About Equestrian
Equestrian is a thrilling sport that involves the skill of an athlete and a horse. This game demands complete control of the athlete over the horse to display their skills. Experts conclude that the skills of an athlete contribute 45 per cent and the rest 55 per cent depends upon the performance of the horse.
Equestrian derived from Latin words equester and equus that means horse. The rider and the horse have to maintain perfect harmony to complete the event in a designated time and course.
This sport is divided into three events, Jumping also known as Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. These events can be played as an individual or in teams.
Equestrian is governed by Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). They set the rules of the sport and organise competitions around the world. Equestrian was introduced in Olympics as a sport in 1900 in Paris. The next year it disappeared from the Olympics only to reappear in the 1912 Olympics.
Until the 1952 Olympics, only gentlemen from the Military participated in this sport. From the 1952 Olympics onwards, general men were allowed to participate in this sport. Women were allowed to participate in Equestrian from 1956.
A sport, where men and women compete on the equal terms and condition. There is no separate event for women.
Equestrian Olympic 2020 logo : 
History
The history of riding and performing stunts on horse dates back to ancient times. Military men used to ride the horse and compete among themselves. Riding on the horseback playing Polo was a pastime sport.
Equestrian was introduced in Olympics as a sport in 1900 in Paris. The next year it disappeared from the Olympics only to reappear in the 1912 Olympics. In 1924, for the first time, Equestrian was played in Olympics under the governing body of Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).
Objective
Equestrian has three different events Eventing, Jumping and Dressage. The objective of the sport is to have complete coordination between the rider and the horse so that there is no fault or penalties incurred and the ride gets completed within the stipulated timeline.
Events In Equestrian
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Dressage
Dressage is a French word that means training. It displays the art and artistic ability of the rider with the horse. The horse performs artistic skills documented in FEI rule books along with music played in the background.
This sport involves harmonious coordination between the rider and the horse so that the horse remains calm, loose and flexible as well as attentive to the instructions of the rider.
The rider rides the horse effortlessly, and the horse responds to the instructions by the rider. This sport consists of a series of movements with increasing level of difficulty in the arena particularly marked for each movement.
The qualities demonstrated by the rider and horse includes:
- The harmony between rider and horse along with their ease of movement.
- The lightness of the forehand and hindquarters engagement making the horse lively.
- The freedom and regularity of paces of the horse.
- The acceptance of bit with submissiveness without any tension or resistance.
The horse obeys instructions willingly, and without hesitation and responds to the various aids calmly and with precision, displaying a natural and harmonious balance both physically and mentally.
The horse must be ‘on the bit’ that refers to the neck of the horse should be raised and arched. The head should remain in a steady position. This sport is a delight to watch, with the horse performing effortlessly to the tunes of the music with all the technicalities and obeying the instructions of the rider.
The horse should give the impression of performing the routine in its own accord, submitting generously to the control of the rider, remaining straight in any movement on a straight line and bending, accordingly when moving on curved lines.
Dressage Arena
The arena for Dressage is 60 m by 20 m, and the same arena is also used in Eventing. The arena letters are A-K-V-E-S-H-C-M-R-B-P-F. The letters on the long sides of the arena, the letters along the centre line are D-L-X-I-G, with X again being halfway down the arena.
Dressage Terms
- The rider should be above 16 years of age for participating in senior competitions. The age of the horse should be above 8 years of age with a minimum height of 1.48m without shoes.
- Halt: This posture is taken during the opening salute. The horse needs to stand motionless and attentive with the weight evenly distributed in all four legs. The rider should maintain soft contact with the bit. The horse should stay in this posture for a minimum of 3 seconds. The quality of paces before and after the halt is assessed by the judges.
- Walk: A marching pace in a regular four-time beat with equal intervals in each beat. The horse walks at a regular pace, with hind feet stepping in the footprint of the front feet. The ground covered by the horse with the regularity of the feet is assessed by the judges.
- Trot: The trot is a two-beat pace of the alternate diagonal legs. It should be freely done by the horse and with regular stepping. This exercise by the horse proves its balance, thoroughness, obedience and relaxation.
- Canter: Canter is a three-beat pace where the footfall of the horse smoothly walks on left hind leg followed by left diagonal followed by right fore and a moment of suspension where all the four feet of the horse is in the air before starting the next step.
- Reinback: This is the rearward movement by the horse with a two-beat rhythm without suspension. Each diagonal pair of legs are raised and grounded, alternatively with forelegs aligned on the same track as the hind legs. After completing the required number of steps, the horse should halt or move forward at the same paces immediately.
- Transitions: The variation in the pace of the horse and its change of pace should be performed by the rider at the designated markers.
- Change of directions: The horse should bend his body to the curvature of the line it follows, remain stable and follows the instructions of the rider without any resistance or hesitation.
- Volte: It is a circle made by the horse. The diameter of the circle is 6, 8 or 10 m.
