The lowdown

Horse selection:

Athletes compete on a horse that is selected from a random draw 20 minutes prior to the event.

A rider fell doown from the house at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. [Agencies]

They are given 20 minutes to familiarize themselves with their mount, which includes up to five trial jumps in the warm-up arena.

37:

The oldest Olympic gold medalist in the Modern Pentathlon was former Soviet athlete Pavel Lednev, who was 37 when he recorded his win at the 1980 Moscow Games.

1,000:

The points system for each event is based on a standard performance earning 1,000 points.