Equestrian

About Equestrian

Equestrian sport has been part of Ireland's Olympic story since the 1920s, historically represented by riders of the Irish Army Equitation School, and today spans all three Olympic disciplines.

In show jumping, Cian O'Connor has been Ireland's most prominent rider across four decades of competition, winning bronze at London 2012, while Jessica Kürten represented Ireland at two Games, Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004, and was for a time Ireland's highest-ranked rider in the sport.

The show jumping team came close to a first Olympic medal at Paris 2024, sitting in podium contention before finishing seventh. Eventing has also delivered strong Irish performances, including Jonty Evans' ninth-place finish at Rio 2016 and Austin O'Connor's run to a fourth Olympic Games at Paris 2024.

In dressage, Judy Reynolds became the first Irish woman to reach an Olympic final in the sport, finishing 18th at Rio 2016 with her horse Vancouver K. At the Games, equestrian comprises show jumping, where horse and rider clear a course of fences against the clock, dressage, a discipline of precision and artistry likened to ballet on horseback, and eventing, which combines dressage, cross-country and show jumping over several days.