Equestrian: Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021

Equestrian made its Olympic bow in 1900, but it was only in 1912 that it became a regular part of the Olympic fold. Along with sailing, equestrian remains one of two Olympic sports without a designated mixed tag that features men and women in direct competition with each other. Furthermore, it is one of the few Olympic sports to feature animals. 

The most decorated Equestrian is Germany's Isabell Werth with 10 medals (6 Gold, 4 Silver). Germany is the most decorated country at the Equestrian with 52 medals (25 Gold, 13 Silver, 14 Bronze). She will be one of the names to watch out for in the Team Dressage event where she is part of the defending gold medalists' line-up. 

Equestrian at Tokyo Olympics 2020

At the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021, Equestrian will see six medals up for grabs. These are for the Eventing (Team and Individual), Dressage (Team and Individual), and Jumping (Team and Individual)

Top Names at Equestrian at the 2021 Olympics

USA's jumping team will see Jessica Springsteen (Don Juan van de Donkhoeve), Laura Kraut (Baloutinue), Kent Farrington (Gazelle), and McLain Ward (Contagious) take to the arena for the Dressage. 

Read More: How High is US Olympian Jessica Springsteen Ranked in the World Equestrian Rankings?

In eventing, team USA will see Phillip Dutton (Z), Boyd Martin (Luke 140), Doug Payne (Vandiver). Meanwhile, in dressage, the three-member team of Adrienne Lyle (Salvino), Steffen Peters (Suppenkasper) Sabine Schut-Kerry (Sanceo) will take to the arena. 

Germany's Michael Jung (Chipmunk) will look for his third consecutive individual eventing gold medal. His only Olympic blip was the team eventing silver at Rio 2016. Given that second-place showing, he will have added motivation to take Germany to the top step of the podium in Tokyo. 

Read more: Tokyo Olympics 2020: List of Officials for Equestrian Revealed

Britain's Charlotte Dujardin (Pumpkin) will seek to win her third gold in dressage. Akin to eventing's Michael Jung, she too will seek to convert her team dressage silver in Rio to Gold in Tokyo. 

Events in Equestrian

Equestrian at the Olympic Games comprises three distinct events: i.e. Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping. 

Dressage sees the horse walk, run, trot or just move sideways, in circles, or in a particular direction. Accuracy, grace, and the ability of the horse and rider in each routine result in points being awarded. 

 Jumping sees horses take to a course and complete jumps across 12-15 obstacles with finesse and in a given time frame. 

The Eventing is considered as Equestrian's triathlon as it features the other two events as part of its routine. Besides Dressing and Jumping, it features the Cross-Country element. This course consists of multiple obstacles, like fences, water traps, and hedges. 

Competition Format

Eventing, regarded as the event's triathlon, sees 65 riders' journeys to gold begin with the Dressage, followed by the Cross-Country and the Jumping rounds. While this is all for team competition, the individual competition requires each Equestrian in the top 25 to perform a second jump. The medalist is the one with the least penalty points at the end of the competition's final phase. 

Dressage will start with a Grand Prix from where both teams and individuals advance based on their performance. Officials divide 60 athletes into 6 batches to compete across 6 heats. 

While teams (top 8) advance to the Grand Prix Special, individuals (top 18) advance to the Grand Prix Freestyle. In the individual competition, the top two of each heat and the next six highest-ranked athletes advance. 

Jumping starts with the individual competition featuring a field of 75 Equestrians. The horses and riders take to an obstacle course and must jump all of them. Riders with the least penalty points (time delays, knocking an obstacle, disobedience, etc).

In the final, the 30 remaining individual jockeys, and 10 best team combinations, take to a unique course to contest for the medals. 

Schedule for Equestrian at the Tokyo Olympics 2020

Equestrian at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021 will take place from July 24 to August 7, 2021, at two different venues. 

Venue for Equestrian at the 2021 Olympics

Equestrian at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021 will take place at the following venues. Dressage, Show Jumping, and Eventing will take place at the Baji Koen Equestrian Park. Meanwhile, the cross-country element of eventing will take place at the Sea Forest Cross-Country Course.