Equestrian Events (bareback and chariot events)

Table of Contents

• Origin
• Equipment
• Rules of the Game
• Characteristics of a Good Charioteer
• Additional Information

Origin

Poseidon, the patron deity of the equestrian competitions, is said to have sired the famous horse Areion with which Herakles defeated Kyknos, the son of Ares, in a horse race at Troizen. The earliest chariot race was between Pelops and Oinomaos, the king of Pisa, according to tradition. In addition, Homer includes the chariot race among the games organized by Achilles in honor of Patroklos.

Equipment

There was no special equipment besides the horse and chariot.

Rules of the Game

The equestrian events took place in the hippodrome , a wide, level, open space with two pillars at the ends, one marking the start and the finish, and the other marking the turning post. The course itself was divided along its axis by a partition of stone or wood, called the embolon, round which the horses and chariots ran. A distance of 4 stades (769 meters) was covered on each circuit. [Link to anecdote, p. 232, about the race track].

Horse Races

The horse races were held at Olympia. They include the following: the keles, a race for fully grown horses with a rider, in which they covered six circuits of the race-course (648 B.C. onwards); the kalpe (trot), or race for mares (496 B.C. onwards); and a race for foals (256 B.C. onwards). The kalpe was unique in that on the last lap the rider dismounted and, still holding the reins, ran alongside the mare to the finish. It is not known whether the rider rode bareback or used a saddle-cloth. [Link to anecdote about horse names.]

Chariot Races

Chariot racing has its roots in the warlike life of the Achaians. The following is a list of chariot races is chronological order: the tethrippon (four-horse chariot, 680 B.C. onwards); the apene, a chariot pulled by two mules (500 B.C. onwards); the synoris, a chariot pulled by a pair of horses (408 B.C. onwards); the tethrippon for foals (384 B.C. onwards); and the synoris for foals (268 B.C. onwards).

The chariot was a small wooden vehicle, wide enough to hold two standing men and open at the back. It rested on an axle, to the ends of which were fastened two strong wooden wheels. The strongest, fastest animal was placed on the right-hand side to make it easier to go around the turns. The horses were branded with a hot iron on the hoofs or thighs, either with the archaic letter koppa, which labeled them as koppaties, or with the letter sigma, which labeled them as samphores. Horses were also given other names such as Boukephalas (ox-head), the name of Alexander the Great's war-horse.

Though a true war chariot carried two men, the charioteer and the warrior, both the four-horse and the two-horse chariots used in the races only carried the charioteer. [Link to anecdote p. 235-36 about owner considered winner.]

During a race the charioteer was concerned with taking the inside of the hippodrome so as to cover the shortest distance. All charioteers strove to do this, causing many accidents and collisions at the turning-post. This was also the point that revealed the skill and technique of the good charioteer, as well as the strength and speed of the horses.

Very little is known of the rules of the chariot races and horse races. It is known that swerving in front of others was not allowed unless you were ahead, in order to prevent collisions.

The distance covered is not known, and it is thought that the distance varied according to the size of the race-course. The perimeter of the race-course at Olympia was 8 stades (1, 538 meters) and one stade and four plethra broad (320 meters). The tethrippon for horses completed twelve circuits of the race-course (deduced from Pindar, who calls the race dodekadromos (of twelve courses)). The synoris for horses and the tethrippon for foals ran eight circuits, and the synoris for foals ran three circuits.

Characteristics of a Good Charioteer

A successful charioteer had to drive the chariot without swerving, which was not easy with four horses of varying strength. He also had to know how to use the whip and hold the reins securely so as to avoid collision or falling out of the chariot at the turning-post.