Barrel racing
Barrel racing is rodeo event originally developed for women; the origin is thought to be Texas (where else?) The originally runs were either a figure eight or the cloverleaf pattern, though it changed to simply be the cloverleaf pattern which had the popular vote.
The purpose of barrel racing is to complete the pattern as fast as possible. The timer for a run starts as the horse and tide cross the start line and ends once the entire barrel run is completed and the horse and rider cross the finish line. The only rule for the sport is the fastest time wins, as long as you complete the course correctly.
Dressage
Dressage basically means training in French, so it is the art of training your horse and controlling it. This discipline requires a high skill of horse riding and is considered the highest expression of horse training by leading equestrians.
The point of dressage is for the horse to be so well trained that they respond to a bare minimum of direction by the rider and perform the pre determined set of movements.
Dressage is even an Olympic event, and competitions often consist of individual tests that increase each time with difficulty. Some movements in these tests include the Passage, a trot that seems to have the horse pause between each stride or a Pirouette which is a 360 turn in place. This is an art form and can be as enjoyable as playing the online pokies NZ has to offer. When you have time, look up some Dressage and learn exactly how disciplined a horse can be.
Show Jumping
Show jumping is one of the most well known and popular equestrian sports today. This forms part of the English riding events, but is practiced worldwide and is also part of the Olympics.
There are few classes under show Jumpers, Hunters, Jumpers or hunt seat Equitation classes.
4Hnters are judged by how well they meet the standard set for manners and style, where as Jumpers are scored numerically on whether they attempted a jump, clear it and finished the set course in the required time.
The Equitation class is the judging of the rider’s abilities on the horse, and is similar to the Hunter style in scoring.
Polo
Another well known equestrian discipline often thought to be a sport of the rich, famous or royal. Thought to have originated in the Middle East, either in the 6th century BC or up to the 1st Century AD, many peoples and civilisations have played some variation of this sport since then.
Polo is one of the few equestrian team sports, and the objective is to drive a small ball into your opponent’s goal, and thereby scoring.
Polo is popular in the Modern age with its most common players being found in England, India, USA and most well known in Argentina.
Racing
Racing is the most popular equestrian sport, with thousands of people following the races, horses, jockeys and trainers avidly. Plenty of bets are made and loads of fun and excitement is had with a day at the races.
With a history going back to Ancient times, horse racing in one form or the other has been with mankind for a long time. Horse racing can include chariot racing, jump racing or the most well known Flat racing.