Equestrian sports involve certain types of horse-riding events especially competitive horse racing and rider events. These events are Dressage, Show Jumping, and Eventing among which some of these events are also seen today.
Equestrian events were introduced in the Olympics in the early 20th century. These types of horse-riding events are around for many years since the first Olympic event was organized in 1912. Equestrian is referred to as the skill of riding with horses for recreational purposes and competitive sports.
Some Equestrian sports are not in the Olympics but are still seen today. These are combined driving, endurance, reining, and vaulting. These events are of World Equestrian Games organized by the FEI which is organized every four years. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports is the governing body for equestrians.
What is Horse Racing?
Horse racing is an equestrian sport in which two or more horses are ridden by jockeys or sometimes driven without riders over a set distance for competition. It is in India for over 200 years as it is one of the most ancient of all sports. The first racecourse in the country was set up in Madras in 1777. Now India has an established racing and breeding industry, and this sport is conducted by six racing authorities.
Other Horse Sports
-
Arena sports
Some types of horse arena sports include Camp Drafting (cattle–working competition) which is most popular in Australia. Carriage driving is also a type that is traditionally carried out by two or four-wheeled carriages and it is pulled by a single horse. It is also done by a four-in-hand team of the horse. The judgments of these competitions are done based on the neatness or suitability of horse and carriage.
-
Defined Area Sports
Buzkashi is one of the defined horse sports that originated on the Steppes of Central Asia. It is now the national sport of Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. Jousting is one more famous type of defined area event that involves the use of lances and swords. The results of these competitions are judged based on the completion of obstacles.
Polo is also a type of defined area sport. It is a team game that is played on horseback. The Riders sitting on the horse must drive a ball on the ground into the opposing team’s goal with the help of a long-handled mallet. While the opposing team defends its goal.
-
Cross Country Sports
Competitive trail riding is one of its types that is a pace race which is similar to an endurance race. It is held across terrain and shorter in length (25 to 35 miles depending upon the class). But the objective of this race is not to finish in the least time, instead, each competitor is graded based on physical condition, campsite, and horse management.
Cross-country Jumping is another type of cross-country sport. It is a jumping course that includes endurance riding, and natural obstacles and also contains logs. It is endurance riding usually of 50 to 100 miles or more. Scheduled stops are taken for checking the horse’s vital signs, soundness, and fitness of the horse to continue. The foremost fit horse to finish the race is declared the winner.
Types of Horse Racing
-
Flat Racing
It is one the most common type of horse races generally of distance 1 mile or more at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) and even faster. And a Steeplechase race is another type in which riders must jump obstacles along with maintaining control of their horses.
-
Jump Racing
It is also called National Hunt Racing in Great Britain and Ireland. Jump races can be divided into two subcategories Steeple chasing and Hurdling depending upon the type and sizes of the obstacles. The word “steeplechasing” can also refer collectively to any type of jump race in certain racing jurisdictions, particularly in the United States.
-
Harness Racing
It is a type of racing where horses trot or pace while pulling a driver behind in a light two-wheeled vehicle called a sulky. Standardbreds are mostly used in this kind of race. Horses are distinguished between two categories, trotters, and pacers. Trotters or the trotting horse move their diagonal legs together. While pacers move the legs move both legs on one side of their body at the same time. The former is typically faster than the latter ones.
-
Saddle Trot Racing
This kind of race is famous in the countries such as Europe and New Zealand. These trotters’ horses race on the flat under the saddle while carrying a jockey on their backs.
-
Endurance Racing
In endurance races, horses travel over extreme distances across the country. The length of these races extremely varies between 10 to one hundred miles. Races are divided into five categories according to their lengths: Pleasure Rides (10-20 miles), non-competitive trail rides (21-27 miles), competitive trail rides (20-45 miles), progressive trail rides (25 to 60 miles) and endurance rides (40 to 100 miles in one day or up to 250 miles (400 km) in multiple days).
Some Popular Horse Breeds
- American Quarter Horse
- American Paint Horse
- Arabian
- Clydesdale
- Friesian Horse
- Thoroughbred
- Appaloosa
- Morgan
- Warmbloods
- Ponies
- Grade Horses
- Gaited Breeds
- Draft Breeds
Conclusion
There are many other types of equestrian sports which include different kinds of horses. There are a huge variety of horses and horse races in the world. Different horse races and events are organized by different countries across India. Every horse has its unique specialty, and an equestrian chooses their horse according to the type of race and the required physical qualities and appearance of the horse.