Equestrian - Debut in Olympics

Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. At the 1900 Summer Olympics, five equestrian events were contested. Only three are currently considered Olympic by the International Olympic Committee. It is not certain how many competitors there were, but it is likely that there were between 37 and 64. It disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since. The current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping. In each discipline, both individual and team medals are awarded. Equestrian sports are one of the oldest categories of the Olympic Games. One of the first events introduced was the four horse chariot race. The equestrian events are comprised of three categories – dressage, show jumping and the three-day event. This is sometimes referred to as the “equestrian triathlon” as well. The International Governing Body for equestrian sports is the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), and it is subject to rules made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in regards to Olympic Competition. The 1924 Olympics were the first to be held under the FEI.