The European Equestrian Championship ended in Rotterdam. The strongest riders competed for the title of the best. In addition to prizes, the championship raced for a ticket to the Olympics in Tokyo, reports the correspondent of “MIR 24” Anastasia Demyanets.

The rider’s task is to jump the barriers as quickly as possible. The routes are devised by the so-called course-designers. They are the ones who decide in what order the athletes will take the heights.

Course designers think about the appearance of the barriers, right down to the color. Plants, flowerbeds, water – anything to distract the rider and the horse. Viewers like these tricks. The show jumping is the most spectacular part of the European Championship.

Just a few minutes ago the couple was warming up away from the audience. Now they are getting ready to go to the battlefield.

Fighting field is called because equestrian sport belongs to the military-applied disciplines. All the elements came from the cavalry. The main of them: pirouette – turning on the spot, taking – movement to the side, and layup – backward movement. The animal’s quick response to the rider’s command during combat could save the lives of both.

“They did these elements simply to move quickly from place to place, or quickly turn around, quickly stop and start moving again at any gait,” says Vladislav Kolosov, a member of the Russian Paralympic dressage team.