Equestrian Olympic Events In London 2012

Even though there are many horse riding
tournaments taking place every year, horse
enthusiasts impatiently await the king of them
all: the equestrian events in the summer
Olympics. This is where the best horses and
participants meet on some of the toughest
courses in the world. In 2012 the Olympics will
be held in London, England, a place famed for
demanding hunts where the riders hurtle over
brush, water, and other obstacles at break-neck
speeds. All of the events this year will be held
at Greenwich Park, the oldest royal equestrian
park in England.

First to be held this year is the eventing
competition, which consists of dressage for the
first two days, then cross-country, and finally
winding up with jumping. Medalists will be
determined by those who have the best overall
score in the three events, with both teams and
individuals competing. This competition starts
on July 28 and winds up on July 31. Many horse
enthusiasts feel that eventing is one of the
toughest competitions, since it requires
all-around ability instead of just targeting a
single skill.

Next are the dressage events, which get started
on August 2nd. Horse lovers who appreciate the
level of control required for dressage will not
want to miss any days of dressage, which
includes both team and individual competition.
The seven teams and 11 individuals that rank the
highest will move on to the finals, held August 7
for the teams and August 9 for individuals. The
August 9 event should have something to please
everybody, since winners will be determined by
the overall results and the result of the
freestyle set to music, held on the 9th.

Teams and individuals get started with the show
jumping on August 4th. This event happens in the
arena, allowing spectators to see all of the
action. The course will have 12 to 14 jumps that
are designed to test both rider and horse. Jumps
are typically large and may be made of brush,
poles, and material that looks like bricks or a
similar material. Despite their appearance, show
jumps are designed to come apart if a horse hits
them, thus avoiding injury to horse and rider.

Often, however, a horse will refuse a jump and
an unwary rider may be dumped onto the jump or
onto the ground. Both riders and horses can be
injured during this event, and at the very least
a rider who is dumped is out of the competition.
Very tall or wide jumps may have a large number
of refusals, especially if the spacing between
jumps is very narrow, and spectators sitting
near such a jump may see a lot of riders lose
their seats. Watching horses clear these big
jumps is very exciting, and the crowd will
respond favorably with cheers and applause when
a rider has a clear round.

All qualifying teams will compete in the final
two days of jumping, on August 5th and 6th.
Medals will be awarded on the 6th, so equestrian
fans who enjoy the pageantry of the Olympics
awards ceremony as well as the jumping should be
sure to attend on the 6th. The finals for
individual jumping will be held on August 8th,
with medals being awarded the same day. The
summer Olympic equestrian events are sure to be
both fun and exciting for all horse lovers.

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Full timings and coverage can be obtained from
the Olympic sites and individual riders also
have times and events for their events posted on
their own eventing pages. Equine resourced
http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com

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