While the official Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games begin on July 23rd, the first equestrian event will be held on July 25th, starting with the Dressage Grand Prix. They will run until August 8th 2021 with the final event being the Show Jumping Team Final.
- GRAND PRIX FINAL
- QUALIFYING
- STRUCTURE
INDIVIDUAL
Charlotte Dujardin achieved a Bronze Olympic medal after her freestyle with a score of 88.543%. Team Germany's Jessica von Bredow‑Werndl (91.732%) and Isabell Werth (89.657%) placed 1st and 2nd respectively.
Carl Hester achieved a score of 81.818%, and Charlotte Fry secured a score of 80.614%.
Amazingly, Charlotte and Gio came third despite this being their first ever time performing the routine which was finalised only three days prior by Tom Hunt.
Team GB's Dressage Team have achieved some incredible results on three horses very new to this level, and we can expect to see them only go on to get better and better.
TEAMS
Charlotte Dujardin won a record-equalling fifth Olympic medal as Great Britain took Bronze in the team dressage final behind Germany and the US. The battle for silver was close until the end when it came to Charlotte's and Gio's performance to top USA's Sabine Schut-Kery personal best. A small mistake on Gio's part meant that Great Britain missed out on silver by just 24 points- under 1%.
Despite this, Charlotte was still thrilled with her Pumpink's performance "He is so inexperienced. I was absolutely thrilled with him. He is only 10 years old and what he has delivered here, I can’t ask for any more." “It might be a bronze medal but it’s really like a gold medal because he has given me everything."
Hester, the older member of team GB, scored 2,577.5 with En Vogue while the 25-year-old Charlotte Fry registered 2,528.5 aboard Everdale.
It was an impressive achievement by the British trio with Fry making her Olympics Games debut and all three horses having never previously competed at the Olympics.
The all-female German team continued their dominance in the sport after having won the European gold in 2019. All three rider have reclaimed the Olympic dressage team gold medal with plus-80% performances in the grand prix special on Tuesday the 27th of July 2021.
For more results visit the official Olympics page.
INDIVIDUAL
After Day 1 and Day 2 of qualifying, the three British Dressage Riders - Lottie Fry (Everdale), Carl Hester (En Vogue), and Charlotte Dujardin (Gio)- have qualified for the freestyle individual events on the 28th of July 2021.
Charlotte Dujardin was exceptionally pleased with the performance of her 10-year old inexperienced Pumpkin earning a grand prix personal best as a combination of 80.93%. Ahead of her, six time Olympic Champion Isabell Werth takes the reign with a score of 82.5% with the European champion Bella Rose 2 in Group F.
At the top of their game, Cathrine Dufour( Bohemian) and Jessica von BREDOW-WERNDL( TSF DALERA ), are leading the Individual event with the highest scores.
TEAMS
The British Equestrian Dressage team will compete on the 27th of July in the final qualifying in second place, with Germany leading the event. Chasing the leaders are Denmark, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, and Spain.
Following a day of rest , on Tuesday every team will be ready to bring stellar performances to defeat the top team, while Germany will be focusing on defending their Team Title from Rio.
For more results visit the official Olympics page.
The Dressage discipline consists of a team event and an individual event. A team consists of three (3) athlete/horse combinations. All athletes compete in the Grand Prix Test, in which the scores of the athletes count toward both Dressage events.
The team event includes the Grand Prix Test as the qualifier and the Grand Prix Special as the team final, while the individual event includes the Grand Prix Test as the qualifier and the Grand Prix Freestyle (also known as the Kur) as the final.
QUALIFIER
Athletes compete in six (6) groups, with three (3) groups competing on the first day and the remaining three (3) groups on the second day. The compositions of the groups are based on the FEI World Ranking List position of the athlete/horse combination on the date of definite entries.
From the Grand Prix Test, the top two athlete/horse combinations in each group and the athlete/ horse combinations with the six (6) next best highest scores (overall best of the rest) qualify for the individual final (Grand Prix Freestyle). If a qualified athlete/horse combination drops out, the vacant spot is filled by the next highest placed athlete/horse combination i.e. number seven (7).
In case of a tie, the highest and lowest total scores for each athlete will be added and divided by two, with the highest score deciding on the tie. If the tie remains, the second highest and second lowest total scores for each athlete will be added and divided by two with the highest score deciding on the tie. If the tie is still not broken, the third highest and third lowest total scores for each athlete will be added and divided by two, with the highest score deciding on the tie.
If the tie still cannot be broken, the tie will be decided by a draw.
All teams receive a qualification ranking after the Grand Prix by adding up the three (3) results per team. The eight best teams qualify to the team final (Grand Prix Special).
SUBSTITUTIONS
During the period between the team qualifier (Grand Prix) and up to two hours before the start of the team final (Grand Prix Special), the Chef d’Equipe may substitute an athlete/horse combination with the P alternate athlete/reserve horse in the event of an accident or illness of an athlete and/ or horse, on presentation of the appropriate medical/veterinary certificate. The reserve horse must have passed the first horse inspection.
In all cases of substitution, the P alternate athlete/reserve horse combination will fill the space of the substituted combination but will not be entitled to compete in the individual final (Grand Prix Freestyle).
Final
After the Grand Prix Test, the best eight (8) teams, including all teams tied for eighth place, qualify to the team final (Grand Prix Special). The team points are the sum of the points of all three (3) athletes on the team.
Eighteen qualified athlete/horse combinations compete in the individual final (Grand Prix Freestyle).
