Equestrian events at the Summer Olympics

Equestrian events at the Summer Olympics
IOC CodeEQU
Governing bodyFEI
Events6 (mixed)
Summer Olympics

Equestrian sports were first included in the Olympic Games in the Summer Olympics of 1900 in Paris.[1] They were again included in 1912, and have been included in every subsequent edition of the Games.[2] Currently, the Olympic equestrian disciplines are dressage, eventing, and show jumping.[3] In each discipline, both individual and team medals are awarded. Since the XV Olympiad in Helsinki in 1952, women and men compete on equal terms.[2]

Together with the equestrian component of Modern Pentathlon, it is the only Olympic event that involves animals.[4] The horses are considered to be athletes as much as the riders.[5]

The international governing body for equestrian sports is the Fédération Équestre Internationale. The first Olympics held under its authority were in 1924.[6]

  1. ^ "Strange but true: long and high jump at Paris 1900 – on horseback!". Olympics. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Equestrian Sport: History of Equestrian Sport at the Olympic Games" (PDF). The Olympic Studies Centre. OSC Reference Collection. International Olympic Committee. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Equestrian Events at the Olympic Games". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Olympic Sports Involving Animals". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  5. ^ Hobbs, Sarah Jane; Clayton, Hilary M (June 2022). "The Olympic motto through the lens of equestrian sports". Animal Frontiers. 12 (3): 45–53. doi:10.1093/af/vfac025. PMC 9197309. PMID 35711501.
  6. ^ "Olympic Fever: From Paris 1924 to Paris 2024". FEI. 3 June 2024.