- Serpentine: The horse moves in a serpentine motion with several loops touching the long side of the arena.
- Eight: This consists of two Volte of equal diameter, making the shape of 8.
- Lateral Movement: The lateral movement of the horse is to test the hindquarter of the horse. The horse is slightly bent and moves on different tracks in such a way so that it does not impair the rhythm, fluency and balance of the horse.
- Pirouette: This is a turn of 360 degrees executed in two different tracks with a radius equal to the length of the horse. During pirouette, the horse should not move sideways or backwards. The head of the horse should be slightly bent in the direction of the motion, with the rider maintaining a loose bit. The quality of the pirouette is determined by lightness, regularity and precision. The horse should complete a complete pirouette in 6 to 8 strides.
- Passage: This is a very collected cadenced trot characterised by a pronounced engagement of the hindquarters, a more accentuated flexion of the knees and hocks, and the graceful elasticity of the movement. Each diagonal pair of legs is raised and returned to the ground alternately, with cadence and a prolonged suspension.
- Piaffe: This is a collected, elevated diagonal movement giving the impression of remaining in a place. Each diagonal leg is raised and returned to the ground alternatively with rhythm and spring.
- Impulsion: Impulsion is used to describe the submissiveness of the horse. The obedience of the horse and the gentle contact of the bite with the hand of the rider are a precondition for good trot and canter. The horse understands what is asked for by the rider and reacts accordingly without fear or tension. Agitation of the tail, grinding of teeth tongue out displays the signs of nervousness of horse. Any resistance by the horse to complete a task is marked by judges.
Freestyle Dressage Rules
- Error Of Course: If a rider has missed a movement or taken a wrong turn is warned by a judge positioned at point C by ringing a bell. The first such error during the routine leads to deduction of 2 percentage points, score from the collected points. The second such error can lead to elimination.
- The rider should not enter the arena with the whip. The horse leg should be without boots.
- The rider must be properly dressed in a jacket of a single colour with a strapped helmet and gloves, and not in a multicoloured jacket.
- The rider should enter the arena within 30 seconds of the beginning of the music.
- Artistic points are deducted for the riders completing the routine longer or shorter than the stipulated duration of the music.
- Riders can be eliminated if the horse is found to be lame.
- If the horse resists performing any movement for more than 20 seconds that could lead to the elimination of the athlete.
- Leaving the dressage arena by all four feet in between the routine leads to elimination.
- If the rider falls off from the horse, this leads to elimination.
- Seeking any outside help by the usage of voice signs or electronic assistance leads to elimination.
- If the judges find any fresh blood on the horse or any injury to the horse leads to the elimination of the rider. The horse is treated by a vet.
- The rider should stick to the time indicated by them to the judges.
Dressage Officials
Dressage involves technicality as well as the artistic movement by the horse.
Judges: About 10 judges appointed by FEI mark the routine for an athlete in Olympics. Out of them, 5 judges mark the artistic aspect of the routine from 0-10 the other five judges mark the technical aspect of the routine from 0-10. The final score is the combination of both.
Technical Delegate: Appointed by FEI, they are responsible for the entire event, from the arena to the saddle. The technical delegate has the power to stop the event in case of unfavourable weather conditions.
Doctors: Veterinary and general doctor appointed by FEI to inspect the horse in case of any injury and to the rider. It is mandatory to inspect the horse before and after the routine to check for any injury to the animal.
Groundsmen: They are positioned at different places in the arena; they lift the boundary of the arena to let the horse and rider into the arena to start their routine. They are also responsible to clear the arena before the next routine.
Jumping
Jumping involves jumping off the horse across various obstacles of varied height and length through a course. The riders and the horse showcase their jumping skills, and points are deducted for each unsuccessful barrier and time penalty.
The riders have to take a definite course predefined by the organisers, and the barriers are marked accordingly. This test is inducted to test horse energy, stamina, speed and jumping ability.
Jumping Obstacles
- The height of the obstacles varies from 1.40m to 1.60m. The obstacles are not altered during the round of the competition. The start and the finish line should not be more than 15m from the first or the last obstacle or less than 6m.
- The obstacles are placed, in such a way that they are appealing to the arena, and they are designed with bars that should not be very light or too hard and should not fall by themselves in case of wind or should not be so heavy to injure the horse.
- The Spread of the obstacles should be from 2m to 2.20m.
- Water jump can be included as an obstacle, and it should not have any obstacle in the front, middle or back. A takeoff element like a bush of 50 cm must be erected on the takeoff side. The bottom of the water jump is made of concrete but covered by rubber or coconut mat.
- Combinations of obstacles are positioned with a distance between 7 to 12m between them.
- Joker is a difficult obstacle constructed keeping in mind the horsemanship effort to accomplish that.
Jumping Penalties
- A strict set of rules govern this event and results in accumulation of penalty and can even lead to elimination.
