With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games rapidly approaching, excitement is mounting within the equestrian community and the timetable is now available. Dressage, eventing and showjumping will take centre stage in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles from 26 July-6 August, and fans will be keen to follow the action, whether they are travelling to the French capital or watching from afar.The equestrian sport will play out over the 2,000 acres of parkland around the Chteau de Versailles. An outdoor arena has been created on the Etoile Royale esplanade to the west of the Grand Canal at the heart of the gardens, and the eventing cross-country course will take competitors across the canal and along both sides.All major infrastructure is now in place, including warm-up and training arenas and stable tents. Currently the internal fit-out is underway, including the construction of stable boxes, veterinary clinic, media centre and judges tower. The main cross-country obstacles, including water jumps, banks and ditches have been completed, and other fences will be brought in pre-constructed and positioned by the course designer in the coming weeks.There is less than two weeks until the deadline for National Federations to submit Certificates of Capability to the FEI (25 June), while Monday 8 July is the deadline for Definite Entries. By then, the full list of horses and athletes in all disciplines, including reserves, will be revealed.Dates and timings* for equestrian sportsOlympic EventingEventing will run on consecutive days between 26 and 29 July. It will begin with the first horse inspection on Friday 26 July at 9.30am, and the following day the dressage phase will begin at 9.30am.The cross-country on Sunday 28 July begins at 10.30am and runs until 3pm. The course is designed by French designer Pierre le Goupil and will be a maximum of 5,800 metres long with a maximum time of 10 minutes.On Monday 29 July, following the second horse inspection at 8am, both the team and individual medals will be awarded following the final showjumping phase.Riders will showjump to decide the team medals first, starting at 11am. Then, at 3pm, the top 25 will showjump again, this time to decide the individual medals.The coloured fences will measure up to 1.25m for the team competition and 1.30m for the individual competition.Olympic DressageFor pure dressage, the first horse inspection will be held on Sunday 28 July at 8am and at 11am on Tuesday 30 July the first 30 combinations will compete in the Grand Prix, while the remaining 30 will perform their tests on Wednesday 31 July.The top ten ranked teams in the Grand Prix, including those tied for 10th place, will qualify for the FEI Grand Prix Special which will begin at 10am on 3 August and will decide the team medals.The second dressage horse inspection will take place at 8am on 4 August and will be followed at 10am by the Grand Prix Freestyle. This is the individual final competition which is open to 18 combinations qualified from the FEI Grand Prix. The individual medal ceremony is scheduled for 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon.Olympic ShowjumpingIn showjumping, the first horse inspection takes place on 31 July. The team qualifier on Thursday 1 August begins at 11am and is open to 20 teams consisting of three athletes per team with all three scores counting.The team final, which kicks off on Friday 2 August at 2pm, is open to the 10 best placed teams in Thursdays competition including those tied for 10th place. Teams that withdraw before the start on Friday will not be replaced, and all teams taking part in the team final re-start with zero penalties.The contest for the individual medals will take place over two days beginning on Monday 5 August with 75 starters from which the top-30 will go through to the individual final on Tuesday 6 August, running in reverse order of classification and all starting again on a zero scoreline.The final competition will begin at 10am with one round against the clock (with a jump-off in case of a tie on penalties for first place) and will bring the equestrian events at the Games to a close.ParadressageThe Paralympics kick off with its opening ceremony on 28 August. Paradressage will run from 3-7 September, followed by the closing ceremony on 8 September.*Please note, all timings are local time for ParisThe post Key dates and timetable for equestrian sports at Paris 2024 Olympic Games appeared first on Your Horse.