Equestrian

奥运项目——马术

（选自《英语世界》2012年第6期）

This article is part of a series produced by the British Council to help you learn English and enjoy the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Find out more about the only Olympic sport where men compete against women.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

You know the horse-riding events at the Olympics? Do the horses get medals?

No they don’t, only the men and women.

Men and women?

That’s right. Equestrian is the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete against each other.

Really?

Yes, and it’s also the only Olympic sport, along with modern pentathlon, where humans and animals compete together.

Well, people have ridden horses since the beginning of time, haven’t they?

I don’t know but horses have played an important role in human history all over the world, in war and peace.

And when did they start using horses for sport?

Hard to say, but there were horses at the ancient Olympics, in the chariot events.

Did anyone famous take part?

Well, the Roman emperor Nero competed in the Games in A.D. 67. He nearly died when he raced a ten-horse chariot. He also performed as an actor and a singer.

Is that right? What about the modern Olympics? They don’t have chariot races nowadays, do they?

No, nor acting or singing, either. But equestrian first appeared in the modern Olympic programme in 1900. Nowadays there are three events: dressage, jumping, and eventing.

What’s the difference?

Well, in dressage the rider guides the horse to make the natural movements that it does without thinking in the wild. In jumping they jump over a series of obstacles as fast as they can, and eventing is a combination of these, with cross-country jumping as well.

It sounds to me like the horse should get the medal.

I agree. How about Nautical, also known as Injun Joe? He not only competed at the Olympics, but also starred in the Walt Disney film called “The Horse With The Flying Tail”. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 1960.

I bet they didn’t give the horse the Academy Award either.

RULES FOR EQUESTRIAN

There are three Olympic equestrian events: dressage, jumping, and eventing.

• In each event, there are individual and team medals.

• Men and women compete against each other.

• Riders must be at least 16 years old.

• Horses must be at least seven years old and must have a health inspection.

Dressage

• The horses/riders perform a special series of movements known as a dressage test.

Jumping

• Each horse/rider has a maximum of 45 seconds to complete the course containing 12 to 14 obstacles.

• A horse/rider gets penalties if they commit faults, such as knocking down a fence.

• The horse/rider who finishes the course in the fastest time, with the least number of penalties, is the winner.

Eventing

• There are three parts in the eventing competition: dressage; cross-country riding; and jumping.

• In dressage each horse/rider performs one dressage test.

• Cross-country takes place on a course containing up to 45 obstacles. Each horse/rider gets penalty points for jumping errors and time penalties.

• There are two jumping tests, one for teams and one for individuals.

ACTIVITY

Choose the correct answer to each of the following questions and statements.

1. How many sports are there on the Olympic programme where men and women compete against each other?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3

2. How many sports are there on the Olympic programme where humans and animals compete together?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3

3. How many things did the Roman emperor Nero do at the Games in A.D. 67?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3

4. How many equestrian events are there in the modern Olympic programme?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3

5. How many parts are there in eventing?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 3

（Answers 1. A; 2. A; 3.C; 4. C; 5. C）

WORDSEARCH

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dressage / rider / horse / jumping / eventing / fence / penalty / obstacle / fault