Pommel horse

The pommel horse, also known as the vaulting horse or hobble horse, is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is used by male gymnasts to perform skillful movements and strength tests. The traditional version was made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, but today it has a metal body covered with foam rubber and leather, with plastic pommels (handles) for grip.

This apparatus helps gymnasts build upper body strength and balance while performing spins, swings, and other complex moves around the handles. It is a key event in gymnastics competitions, showing the athlete’s control and skill. A similar piece of equipment used in physical education classes is called a vaulting buck.

Apparatus

The pommel horse is an old gymnastics tool that started with the Romans. They used wooden horses to help teach people how to get on and off horses. Later, it became part of the ancient Olympic Games. In the 1800s, a German man named Friedrich Ludwig Jahn helped create the basic moves we use today.

The size of the pommel horse is set by the Fédération internationale de gymnastique (FIG). It is about 115 centimetres tall, 160 centimetres long on top, and has handles (pommels) that are 12 centimetres high and spaced between 40 and 45 centimetres apart.

Routines

A pommel horse exercise includes both single-leg and double-leg moves. Single-leg skills often look like scissors, while double-leg skills are the main focus. The gymnast swings both legs in a circle, either clockwise or counterclockwise, and performs skills on all parts of the equipment. To make it harder, gymnasts might turn, spread their legs, or place their hands on the handles or the leather while moving up and down the horse.

Routines finish with a dismount, where the gymnast swings over the horse or does a handstand to land on the mat. The pommel horse is one of the tougher men's gymnastics events, focusing more on technique than strong muscles. This is because routines are done from the shoulders in a leaning way, and moves don’t need to be held, which means less stress on the arms.

Olympic pommel horse medalists

See also: Pommel horse at the Olympics

Great Britain's Max Whitlock is the most successful Olympic pommel horse gymnast, winning three medals, including two gold medals. Two other gymnasts also have three Olympic medals: Romania's Marius Urzică with one gold and two silvers, and Great Britain's Louis Smith with two silvers and a bronze. Three other gymnasts have won two Olympic gold medals each: the Soviet Union's Boris Shakhlin, Yugoslavia's Miroslav Cerar, and Hungary's Zoltán Magyar.

Pommel horse medalists at the world championships

See also: World Artistic Gymnastics Championships – Men's pommel horse

The pommel horse has been a part of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships since they began. Several gymnasts have won three world titles, which is the most by anyone. Three gymnasts who also won two Olympic gold medals, Miroslav Cerar, Zoltan Magyar, and Max Whitlock, each won the world title three times. This helped them earn five major titles in total.

Max Whitlock stands out as the most successful gymnast in this event’s history. He has won five gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal at major competitions. Two other top gymnasts, Xiao Qin from China and Kristian Berki from Hungary, each have three gold medals and two silver medals from the World Championships.