Equestrian if among the oldest sporting discipline which is organised at the Olympic Games. This discipline made its Olympic debut in 1900 and became the first mixed sport at the Games in the year 1964. Often regarded as one of the elite sports, it is often seen showcasing athleticism of the horse, along with the riders’ controlled discipline.
Dressage is just one of the events in equestrian. Here in this article, we’ll explain all relevant details of what dressage is.
What is dressage at Paris 2024?
Dressage is the oldest equestrian discipline, which sees a rider and horse perform a series of movements to music. The movement of the rider, along with the horse varies across the gaits of walk, trot and canter.
In the Olympics, it consists of three Grand Prix tests. The first Grand Prix is the qualifying round, before the Grand Prix Special (team final) and Grand Prix Freestyle (individual final). These tests are scored by a panel consisting of seven judges, with points scored for individual movements. Total scores are given on a percentage basis.
2024 Paris Olympics: Which are the other events in equestrian at Summer Games?
Apart from dressage, the Summer Games also features jumping and eventing as two more events. In jumping, a rider and horse is timed as they jump over a series of obstacles, and is designed to demonstrate the horse’s athletic ability, precision and partnership with the rider.
Time penalties are imposed if an obstacle is toppled, the permitted time limit is exceeded, or if the horse refuses to jump. In case the event ends in a tie, a jump-off decides the winner.
On the other hand, eventing is a triathlon of equestrian. Here, an equestrian combines dressage and jumping with a third discipline, cross-country. Cross-country sees competitors tackle a course of about 40 obstacles, including water, logs and ditches. Penalties are awarded for a refusal to jump or for exceeding the permitted time limit. If a rider or horse falls, they are eliminated. Moreover, here the rider rides the same horse across three days of competition.