There has been a huge shake-up to the traditional Olympic showjumping format at recent Games so what can we expect to see happening in Paris this year?
Reverting back from the new running format introduced at the Tokyo Games in 2021, the showjumping competition at the Paris Olympics will start with the team competition before the individual medals are decided.
Unchanged, however, are the new-look teams of three horse-and-rider combinations with all three scores counting. Long gone are the drop scores in Olympic showjumping, ensuring the stakes remain sky high from start to finish. One of the reasons behind this decision to lose the fabled drop score was to make it easier for people outside the sport to understand; every rider’s score will contribute to their country’s tally, making it clear and simple to follow.
2024 Olympic showjumping format: what comes first in Paris?
Showjumping is the last of the equestrian disciplines to take the stage in Paris; competition begins on Thursday 1 August with 20 teams jumping the qualifier over one round against the clock with time and penalties combined to rank each competitor according to their score.
The top 10 teams progress to Friday’s team medal decider, all starting on zero penalties and a jump-off will take place in the event of a tie for medal placings.
Competition resumes on Monday 5 August for all 75 individual athletes over one round. The top 30 ranked competitors at this stage return on Tuesday 6 August – again, back on a zero score – to decide individual honours. A jump-off will decide the medals if more than one combination jumps clear inside the time.
Can a nation’s alternate rider be substituted in?
In the new-look 2024 Olympic showjumping format, each team has the option of bringing a travelling reserve combination, who can be substituted in only between the team qualifier and up to two hours before the start of the team final if a horse or rider isn’t able to contest the final round. Chefs d’equipe also have the option of changing horse and rider combinations between the end of the team final and the start of the individual competition.
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Who are the course-designers at the Paris Olympics?
Renowned Spanish course-builder Santiago Varela and French designer Gregory Bodo will be building the tracks at the amazing Versailles venue for the Olympic showjumping competition. Santi was the course-builder in Tokyo and he and Gregory have worked together on many occasions, proving an astute team that riders respect and admire.
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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
