10 Equestrian Sports
All sporting practices that include one or more horses are known as equestrian sports. They can be speed, jumps, ball, traction or throws. Find out what the most popular modalities are in today’s article.
What are equestrian sports?
Within equestrian sports, we can form different groups: Olympic, Paralympic, racing, jumping, combined, team, ball, dressage or traction. Among them, we highlight:
1 – Equestrian jumping
Within riding, this sport (represented in the image that opens this article) consists of performing movements synchronized with the horse.
The animal must jump certain obstacles, following a predetermined path. It is one of the most popular sports and, in addition to the world ones, it is part of the Olympic Games.
2 – Classic taming
Also known as “training”, it is another of the Olympic equestrian sports. The objective is for the animal to obey the rider and perform the tests with harmony and balance.
Horses that practice taming are usually calm, flexible and only attentive to the orders of those who guide them. The chosen breeds are usually the “hot blooded” horses, which have this name because they are not so docile.
3 – Cross-country
The cross-country event integrates taming and jumping and can be practiced separately in some local competitions.
In this sport, the horses’ speed, jumping ability and endurance are tested in a race with obstacles (water, walls, hedges etc).
4 – Galloping race
Horse racing or horse racing is one of the oldest sports with horses that exist: they date from Ancient Greece. In this modality, spectators can bet on their favorite animals.
The races chosen for this sport are the “pure blood” and the “quarter mile”. These races often include a gallop with a jump and the horses are guided by a rider, or jockey.
5 – Polo
It is one of the equestrian sports practiced as a team, with four riders on each team. The objective is to hit a ball with a club or mallet and bring it to the opposing goal.
It is played on a field measuring 270 by 170 meters. It appeared 2,000 years ago in Central Asia. The game lasts two hours, divided into six “chukkas”.
6 – Duck
This sport was created in Argentina and appeared as entertainment for the gauchos who used horses in the pampas region.
It is called “duck” because in the beginning, live specimens of this bird were used inside a leather bag with bows.
Later (and fortunately), the rules were changed and nowadays leather balls are used. Creole horses are widely used in competitions.
7 – Picket game
This sport of chivalry has very ancient origins and is recognized by the International Equestrian Federation.
Among the rules, we can highlight that knights carry swords or spears to collect some objects, such as rings or a lemon slice placed on the ground.
8 – Coupling
It consists of leading a group of horses attached to a carriage through different obstacles.
There are three types of scoring: training (harmony and cadence of the horses), endurance (the course is 22 km) and obstacles (20 km in total).
9 – Enduro
The raid or enduro is a test that takes into account the skill, speed and endurance of both horse and rider.
It consists of covering long distances in a single day in stages, in addition to jumping natural obstacles and walking on various types of ground.
Veterinarians examine the animals at the end of each step and decide if they are fit to proceed.
10 – Reins
Cowgirl taming, unlike the “traditional”, does not use gentle horses. The rider must show that he can control the horse and make it obey his orders.
The skill, speed and maneuvers (circles, changes of direction, recoil, pirouettes and stopping) used during the competition are evaluated. This equestrian sport originated in the western US and is practiced in 40 countries.
