What's the difference between the horse and the pommel horse, in gymnastics?

Question

I can't figure it out. I've looked it up, but I can't find anything.. I only find the pommel horse, which I thought was just the horse.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/gymnastics/resultsandschedules/rsc=GAM400000/standings_team.html

They are two different categories, but I now don't know what just the horse is.

And I also find it odd that under the sports categories, there is no "Gymnastics" category.. Hmm.. (Here on Y!A)

Answer 1

Both my kids do gymnastics - one boy who uses the pommel horse. The pommel horse has two "handles" on it and the males put their hands on them and then perform handstands, swings etc.

The girls use a vault - which used to be called the horse back when I did gymnastics.  This doesn't have handles and they generally use a springboard to flip up and do a handstand or something with a spectacular finish.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I'm pretty sure they got it confused. Horse should be "High Bar". Because there is no high bar scores up there, and pommel horse is already up there. You're right, it does make no sense. It should be high bar.

Answer 3

a horse is when you go "giddy up" it goes "neigh neigh" while the pommel horse has pomegranate ancestry.  

Answer 4

the horse can mean the pommel horse that guys do or can mean the vault table. the old vault used to look like the pommel horse just without the handles so it used to be called the horse. but now that they have changed the vault it is usually referred to as the vault table but people may refer to it as the horse.