There are three equestrian disciplines contested at the Olympics, with an individual and team event in each, making six events on the Olympic programme. The three disciplines are jumping (or show jumping, or Prix de Nations as a team event), dressage, and Eventing. Jumping consists of negotiating a series of obstacles with the goal being not to disturb the fences. Dressage is a sort of ballet on horseback in which the rider guides the horse to perform certain intricate manoeuvres of stepping. The scoring is done by judges who evaluate how well the horse executes the moves. Eventing combines the above two disciplines, and adds a third competition of riding a cross-country course on horseback. Scoring is by a series of tables evaluating each day's performance.
photo courtesy of Al Bello