- Knockdown of an obstacle leads to a deduction of four points. Only the falling of the top bar is considered for point deduction.
- Touch or displacement of bars is not considered as knockdown unless the bar dislodges from the pole.
- Disobedience by the horse that includes refusal, run out or resistance by the horse could lead to penalties and even elimination of the rider.
- Time penalties are inducted to the rider not completing the round under the stipulated time. A point is penalised for every 4 seconds exceeded over the time limit in the first and second rounds.
- The faults incurred between the start and the finish lines are taken into consideration.
- The first disobedience by the horse leads to four penalties, the second disobedience by the horse leads to the elimination of the rider.
- One or more foot of the horse lands inside the water leads to a four-point penalty.
- Fall of the rider from the horse leads to elimination of the rider. The rider and the horse are examined by ground doctors for injury.
- The riders exceeding the time limit in semi-finals or finals are eliminated.
- Adding the penalties or faults scored by the rider in the round including time penalties gives the score of the rider. The rider having zero penalties incurred remains at the top.
- Any deviation from the course set out as a published plan leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Any unauthorised assistance from anyone between the start and the finish line during the round leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Usage of any electronic equipment during the course leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Taking more than 45 seconds to jump the first obstacle after crossing the start line leads to the elimination of the rider.
- A horse taking more than 45 seconds to jump the next obstacle leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Jumping an obstacle out of order leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Jumping an obstacle from the wrong direction leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Non-compliance with the rules of saddler or faulty pieces of equipment leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Any fresh blood from the horse or horse bleeding from the mouth leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Excessive use of the whip on the horse during jumping leads to the elimination of the rider.
- Any form of cruelty done to the horse or abusing it in any form leads to the elimination of the rider.
Jumping Rules
- The horse should be above 6 years of age and the elite riders should be above 16 years of age.
- The horse should be properly saddled, and inspected by a vet before and after the completion of the round.
- Any masks that cover the eyes of the horse are forbidden.
Jumping Officials
Jumping involves technicality as well as movement of the horse and how does the rider makes the horse jump across the obstacles.
Judges: About 4 judges appointed by FEI mark the routine of an athlete in the Olympics.
Technical Delegate: Appointed by FEI, they are responsible for the entire event, from the arena to the saddle. The technical delegate has the power to stop the event in case of unfavourable weather conditions.
Doctors: Veterinary and general doctor appointed by FEI to inspect the horse in case of any injury and to the rider. It is mandatory to inspect the horse before and after the routine to check for any injury to the animal.
Groundsmen: They are positioned at different places in the arena; they lift the boundary of the arena to let the horse and rider into the arena to start their routine. They are also responsible to clear the arena before the next routine.
Eventing
Eventing is a triathlon of equestrian sport that displays the ultimate skill of a rider. This sport consists of Dressage, Cross country and jumping events.
All the events should be accomplished by one horse. Dressage is the first event in eventing and spans over two days depending upon the number of riders. Cross country event is the next one on the list followed by Jumping on the next day.
Eventing Rules
- The age of the rider should be 18 years or more, and that of the horse should be 8 years.
- The riders completing an event are only allowed to participate in the next event. Any rider disqualified or eliminated in an event is not allowed to participate in the next events.
- The distance of cross country is decided by the officials, the course includes different natural or artificial obstacles that the rider and the horse needs to accomplish. It also includes a drop obstacle which should not exceed 160 cm.
- Riders are penalised points due to any faults incurred by them during the course.
- The jumping event consists of 12 to 14 obstacles and riders should follow the course prescribed.
- Time fault penalty is imposed on the rider for every 0.4 points are penalised for every second that the rider exceeds the prescribed time limit.
- The fall of a rider from the horse leads to the elimination of the rider.
- A dangerous ride by the rider attracts the maximum penalty of 25 points.
- Any abuse of the horse or excessive use of the whip leads to the elimination of the rider.
- There are about 30 obstacles in the cross country race of different type that includes water jumps. The rider should follow the course and complete their ride within the stipulated time.
- The rider should gallop the horse through the straights and jump over the obstacles within the stipulated time.
- Cross country is not a horse race, in this event riders start alone individually and cover the same obstacles and length as all other riders within the stipulated time.
- The rules of dressage event in eventing are similar to that of the equestrian dressage.
World Rankings
- World Rankings for Jumping
- Ben Maher/Explosion W
- Martin Fuchs/Clooney 51
- Daniel Dusser/Scuderia 1918
- World Rankings for Eventing
- Oliver Townend/Ballaghmor class
- Alexander Bragg/ Zagreb
- Michael Jung/ Fisherchipmunk
- World Rankings for Dressage
- Isabell Werth/Weihegold Old
- Jessica Von Bredow/TSF Dalera BB
- Dorothy Schneider/Showtime FRH
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)