Equestrian Sports at the Olympic Games

Swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, rowing, and even table tennis are all sports we tune-in to watch every fourth summer during the Olympic Games. How about something different this time – the Equestrian events? The 2008 Olympics will have plenty of them.

Equestrian sports are those that include both a horse and rider (or handler); however, no serious competitor calls them "Equestrian", opting instead to refer to the individual events by their more specific names (see some below). Equestrian sports are the only Olympic category where humans and animals compete together, and they're one of very few events where men and women compete against one another on equal terms.

Three-Day Events (now known as Eventing, the triathlon of equestrian sports) were first introduced to the Olympic Games in 1900 and were restricted to military officers. In 1948, civilians were allowed to compete in any Equestrian event for the first time. Today, medals are awarded both individually and for teams of four horse-and-rider combinations from each country.

Although riders can compete in any number of styles and disciplines either locally, nationally, and internationally, there are only three disciplines recognized at the Olympic Games:

• Dressage – Horse and rider perform intricate, predetermined movements (sometimes set to music) that look like a dance. Competitors are judged on obedience, overall style, and invisibility of rider's commands. Think figure skating.

• Show Jumping – Horse and rider negotiate a complex course of approximately 12 fences that can be over 5-ft. high and 6-ft. wide. The pair that knocks down the fewest fences and completes the course in the fastest time wins! Think hurdles with a wacky pattern.

• Eventing – This combines the previous two elements on a first and last day, with a phase known as "cross country" in the middle (see photo). It's usually a four-mile course of about 20 jumps through fields or forests. These jumps are intimidating, and include logs, stone walls, ditches, or ponds. The team with the fewest mistakes over the three days wins. Think triathlon.

As most people know, this year's Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, China. The Equestrian events, however, will be held at the Sha Tin racecourse, which has undergone $1.2-billion (HKD) worth of renovations thanks to the Hong Kong Jockey Club. (In U.S. dollars, this amount is equivalent to $153-million.)

All major overnight equine competitions such as the Games need basics like stabling and show arenas. Because of this year's unique location in China, however, there are some fancy amenities:

• Ice making machines to help rapidly cool-down horses after working.
• Mobile cooling units to help stressed animals immediately after competition (see photo for an example).
• Rolling box-stalls filled with sand to allow horses to play, relax, and stretch.
• Flooring made of recycled tires for shock absorption (part of a "green" initiative).
• Veterinary, nursing, and lab staff of 44 with a full equine hospital.
• On-site laboratory to test for prohibited substances (and help sick animals).

Sounds good to me! In the wake of recent casualties of horses and riders in the Eventing community, it's hoped that these safety measures and added health facilities will keep the world's top athletes in perfect shape – before, during, and after competition.

Editor's Note: Click here for a schedule of NBC Universal's coverage of equestrian events at this year's Olympic Games.

Resources:

http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=EQ

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=12181&kw=beijing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Olympic_Games

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-country_equestrianism (photo)