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Equestrian sports are any sports where the competitors make use of a horse to complete the event. Equestrian events are noteworthy in comparison to other Olympic events because the “equipment” is a living animal rather than a stick, padding, or a machine such as a gun. This naturally adds an element of co-operation and mastery which is not present in other sports; the performance of a horseback rider is dependent not only upon the rider himself, but also upon the animal and any staff who help care for it.

Equestrianism is one of the few Olympic disciplines with no differences between mens and womens competitions. All metrics of success are the same.

History
Horseback riding is thousands of years old, and a prominent part of cultues in Europe, Asia, and North America (after the introduction of the horse by European colonists and explorers). It was first present in the 1900 Paris games, was removed briefly, and was then reintroduced under its current form in 1912. There are three Olympic categories for equestrianism.

Dressage
A highly specialized form of horse training in which the horse and rider perform a specific sequence of actions. Dressage is similar to a gymnast performing an artistic display, or a freestyle figure skater performing his program. Early in the games, horses were expected to jump as part of the program and individual medals were awarded, but now the sport is solely a team category. As time has marched on and training methods have improved, the movements and overall performance of the horses has become more extravagant.

Eventing
A variety event wherein horse and rider participate in a variety of challenges across several days. It was originally only open to active military officers and the horses they themselves owned. Currently, the events are endurance, dressage, and show jumping. The endurance section has changed considerably throughout the 20th century, and was originally composed of short track racing, a steeplechase, long track racing, a rest, a cross-country race, and a final spring along flat ground.

The sport was diminished after the 2000 Sydney Games, when the format had the first three sections removed from the endurance challenge. The reason for this removal was because of the inordinate amount of space required for the tracks, which was doubly difficult because they were unfit for anything except equestrian sports.

Jumping
Another event that was initially only open to military officers and their horses, but which is today open to riders of either sex, show jumping is the practice of maneuvering a horse around an obstacle course as quickly as possible. Competitors were initially judged on points, with penalties inflicted for errors in performance such as not properly clearing a fence, and points awarded for each obstacle successfully surmounted.

Contemporary Olympic equestrian scoring is much different:
– The only points awarded are penalties, so riders compete to have the lowest score.
– The first round of competition is a qualifier for individual events, and score determines team order for team events.
– Rounds two and three determie the medallists for team events. Each round takes place on a different course, and round three is composed of the top eight teams from round two.
– Rounds four and five determine the medallists for individual events. Round 4 is composed of the top 35 riders from round 3, with no more than 3 competitors per country.

There are also limits to the various obstacles found on show jumping courses: jumping bars may only be 1.5 metres tall, and may only be a certain width depending on their potential maximum height.