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From USA Gymnastics:
POMMEL HORSE
Many consider the pommel horse one of the most difficult of all men's gymnastics events. It requires an enormous amount of practice to master even the most basic skills.
Pommel horse routines consist of continuous circular movements interrupted only by the required scissors elements. Swinging through a handstand position, with or without turns, is allowed. The hands are the only part of the body that should touch the apparatus and the entire exercise should flow with steady, controlled rhythm. A maximum of two cross support travels for bonus are permitted (forward and / or backward). The hand placements should be quick, quiet and rhythmic.
This event is difficult because:
The event's difficulty stems from two factors. First, the gymnast must perform skills with a circular movement in a horizontal plane. Second, he spends most of each routine on only one arm, as the free hand reaches for another pommel or part of the horse to begin the next skill.
Pommel horse is the only event in which gymnasts do not get to stop or pause during the routine. If a gymnast gets in trouble, he must continue moving through the routine while making corrections. The constant movement makes this very difficult to do. Also, many of the skills learned in gymnastics can easily be transferred to other events; however, with the exception of a circle and a flair circle, this is not the case on pommel horse. Mastering basic skills on this apparatus often takes twice the time.
While the untrained eye may not catch these flaws, judges may deduct for several mistakes. For example, deductions may be taken if the hips are not high enough and the legs are not separated enough while performing the scissors requirement, the gymnast does not make it completely up to a handstand during a handstand dismount, or the gymnast performs a dismount that does not match the rest of the routine.
What can we expect to see at the Olympic Games?
* Flawless routines performed with extended circle swings
* Landings without any steps or hops
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