By Sara Dayley

St. Louis (KSDK) -- Equestrian is celebrating its 100th anniversary of Olympic action.

It's the only sport that pits males against females and involves an animal.

Equestrianism first came to fruition at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, but was absent from the arena until 1912. It has appeared in every summer games since.

The equestrian competition is made up of three disciplines and each discipline requires different skills from the riders and horses competing.

The cross-country course eventing is between 5,700 and 6,840m long, which is equal to 3.5-4.25 miles.

At the Olympics, horses must be at least eight-years-old for dressage and eventing, and nine-years-old for jumping.

In modern dressage competitions, the horse and rider perform a series of movements known as a dressage test. Each test is performed in front of a panel of seven judges, receives a score on individual movements as well as an overall score.

As for the competition itself, it consists of a team, made up of three athletes/horses, which includes the grand prix and grand prix special rounds, plus an individual event.

Both team and individual events are conducted simultaneously. A rider's score in a test will be relevant for both events.

The last Olympic equestrian event will take place on Thursday, August 9th.

Click on the video player to watch NewsChannel 5's Sara Dayley and Jennifer Blome take on equestrian.

KSDK