Equestrian - Rules

Equestrian comprises three disciplines at the Games, with men and women competing on equal terms.

In the jumping discipline, riders and horses are timed as they jump over obstacles, with time penalties imposed for each obstacle toppled. Agility, technique and harmony between horse and rider are essential.

Dressage is the most advanced form of horse training, where horse and rider perform a series of artistic movements to music. Judges evaluate the ease and fluidity with which they move around the course.

The third discipline of eventing resembles an equestrian triathlon. It combines the two other events—jumping and dressage—with a third: cross-country, which consists of a long course combining solid and natural obstacles, drawing on the athletes’ endurance and experience. The horse and rider with the most versatile skills win the three events.