Equestrian events at the 2024 Summer Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Equestrian at the Games of the Olympiad
Pictograms for dressage (left), eventing (center), and jumping (right)
Venue	Palace of Versailles
Dates	27 July – 6 August 2024
No. of events	6 (6 open)
Competitors	200 from 49 nations
← 2020 2028 →

Equestrian events are super exciting sports where horses and riders work together! At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, these events happened from July 27 to August 6. They took place at the amazing Palace of Versailles. About 200 riders and their horses competed.

There were three main types of competitions: dressage, eventing, and jumping. Both individual riders and teams competed. The cool thing is, men and women compete side-by-side in these events!

How Riders Qualified

To compete in the Olympics, riders and their horses had to qualify. A total of 200 spots were available for equestrian athletes. These spots were split among the three sports.

• Jumping: 75 spots
• Eventing: 65 spots
• Dressage: 60 spots

Teams usually had three horse and rider pairs. If a country qualified a team, they also got three spots for individual riders. Countries that didn't qualify a full team could still send one or two individual riders. Teams mainly qualified through big events like the World Equestrian Games. Individual riders qualified based on their rankings. As the host country, France automatically got a team spot in each event.

Competition Rules

Each equestrian sport has its own special rules. Let's look at how the competitions worked for dressage, eventing, and jumping.

Dressage: Horse Dancing!

The Palace of Versailles Arena, a temporary stadium built for the dressage and jumping events.

Dressage is often called "horse dancing." Riders guide their horses through a series of complex movements. It looks very elegant and graceful.

Teams in dressage have three athletes. These athletes also compete for individual medals. If a country doesn't have a full team, they can send one individual rider.

Grand Prix: The Start

The dressage competition begins with the Grand Prix. This is the first test for both teams and individual riders. Athletes are divided into groups, and they perform their routines. The judges score each performance.

After the Grand Prix, team scores are added up. The top eight teams move on to the team final. The best individual riders from each group, plus some others, qualify for the individual final.

Grand Prix Special: Team Medals

The Grand Prix Special is where team medals are decided. This test is a bit harder, with more difficult moves. Scores from the Grand Prix don't carry over. Only the scores from the Special count for team medals. Teams can even swap in a reserve rider if needed.

Grand Prix Freestyle: Individual Medals

The Grand Prix Freestyle is for individual medals. About 18 riders compete in this final. Each rider creates their own routine, set to music! They must include 16 specific movements. Riders can show off their horse's strengths and even try super difficult moves. The highest scores in the Freestyle win the individual medals.

Eventing: The Triathlon of Horse Sports!

Ryuzo Kitajima and Cekatinka crossing a pontoon during their cross-country run.

Eventing is like a triathlon for horses and riders. It combines three different phases: dressage, cross-country, and jumping. Both team and individual medals are decided at the same time.

Each athlete and their horse do all three parts. Team medals are given by adding up the scores of all team members from every phase. The team with the fewest penalty points wins.

Three Phases

• Dressage: Riders perform a set of movements to show their horse's training.
• Cross-Country: Riders gallop over a long course with natural obstacles like logs and water jumps. This tests speed, endurance, and bravery.
• Jumping: Riders guide their horse over a course of fences in an arena.

Individual Medals

After the first jumping round, the top 25 individual riders go on to a second, final jumping round. This second round decides the individual medals. So, individual medal contenders do one dressage test, one cross-country round, and two jumping rounds.

Penalties

If a rider or horse can't finish a phase, they might be eliminated from the individual competition. Teams get penalty points for eliminated riders. For example, 100 points for dressage or jumping, and 200 points for cross-country. Even if eliminated individually, a rider might continue for their team, unless it's for serious reasons like lameness. Teams can also use a reserve rider, but they get 20 extra penalty points.

Jumping: Over the Fences!

Jumping is all about speed and accuracy over a course of obstacles. Individual and team competitions are held separately in jumping.

Individual Jumping

The individual competition lasts two days. The first day is a qualifier. About 75 riders tackle a course with 12 to 14 obstacles. Riders get penalty points for knocking down fences or refusing to jump. The top 30 riders move to the final. If there's a tie, the faster rider qualifies.

The individual final is on a different course with 12 to 15 obstacles. Riders are again ranked by penalty points. If riders are tied for a medal, they have a "jump-off" to decide the winner. This is like a tie-breaker round!

Team Jumping

The team competition also starts with a qualifier. About 20 teams compete. Team scores are found by adding up the penalty points of all three team members. Teams with all three riders finishing without problems are ranked higher.

The top 10 teams from the qualifier move to the team final. If there's a tie for the last spot, the team with the faster combined time qualifies. The team final is on a new course. Teams are ranked by their total penalty points. If teams are tied for a medal, they also have a jump-off!

Competition Schedule

Participating Nations

Athletes from 49 different countries competed in the equestrian events at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Medal Summary

Here's a look at which countries and athletes won medals in the equestrian events.

Medal Table

  *   Host nation (France)

Rank	NOC	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Germany	4	1	0	5
2	Great Britain	2	0	3	5
3	France*	0	1	1	2
4	Australia	0	1	0	1
	Denmark	0	1	0	1
	Switzerland	0	1	0	1
	United States	0	1	0	1
8	Japan	0	0	1	1
	Netherlands	0	0	1	1
Totals (9 entries)		6	6	6	18

Medalists

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Individual dressage details	Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB  Germany	Isabell Werth on Wendy  Germany	Charlotte Fry on Glamourdale  Great Britain
Team dressage details	Germany Frederic Wandres on Bluetooth Old Isabell Werth on Wendy Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB	Denmark Daniel Bachmann Andersen on Vayron Nanna Merrald Rasmussen on Zepter Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Freestyle	Great Britain Becky Moody on Jagerbomb Carl Hester on Fame Charlotte Fry on Glamourdale
Individual eventing details	Michael Jung on Chipmunk Frh  Germany	Christopher Burton on Shadow Man  Australia	Laura Collett on London 52  Great Britain
Team eventing details	Great Britain Rosalind Canter on Lordships Graffalo Tom McEwen on JD Dublin Laura Collett on London 52	France Nicolas Touzaint on Diabolo Menthe Karim Laghouag on Triton Fontaine Stéphane Landois on Chaman Dumontceau	Japan Toshiyuki Tanaka on Jefferson Kazuma Tomoto on Vinci De La Vigne Yoshiaki Oiwa on Mgh Grafton Street Ryuzo Kitajima on Cekatinka
Individual jumping details	Christian Kukuk on Checker 47  Germany	Steve Guerdat on Dynamix de Belheme  Switzerland	Maikel van der Vleuten on Beauville Z  Netherlands
Team jumping details	Great Britain Ben Maher on Dallas Vegas Batilly Harry Charles on Romeo 88 Scott Brash on Jefferson	United States Laura Kraut on Baloutinue Karl Cook on Caracole de la Roque McLain Ward on Ilex	France Simon Delestre on I.Alemusina R 51 Olivier Perreau on Dorai D'Aiguilly Julien Epaillard on Dubai du Cèdre

See also

In Spanish: Deportes ecuestres en los Juegos Olímpicos de París 2024 para niños

• Equestrian events at the 2022 Asian Games
• Equestrian events at the 2023 Pan American Games
• Equestrian events at the 2024 Summer Paralympics