An umbrella discipline in which a rider and horse compete as a team in dressage, jumping, or eventing on a course or arena.
Origin and rules
Modern equestrian sport grew out of European military horsemanship traditions, with the FEI codifying international rules in 1921. The horse is treated as a co-athlete, and welfare rules are central to competition design.
How it plays
Olympic equestrian has three disciplines. Dressage tests precise movements judged on a scale. Jumping rewards clearing a course of obstacles with the fewest faults. Eventing combines dressage, cross-country, and show jumping over one to three days.
Competition
The FEI World Equestrian Games, World Cup series, and the Olympics anchor the calendar. Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, and the United States are perennial powers. Equestrian is one of the few Olympic sports where men and women compete head to head.