailed proposal to include all three Equestrian disciplines in the Olympic Games.
The IOC accepted von Rosen’s proposal but it was after a 12-year interval that Jumping, together with Dressage and Eventing were included in the competition schedule of the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Since then, these three Olympic disciplines have been part of the Olympic Games, with minor modifications in the way they are conducted.
It is worth mentioning that, until 1952, only men riders who were cavalry officers could participate in the Olympic Games. Starting from 1952, under an IOC decision, these restrictions were lifted, and both men (civilians) and women were given the chance to compete in the three Olympic disciplines, under common rules of evaluation and marking.
The International Equestrian Federation (Fédération Equestre Internationale – FEI), which was founded in 1921, is the governing body of the Equestrian Sport and includes 135 member countries.
The modern Eventing competition (formerly called the Three Day Event) takes place over four days. Days One and Two are Dressage, Day Three is Cross Country and Day four is Jumping.
The Dressage and Jumping phases are similar to the pure Dressage and Jumping competitions. In the Cross Country event, riders have to complete a course over natural terrain of between 6270m and 7410m.
The course contains solid obstacles that test the nerve, boldness, scope and partnership of horse and rider; faults are awarded for run-outs, exceeding the specified time limit and falls of either horse or rider.
The rider with the fewest penalties at the end of the competition is the winner, with the Team Medals decided by the best three scores from each nation.
Rider’s Clothing
The rider’s basic items of clothing include: a Top Hat for Dressage or a Hard hat for the Jumping and cross-country events; coat, white shirt and stock (hunting tie) for gentlemen and choker for ladies (in Dressage, black or dark blue tailcoat for ladies and gentlemen); breeches; riding boots; spurs and gloves for ladies and gentlemen.
Horse’s Equipment
Saddle
The purpose of the saddle is to help the rider adjust his balance and sitting on the horse. Saddle types differ to allow and permit different Equestrian activities. The Jumping and Eventing saddle is forward cut with knee rolls for close contact while the Dressage saddle has a deeper seat and straight flaps.
The saddle is made of steel, glass fibres or wood. The saddle’s exterior is mainly made of leather.
Girth
The girth holds the saddle firmly in place. It is similar to a belt.
Martingales
The purpose of the martingale is to help prevent the horse raising his head.
Bridle and Bit
The bit provides the principle means of contact and communication between horse and rider. The majority of bits rest on the mouth between the canine teeth and the grinders. There are different kinds of bits and the rider chooses accordingly to what suits the horse. The most commonly used bits are the ordinary bridoon bit (snaffle), the bridoon bit with two joints, the egg-butt bridoon bit, the pelham, the kimblewick etc.
Dressage horses use a double bridle, which consists of two bits on separate pairs of reins, a snuffle compared with a curb bit and a curb chain attached. The double bridle gives greater control to the rider.
Eventing is concluded over four competition days and is a combination of Dressage, Jumping and Cross-country tests. The aim of the rider is to achieve the lowest number of penalties in all three disciplines.
The rider has to execute a predetermined test of movements within an arena 60 x 20m. This test proves the harmonious development of the physique and ability of the horse, as well as the harmony and perfect understanding between the rider and the horse.
Riders have to complete a course over natural terrain of between 6270m and 7410m. The course contains solid obstacles that test the nerve, boldness, scope and partnership of horse and rider; faults are awarded for run-outs, exceeding the specified time limit and falls of either horse or rider.
The first round decides the placing of the team event; the winning team is the one with the lowest total number of penalty points, after adding together the scores from the three highest placed athletes in the team. Riders and horses are given penalty points for any jumping errors and time faults, which are added to their carried forward score from the dressage and cross-country rounds.
This round determines the individual placing. The team scores from the previous jumping round determine which riders (the top 25) will go through to this round. The individual winner is the athlete with the lowest penalty score after penalty points incurred from all three phases have been totalled, including results from the first jumping round.
· Fault: A set number of penalty points for making a mistake.
· Schooling area: The warm-up area outside a Show Jumping ring.
· Run-out: When a horse gets out of the rider’s control and runs around a fence instead of jumping it.
· Half Pass: A forward and sideways Dressage movement where the horse crosses its legs as it moves sideways.
· Gallop: The fastest movement of a horse - equivalent to running.
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