In the gardens of the Château de Versailles—an iconic setting about nine miles from Paris proper—the Olympics’ four-legged athletes (and their two-legged riders) have been sailing over fences that are far more than mere poles in the ground: They’re meticulously crafted, gorgeous masterpieces that draw our attention away from the amazing jumps the equestrians and their mounts are executing.
The course for the Paris 2024 equestrian jumping events was designed by 45-year-old Grégory Bodo, who worked with a Spanish partner, Santiago Varela Ullastres. Together, they created 14 obstacles of different heights and widths for each day, placed throughout the sandy track of the arena in which the jumping events were held. The fences were kept in locked, secured semi-trailers before the competition began, lest any riders get an early peek at their difficulty levels, Le Monde reports.
The team jumping event ended August 2, and produced the oldest American medalist in 72 years—58-year-old Laura Kraut, who won silver with her teammates Karl Cook and McLain Ward. But you can still catch these compositions in the individual jumping competition, which begins August 5.
The art—er, obstacles—range from ancient Japanese symbols to landmarks any visitor to Paris will recognize (yes, there are nods to wine and pastries), and are described in pdfs on the Olympics website. Scroll below to check out our absolute favorites. And then tune in on Monday so you can pick out your faves in action.
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