Equestrian Cross Country Obstacles for 2012 London Olympics

Obstacle Number 1 - Diamond Jubilee Hedge: The 6km course, designed to be completed in 10 minutes, starts with a large diamond, in honour of the Queen’s jubilee, which horse and rider have to leap through Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 2 - Royal Park Seat: A straightforward fence, modelled on a park bench, designed to give the horse some early confidence Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 6 - The Planet: The first of two fences in honour of the nearby Royal Observatory. Riders are advised to jump the rings rather than the planet itself Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 7 - The Moon: An obstacle shaped like a crescent moon that is likely to produce the defining photographs from the cross-country, with leaping horses framed by the Queen’s House and Canary Wharf in the background Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 8 - The River Bank: Delightfully twee homage to The Wind in the Willows. Danny Boyle’s British eccentricity is clearly shared by course designer Sue Benson Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 9 - Silver Birch Brush: Benson calls this an “inviting” fence at the top of a long hill. Look out for the cobwebs, complete with huge model spiders, on either side of it Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 10 - Ancient Market Place: Sits atop the underground ruins of a Roman temple – a site which has inspired this model of an ancient marketplace Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 12 - The Chess Table: A wide fence incorporating a chessboard woven out of willow. Giant chess pieces stand on either side, with the knights of course to the fore Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 14 - The Sundials: Inspired by the sundial outside the Maritime Museum next door to the arena. Riders jump this before entering the arena itself, where they have to negotiate a model of the Tower of London before exiting to begin the second half of the course Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 17 - Inland Waterways (a): Modelled on a working canal wharf as it was before the industrial revolution, and makes clever use of the park’s boating lake Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 18 - Inland Waterways (b): “Everyone has to jump the barge,” says Benson, “which is as near to authentic as we could make it and represents many hours of painstaking work.” Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 13 - East End Barrows. Benson has included many references to British history and heritage on her course. Here the East End is celebrated, with real fruit on the barrows. Note to horses – do not stop to eat it. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 19 - The Playground: Designed as a gentle fence after the water feature, and includes a real tractor and some model sheep which will be donated to the adjacent children’s playground after the Games Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle number 23 - The Cricket Ball Basket: This fence, modelled on a basket of cricket balls, sits next to a cricket pitch and features huge bats and stumps. A larger-than-life-size model of a cricketer sits on a bench nearby Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 24 - The Rose Garden: Riders shouldn't stop to sniff the roses. This is a tough fence which for speed has to be jumped at a peculiar angle. There is a slower route but it will take time – and time on this course is at a premium if riders want to avoid incurring penalties Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian

Obstacle Number 28 - The Olympic Horses: The final obstacle. A monumental horseshoe framed by two horses which are themselves constructed from recycled horseshoes. Horses and riders will be exhausted by the test, as will spectators who have walked the course and tried to decode the meaning of each fence Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Guardian