The FEI recently announced the equestrian super-powers for the 2012 Olympics: Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the USA will field full teams in all three disciplines.
What makes up a full Olympic Equestrian team? Quotas of horse/rider pairs vary between Games and between each discipline. Currently, each National Federation may enter a team of 4 riders on the jumping team (one of which is a reserve), 5 on the event team (no reserves), and 3 riders on the dressage team.
1. How many horse and rider pairs will each individual country field in the 2012 Summer Olympics?
2. How many horse and rider pairs will these countries field all together?
Riders are required by the FEI to be a minimum of 16 years old. All horses must be at least 7. There is no maximum age.
Equestrian Jumping at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
In Jumping, Argentina, Colombia, Ireland, and Japan will be represented by two riders each whereas Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Egypt, Jordan, Portugal, Russia, and Syria will be entering one individual each.
3. How many horse and rider pairs will be fielded by Argentina, Colombia, Ireland, and Japan?
4. How many horse and rider pairs will be fielded by Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Egypt, Jordan, Portugal, Russia, and Syria?
In Dressage, 11 nations will be fielding full teams of three riders.
5. How many horse and rider pairs will be fielded by these 11 nations?
Thirteen countries will be represented only by individual riders who qualified through the FEI Olympic Athletes Rankings. These nations are Antigua, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and Ukraine.
1984 Olympics: #191 Fiona Wentges from Ireland aboard Ballylusky
Riders from 11 nations qualified through the FEI Olympic Athletes Rankings in Eventing. These nations are Australia, Austria, Belarus, Ecuador, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, and Thailand. Since Australia qualified five riders through the Rankings and Ireland and the Netherlands qualified three riders each, these three nations will have composite teams which brings the total number of teams that will compete in Eventing to 14.
Summary by discipline:
Jumping
15 teams: GBR, GER, FRA, BEL, BRA, CAN, NED, SWE, SUI, USA, MEX, CHI, KSA, AUS, UKR
11 nations represented by individuals only: ARG, AZE, BER, COL, EGY, IRL, JOR, JPN, POR, RUS, SYR
6. How many nations will be competing in jumping all together?
Dressage
11 teams: AUS, CAN, COL, DEN, ESP, GBR, GER, NED, NZL, SWE, USA
13 nations represented by individuals only: ANT, AUT, BEL, BRA, FIN, FRA, ITA, JPN, MAR, NOR, POL, POR, UKR
7. How many nations will be competing in dressage all together?
Eventing
14 teams: ARG, AUS, BEL, BRA, CAN, FRA, GBR, GER, IRL, JPN, NED, NZL, SWE, USA
8 nations represented by individuals only: AUT, BLR, ECU, ITA, JAM, RUS, RSA, THA
8. How many nations will be competing in eventing all together?
1. How many horse and rider pairs will each individual country field in the 2012 Summer Olympics?
Answer: 4 + 5 + 3 = 12 pairs
2. How many horse and rider pairs will these countries field all together?
Answer: 7 x 12 = 84 pairs
3. How many horse and rider pairs will be fielded by Argentina, Colombia, Ireland, and Japan?
Answer: 2 x 4 = 8 pairs
4. How many horse and rider pairs will be fielded by Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Egypt, Jordan, Portugal, Russia, and Syria?
Answer: 1 x 7 = 7 pairs
5. How many horse and rider pairs will be fielded by these 11 nations?
Answer: 11 x 3 = 33 pairs
6. How many nations will be competing in jumping all together?
Answer: 15 + 11 = 26 nations
7. How many nations will be competing in dressage all together?
Answer: 11 + 13 = 24 nations
8. How many nations will be competing in eventing all together?
Answer: 14 + 8 = 22 nations
Photos:
Dressage by Thowra_uk; CC BY 2.0
Equestrian Jumping at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by cmaccubbin; CC BY 2.0
1984 Olympics: #191 Fiona Wentges from Ireland aboard Ballylusky by valeehill; CC BY-ND 2.0
