What does a gymnast have to do on the pommel horse?
I · Intermediate · The men's apparatus · 6 of 9Swing the legs around and over the horse while supported only on the hands, without stopping. The exercise must use all parts of the horse and include single-leg swings or scissors, circles or flairs and travels along the horse. Strength and hold elements are not permitted, and there is no bonus for a stuck landing.
How it works
- Swing only: "All elements must be executed with swing and without the slightest interruption of the exercise. Strength and hold elements are not permitted."
- The whole horse: support positions "on all parts of the horse", meaning both ends and the pommels.
- Group I: single-leg swings and scissors.
- Group II: circles and flairs, with or without spindles and handstands.
- Group III: travels along the horse.
- Group IV: dismounts.
- The start: from a stand. Judging begins when the feet leave the floor.
- Scissors: must show "a significant elevation and a large separation of the legs".
- Circles: ideally with the body fully extended. A bend at the hips is deducted on each circle.
- Handstands: reached with straight arms and no visible use of strength.
- The dismount: if a gymnast believes it earned no value, he may repeat it once within 30 seconds.
- No stick bonus: the 0.1 for a stuck dismount does not apply on this apparatus.
The glossary has the pommel horse, the element group, the dismount, the hold, the fall and the stick.
Tricky cases
A gymnast's legs brush the horse during a circle. Is that a fall?
No. Touching the horse is an execution error. A fall is coming off or sitting on the apparatus without being able to continue.
He stops in a handstand for two seconds to show control. Is that rewarded?
No. Hold elements are not permitted, and a visible pause interrupts the swing.
He falls off halfway through. Can he get back on?
Yes. He has 30 seconds to continue, loses 1.0 for the fall and may repeat the element he missed.
He sticks a difficult dismount. Does he get the 0.1 bonus?
No. The stick bonus applies on every other men's apparatus but not on the pommel horse.
Why the rule exists
Pommel horse is the one men's event with no strength parts at all: the whole exercise rests on balance over the hands while the body keeps turning. The rules protect that by forbidding any stop. Requiring every part of the horse stops a gymnast staying on the pommels, where the grip is easiest.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pommel horse | No strength or hold elements, no stick bonus | FIG MAG 11.1; FIG MAG 7.2 |
| Rings | Strength and hold parts are required | FIG MAG 12.1 |
| Floor | At most one circle or flair element counts | FIG MAG 10.2.2 |
| Women | No pommel horse | FIG WAG sections 10 to 13 |
From the rule book
Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, Code of Points 2025-2028, MAG article 11. Checked 14 October 2026. Official documents: 2025-2028 Code of Points, Women's Artistic Gymnastics and Men's Artistic Gymnastics (PDF).