A short history of show jumping, from its origins to the Olympics

Show jumping has ancient roots and a clear path to today's Olympic sport. Here is a short history.

The origins

The discipline grew from the need, in the English countryside, for horses able to clear fences while fox hunting; in the second half of the 19th century, notably with the 1869 Dublin Horse Show, «leaping» was adapted for spectators, with fences in an arena [1][2].

The Olympic debut

Equestrian sports entered the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris; show jumping in its modern format appeared from 1912, and has featured in every edition since [1].

Today

Show jumping is today an Olympic discipline governed internationally by the FEI and, in Italy, by FISE. Discover how categories and heights and competition formats work.