Years ago, Daniel Ribeiro was intimidated by the size of gymnastics equipment and the riskiness of the different events. It was no surprise that he gravitated toward the pommel horse, a 5-foot long metal device standing not even four feet off the ground.

“It had the lowest fear factor, it was the event to be scared of the least,” Ribeiro said.

Since then, Ribeiro has moved on to try different events like the vault and floor exercise, but pommel horse will always be his favorite event.

Most recently, he won the gold medal in the pommel horse at the U.S. Winter Cup Championships and Visa Championships. He won an NCAA title in the event in 2009 and is a two-time Big Ten champion in the pommel horse (2008, 2010).

The reason behind his success dates back to the days when he was scared of the other events. He spent his time in the gym focusing solely on the pommel horse, which may come easy to Ribeiro, but is known to be the event in which many gymnasts are the most inconsistent. The male-only event requires strong arm muscles and balance, and proper technique is very important.

“You have to be very calm on this event,” Ribeiro said. “You can’t afford to get too excited, you need to lower your intensity level so you don’t rile yourself up and fall off.”

It is easy to fall off the equipment on the pommel horse, specifically because no moves are held and there is no time for rest.

The gymnast swings his legs in a circular motion while his hands are on the equipment and performs multiple skills on all areas of the apparatus. His body does not stop swinging until he performs a dismount by landing on the mat with a handstand, or by swinging his body over the “horse.”

“I call it the mystery event,” Illinois junior Tyler Mizoguchi said. “You never know what’s going to happen or how someone is going to do on it because there are so many variables: if someone can swing the wrong way, or fall off or mess up a move.”

In the last few decades, Illinois has dominated the pommel horse because it recruits specifically for the event, with athletes like Ribeiro, and assistant coach Luke Stannard, who graduated from Illinois in 2010. Illinois is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in the event with a team average of 57.967, more than eight points above No. 2 Stanford.

“We want to continue focusing on the pommel horse because it’s an area where you can gain a lot of ground,” Spring said.

Ribeiro leads the nation in the event with an average individual score of 15.580.

Gymnasts like Stannard and Ribeiro have ideal bodies for the pommel horse, standing at 6-foot-1 and 5-foot-8, respectively. Stannard is one of the taller gymnasts in the country and for the pommel horse, it is an advantage to have height because longer legs make it easier to perform the routines.

Illini head coach Justin Spring said a lack of height makes the event harder for gymnasts like Mizoguchi, who at just 5-foot-2 has to work harder to swing his body.

“It’s a very tricky event, it can be going your way one day and the next day you just hate it,” Mizoguchi said. “You think because it’s so small it wouldn’t be challenging, but it’s incredibly hard to master the horse.”

This year’s freshmen are expected to excel on the pommel horse, with five of six being able to compete in the event. At the Windy City Invitational, two freshmen (Chad Mason and Cole Smith) had their pommel horse routines count.

Spring wants to continue focusing on the pommel horse because he thinks not only is it an event in which the team can gain ground, but is also the best event to build a gymnastics base. The gymnast moves in a basic circle and has to master technique above all else.

“Pommel horse is something you can do numbers over and over on because the event doesn’t break your body down as much,” Spring said. “It’s the greatest event to use to help build your body as a gymnast.”

That’s what Ribeiro likes most about the pommel horse: the ability to always improve.