How do Olympic horses travel? Everything we know about 2024 Paris equestrian events and schedule

THE 2024 Paris Olympics are underway, and some lesser-watched sports are getting the spotlight during the games.

Among those sports is equestrian, and some of the world’s top horses and jockeys have traveled to France to compete for gold.

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There are three equestrian events that Olympians can compete in at the Paris Games: Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing.

Jumping consists of riders and horses jumping over obstacles in a timed format, with penalties for each obstacle knocked over.

Dressage is a musical performance in which the rider and horse perform together.

Eventing combines jumping and dressage into a long course of obstacles and performances.

Six total gold medals are up for grabs, plus individual and team medals for each format.

There is still plenty to know about Olympic equestrian though. Find out more below.

How do Olympic horses travel?

Olympians train and bond with their horses in their home cities prior to the games .

They must then bring the horses to the host city.

Olympians living in Europe can likely bring their horses to Paris via car or train.

But those in the Americas, Asia, and Africa have a more difficult path.

In what might be a funny visual, Olympic horses travel on airplanes to get to the Paris Games.

Sea travel could be too stress-inducing for a horse that needs to compete at the highest level.

Each mare has a team of caretakers who watch over them during their travels to ensure a smooth transition across the world.

When did equestrian become an Olympic sport?

Equestrian is one of the five original Olympic sports from the games in ancient times.

The exact date is recorded as 680 BC, according to NBC Olympics .

In the modern Olympic games, equestrians first made an appearance in the 1900 Paris Games with individual jumping.

In 1912, team jumping was added alongside dressage and eventing (team and individual competitions).

Women competed in Olympic equestrian for the first time in 1952 at the Helsinki games.

What's new for Paris?

Every Olympics sees a few changes, and Paris is no different.

The biggest new addition will be the introduction of breakdancing, also known as breaking , which will make it’s Olympic debut.

Kayak cross will also be making it’s first appearance at an Olympics under the canoe slalom discipline.

Three sports that debuted in Tokyo three years ago are also back – those are surfing, skateboarding and 3×3 basketball.

But karate is out and so is softball, although the latter will make a return in Los Angeles in four years time.

When is equestrian on during the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Equestrian is already underway, with medals being handed out for team and individual eventing.

In team eventing, Great Britain won gold, France won silver, and Japan won bronze.

In individual eventing, German rider Michael Jung won gold, Australian Christopher Burton won silver, and British jockey Laura Collett won bronze.

The rest of the events will run from July 30 to August 6, with dressage beginning on Tuesday.

Team and individual dressage competes on July 30 and 31, with the finals taking place on August 3 for team dressage and August 4 for individual dressage.

Team jumping starts on August 1 with finals on August 2. Individual jumping starts on August 5 with finals on August 6.

Reuters