This year all eyes are on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. In August the best athletes around the world gather to battle it out for eternal glory. But when did the equestrian sport get embraced by the Games? What are the most Magic Equestria Moments?
With only 100 days to go for the next Olympic Games it is time to get prepared and have a look at some nice fun facts about the past. Jumping originated in the 18th century when a decision by the British Parliament enclosed some open countryside and fox hunters began jumping hedges and fences. However the first official show jumping competition took only place in Ireland in 1900. The competition offered a high jump, long jump and a competition against the clock. It took 12 years before the sport offered a sequences of obstacles... the course as we know it today. In Stockholm 1912 it was Italian Captain Federico Caprilli who layed the base for the modern equestrian sports.
The Olympic Equestrian sport has known some Magic Moments! Riding Arete, a horse blind in one eye, Mexico's Humberto Mariles became individual and team champion at the London 1948 Games, winning Mexico's first two Olympic gold medals. A couple of years later at the Rome 1960 Games, Italian brothers Raimondo and Piero D'Inzeo won the gold and silver medals respectively, delighting the home crowd.
Also most recently, at the London 2012 Games, Canada’s Ian Millar, aged 65, became the rider to have participated in the most Olympic Games: 10 in all, from 1972 to 2012. It is however Germany's Hans Günter Winkler who is the show jumper with the most Olympic gold medals (five) and the most Olympic medals (seven). Without a jumping medal since Athens 2004, Germany will try to surpass Hans Winkler's achievements with a team featuring Marcus Ehning and Ludger Beerbaum at Rio 2016.
This year all eyes are on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. In August the best athletes around the world gather to battle it out for eternal glory. But when did the equestrian sport get embraced by the Games? What are the most Magic Equestria Moments?
With only 100 days to go for the next Olympic Games it is time to get prepared and have a look at some nice fun facts about the past. Jumping originated in the 18th century when a decision by the British Parliament enclosed some open countryside and fox hunters began jumping hedges and fences. However the first official show jumping competition took only place in Ireland in 1900. The competition offered a high jump, long jump and a competition against the clock. It took 12 years before the sport offered a sequences of obstacles... the course as we know it today. In Stockholm 1912 it was Italian Captain Federico Caprilli who layed the base for the modern equestrian sports.
The Olympic Equestrian sport has known some Magic Moments! Riding Arete, a horse blind in one eye, Mexico's Humberto Mariles became individual and team champion at the London 1948 Games, winning Mexico's first two Olympic gold medals. A couple of years later at the Rome 1960 Games, Italian brothers Raimondo and Piero D'Inzeo won the gold and silver medals respectively, delighting the home crowd.
Also most recently, at the London 2012 Games, Canada’s Ian Millar, aged 65, became the rider to have participated in the most Olympic Games: 10 in all, from 1972 to 2012. It is however Germany's Hans Günter Winkler who is the show jumper with the most Olympic gold medals (five) and the most Olympic medals (seven). Without a jumping medal since Athens 2004, Germany will try to surpass Hans Winkler's achievements with a team featuring Marcus Ehning and Ludger Beerbaum at Rio 2016.