Equestrian events have been part of the Olympics for over a century. Show jumping is one of the core parts of the equestrian schedule at the Olympics, as it will be again in Paris this summer.
It isn’t going to be the most popular live betting page for the Games, but show jumping is one of those sports that can catch the eye of fans flicking through the events during the Olympics. There is a lot to learn if you’re new to show jumping.
The most talented show jumpers in the world are not the biggest names in sports betting, yet the summer Olympics is an opportunity to increase their profile on the biggest stage of all. This is also a great chance for the sport to attract some new viewers.
Equestrian History In The Olympic Games
First involved in the Olympics in 1912, show jumping has been a regular feature in the Games for over a century.
Scoring has changed over the decades. Various different courses have been used around the world, too, but the premise remains the same in the modern day as it was before the Second World War.
Fences have got higher. Brightly coloured poles which are now customary were not always part of Olympic show jumping, with natural, much smaller fences used for much of the event’s Olympic history.
In the 1912 Games in Stockholm, riders were trying to gain points. While the sport was still very similar to what we are used to in modern times, the format and scoring system was a million miles away.
There were similarities for the 1920 Games in Antwerp and the 1924 Games in Paris before further changes to the scoring and a much bigger field for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.
With the world economy crashing, the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles saw just 11 riders take part.
Scoring was tweaked again for the 1936 Games in Berlin, before significant expansion for the 1948 London Games with Brazil, Ireland, Finland, and Denmark competing for the first time.
Equestrian Event Format
Modern Olympic show jumping takes place over four rounds. The first of which is the initial qualifier for individual competition, with the best scores also deciding the start order for the team competition.
Round two includes the top 30 riders from the opening round. Riders begin with no penalties. The three best performers receive medals. Individual scores in rounds one and two are tallied up, with the top 50 riders progressing to round three.
This is where the team medals are decided. Each team has three riders, and each of the three scores are used to calculate the overall team score.
The top eight teams progress onto round four to have a shot at a medal. The team with the best score receives the gold medal, and if there is a tie for any of the medals, a jump-off takes place.
Most Successful Countries in Olympic Show Jumping
The United States have the most total medals in Olympic show jumping with 19. France, however, have the most gold medals with seven, and the second-most medals overall with 17.
Germany have six gold medals, despite collecting just 12 total medals. Italy have 15 medals overall, while Great Britain also have 12 medals with four golds, three silvers, and five bronzes. Sweden are the only other country with double-digit medals in show jumping.
Equestrian Candidates at 2024 Games
Sweden are inevitably among the favourites at the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning the 2022 World Championships in Herning.
Henrik von Eckermann won the individual gold, which he backed up with individual show jumping golds in the 2023 and 2024 World Cups in Omaha and Riyadh.
The Swedes were also Olympic champions in the team jumping event in Tokyo three years ago, with von Eckermann starring alongside Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Peder Fredericson.
Great Britain’s Ben Maher won gold in the individual jumping, ahead of Fredericson and Maikel van der Vleuten.
Maher is an ultra-experienced rider, but he has had to overcome injury issues in recent years, and hasn’t won a major individual medal since the last Olympics. It’s worth noting, though, that he did play a big role in Great Britain’s team bronze in Herning.
Speaking about his challenges, Maher said, "Although we managed to get back to the sport within about 14 weeks, the initial prediction was six months and there was even a possibility that I couldn't ride again - so it was serious at the time, and it was tough working through it.
"On the positive side, it gave me time to think about the plan for the rest of the year."
Frenchman Julien Epaillard will have plenty of support in front of home crowds. It’s a first Olympics for Epaillad, who claimed medals at the 2022 and 2023 Nations Cup finals, along with a silver at the 2024 World Cup.
France haven’t won an Olympic medal in show jumping since 1996 – Epaillard, who is ranked fourth in the world, is well-placed to buck that unwanted trend.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