NAME: Charlotte Dujardin
AGE: 35
HORSE: Gio
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: Being ranked 1st in FEI Rankings.
FEI RANKING: 5th
NUMBER OF STARTS: 159
NUMBER OF WINS: 107
QUOTE: “Every person is able and capable, whatever horse you ride, of riding good transitions. It is just about being willing to work on it.”
GIO
* Nickname: Pumpkin
* Year Foaled: 2011
* Height: 16hh
* Colour: Chestnut
* Sex: Gelding
* Studbook: KWPN Royal Warmblood
* Dam: Zenzi
* Sire: Apache
* Trivia: Despite his smaller size, Gio is described as being a true pocket rocket and packs a lot of power in his movements.
NAME: Charlotte Fry
AGE: 25
HORSE: Everdale
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: 6th in the World Championships 2016
FEI RANKING: 35th
NUMBER OF STARTS: 226
NUMBER OF WINS: 39
QUOTE: ‘The best advice I have ever received is that ‘Life is one big half halt!’
EVERDALE
* Rider: Charlotte Fry
* Year Foaled: 2009
* Height: 17hh
* Colour: Black
* Sex: Stallion
* Studbook: KWPN
* Dam: Negro
* Sire: Lord Leatherdale
* Trivia: Charlotte, Everdale’s rider also rides a lot of horses Everdale himself has foaled!
NAME: Carl Hester
AGE: 54
HORSE: En Vogue
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: Team Gold at London 2012
FEI RANKING: 1st
NUMBER OF STARTS: 193
NUMBER OF WINS: 71
QUOTE: “Learn from each and every horse you ride. Every horse has something to teach you, and sometimes you don’t realise what that lesson is until years later!”
EN VOGUE
* Nickname: Vogue
* Year Foaled: 2009
* Height: 17.3hh
* Colour: Dark Brown
* Sex: Gelding
* Studbook: KWPN Royal Warmblood
* Dam: Nicarla
* Sire: Jazz
* Trivia: When competing in September 2020, En Vogue lost points after he stopped for a poo mid test.
TRAVELLING RESERVE
NAME: Gareth Hughes
AGE: 50
HORSE: Sintano Van Hof Olympia
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: Achieving a Silver Medal in for his team at the World Equestrian Games in 2014.
FEI RANKING: 30th
NUMBER OF STARTS:146
NUMBER OF WINS: 28
Your Equestrian FAQs
When are the equestrian events at the Olympics taking place?
Where will the equestrian events of the Olympics be held?
The events for each discipline will take place at JRA Equestrian Park, Tokyo. The park occupies an area of 180,000 square meters, including stables, indoor and outdoor arenas, an equestrian competition field, and office buildings.
How do you qualify for the equestrian teams in the Olympics?
The selection process for each discipline varies slightly, but is dependant upon the rider performance in top competitions and their FEI ranking. For Team GB, the final team and reserves will be selected and observed by a coach. Horses must have at least one named owner from the country they are competing for to qualify.
Who will represent Team GB's equestrian team at the Olympics?
Each discipline (Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping) will have three riders and three horses. Each discipline also has one travelling reserve rider and their horse.
Dressage: Charlotte Dujardin & Gio, Carl Hester & En Vogue, Charlotte Fry & Everdale. Dressage travelling reserve: Gareth Hughes & Sintano Van Hof Olympia
Eventing: Laura Collett & London 52, Tom McEwen & Toledo de Kerser, Oliver Townend & Ballaghmor Class. Eventing travelling reserve: Piggy March & Brookfield Innocent.
Show Jumping: Scott Brash & Hello Jefferson, Ben Maher & Explosion W, Holly Smith & Denver. Show Jumping travelling reserve: Harry Charles & Romeo 88
What channel can I watch equestrian events at the Olympics on?
This will vary depending upon the country you live in. BBC will offer coverage to the UK, NBC will offer coverage to the USA and Eurosport will offer coverage to Europe. Remember to take into account that the events will be held at Tokyo local time, which is Japanese Standard Time.
What is the schedule for the equestrian events at the Olympics?
July 24th 5pm-10.15pm (JST) Dressage Grand Prix Team and Individual
July 25th 5pm-10.15pm (JST) Dressage Grand Prix Team and Individual
July 27th 5pm-10.40pm (JST) Dressage Team Grand Prix Special
July 28th 5.30pm-9.25pm (JST) Dressage Individual Grand Prix Freestyle
July 30th 8.30am-11am (JST) Eventing Dressage Team and Individual Session 1
July 30th 5.30pm-8.10pm (JST) Eventing Dressage Team and Individual Session 2
July 31st 8.30am-11am (JST) Eventing Dressage Team and Individual Session 3
August 1st 7.45am-11:10am (JST) Eventing Cross Country Team and Individual
August 2nd 5.00pm-10.25pm (JST) Eventing Jumping Team: Final and Individual: Qualifier and Final
August 3rd 7pm-10:45pm (JST) Show Jumping Individual Qualifier
August 4th 7pm-9.40pm (JST) Show Jumping Individual Final
August 6th 7pm-10.05pm (JST) Show Jumping Team: Qualifier
August 7th 7pm-9.30pm (JST) Show Jumping Team Final
When are the Paralympics 2020/21?
The Paralympics will run Tuesday 24th August to Sunday 5th September 2021 in Tokyo.
When are the next summer Olympics?
In 2024, hosted in Paris, France.
