Equestrian at Paris 2024 Olympics: Preview, full schedule and how to watch live
Equestrian events at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will showcase the partnership between horse and rider across three distinct disciplines: jumping, dressage and eventing.
The events will take place from 27 July - 6 August, with individual and team medals awarded for each discipline.
Jumping features timed obstacle courses, while dressage involves horse and rider performing artistic movements to music. Eventing, comparable to an equestrian ‘triathlon,’ combines dressage, jumping and cross-country.
Equestrian is one of the only sports in which men and women compete on equal terms, and aside from the equestrian component of the modern pentathlon, it is the only Olympic event to involve animals.
The sport returns to its Olympic roots, with the equestrian events having first debuted at the Olympic Games Paris 1900. Now, equestrian royalty from around the world will gather in France once more, in the most fitting venue of all: the historic Château de Versailles.
Read on Olympics.com for a preview of these events, the full schedule and how to watch them live.
Equestrian stars to watch at Paris 2024 Olympics
Jumping
Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann has topped the world rankings since 2022 and is a clear favourite for Paris 2024. With multiple world championship titles, a European title and several World Cup golds this cycle, von Eckermann and his horse, King Edward, seek to complete the collection with an individual Olympic gold after just falling short of the podium in Tokyo 2020.
Reigning Olympic champions Team Sweden dominated the 2024 Riyadh World Cup finals in both the individual and team events and will be the team to beat in Paris.
Check out who could threaten von Eckermann’s mission in Paris, including reigning Olympic champion Ben Maher.
Dressage
All eyes will be on Germany’s Isabell Werth, the queen of dressage, who aims to make history in Paris by potentially becoming the woman with the most Olympic gold medals in any sport, a record also within reach for USA swimmer Katie Ledecky.
She faces strong competition from teammate Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, the current Olympic champion and world number one. Great Britain’s Charlotte “Lottie” Fry, ranked third globally, has two world titles from 2022, a European title from 2023 and seeks to better her team’s bronze from Tokyo 2020.
India’s Anush Agarwalla will make history as his country’s first-ever Olympic dressage appearance.
And never count out Team USA’s ‘Rave Horse’ - Suppenkasper, aka ‘Mopsie,’ whose dance skills orchestrated by five-time Olympic equestrian Steffen Peters wowed the crowds at Tokyo 2020.
Eventing
Germany’s success also extends to eventing, as multiple world, European and Olympic medallist Michael Jung heads its team. His teammate and reigning Olympic champion, Julia Krajewski, adds to its force.
Great Britain’s hopes lie in Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Tom McEwen and 2023 European champion Rosalind Canter, while married couple Tim and Jonelle Price ride for Team New Zealand in their third Olympic appearance.
Germany and Great Britain will likely battle it out for the team title, with New Zealand, France, Australia and the United States trailing closely behind.
Full equestrian schedule at Olympic Games 2024
The jumpers are set to take the stage at the Château de Versailles from 27 July - 6 August.
How to watch equestrian live at Paris 2024
All the action from Paris 2024, including equestrian, can be watched via media rights holders (MRHs).
MRHs include Nine in Australia, Globo in Brazil, CBC in Canada, CCTV in People’ s Republic of China, Fuji TV/NHK/Nippon TV/TBS/TV Asahi/TV Tokyo in Japan, SKY NZ in New Zealand, SuperSport in South Africa, NBC in the United States and Discovery Eurosport across Europe, alongside France Télévisions in France, ARD/ZDF in Germany and BBC Sport in the United Kingdom, among others.
Check listings in other regions for your local broadcaster.
The historic Château de Versailles, site of the equestrian events, was the first French site to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979.