Equestrian Olympics 2016

Equestrian events are the three Olympic disciplines involving horse-riding and have been in the Olympics since 1900. Dressage, eventing, and show jumping are the individual and team sports. The sport is governed by the Federation Equestre Internationale. Men and women compete on equal terms.

Dressage is a test of obedience and communication between the rider and his or her mount. The tests are divided into three levels: novice, intermediate, and advanced. Each level requires the rider to perform a certain set of movements in a certain amount of time. A judge or a panel scores the performance and decides whether or not the rider has passed. Riders earn points based on how well they do, but only if their performance is clean and correct. A rider receives a penalty for each error, such as putting a foot in the stirrup or touching a fence with a hand, and is eliminated if they have three errors or run-outs.

The Olympic competition for eventing began in 1908, and owes its return to Count Clarence von Rosen, Master of the Horse to the King of Sweden. He was the first to propose that both women and men compete in equestrian sports, and the idea gained popularity as the Games moved to Europe. Equestrian competition has been an Olympic event every year since, and is now one of the most popular of the modern Olympic sports.

Despite the fact that many people don’t think of horses as athletes, the sport is incredibly athletic. A rider’s ability to command the animal and guide him or her through difficult courses requires physical fitness, mental discipline, and an intimate knowledge of the animal. Moreover, the horses are considered to be as much of an athlete as the riders. They are not only bred and trained for specific purposes, but they are also subjected to extensive veterinary inspections during the course of the Olympics.

In the equestrian events, medals are awarded in three disciplines: dressage, eventing, and show jumping. Both individual and team medals are available in each. The dressage and the eventing events take place over a cross-country course that consists of obstacles such as narrow gates, open ditches, double oxers, and walls. The equestrian eventing is also unique because of the fact that competitors are allowed to wear a helmet.

During the final round of the team event, the top eight teams advance to the Grand Prix Special, which has a slightly more rigorous course than the Grand Prix and is used to determine the team medals. Each nation may field a total of four riders on the jumping team (including one reserve), five on the eventing team, and three in the dressage.

In the final of the olympics 2016 for show jumping, Great Britain’s Nick Skelton won gold riding Fine Lady after winning a six-horse jump-off against Sweden’s Peder Fredricson and Canada’s Eric Lamaze, who both incurred four faults. Lucy Davis, a member of the US team, was unable to participate in the jump-off because she had knocked a rail down earlier in the competition.