Learn about the basics of horsemanship, breeds, disciplines, horse care, horse management and more.
In a jumping competition the horse and rider are tested under various conditions over a course of obstacles. It is intended to demonstrate the horse’s freedom, energy, skill, speed and obedience in jumping as well as the rider’s horsemanship. Show jumping is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters and equitation.
Professional rodeo consists of roughstock events and timed events. The roughstock events are bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding. The timed events are steer wrestling, team roping, tie-down roping, barrel racing, and steer roping.
Reining contestants are required to run one of several approved patterns, all of which include small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, rollbacks over the hocks, 360-degree spins in place, and the sliding stops that are the hallmark of the sport. Scorers give points for smoothness, finesse, attitude, quickness and authority when performing the various maneuvers.
Eventing brings out the harmony between horse and rider that characterize dressage; the courage and stamina essential for the cross country; the agility and technique involved in jumping.
Dressage requires the horse and rider to combine the strength and agility of gymnastics with the elegance and beauty of ballet. The result is truly the best blend of sport and art. The highlight of a dressage competition is the Musical Freestyle in which the rider creates and choreographs to music an original ride of compulsory figures and movements.
Barrel Racing is primarily a rodeo event for women combining the horse's athletic ability and the rider's horsemanship skills in order to safely and successfully maneuver through a clover leaf pattern around three barrels in the center of an arena. In timed rodeo events, the purpose is to make a run as fast as possible, while the time is being clocked.
The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by tying three legs together, in as short a time as possible. When the tie is complete, the roper throws his hands in the air to signal "time" and stop the clock.
Combined Driving, modeled after ridden three-day eventing, has an extra challenge generated by the addition of the carriage. Drivers first present their horses in the dressage arena .The marathon is next. The final phase, the cones, tests the ability of the driver to clear a course of up to 20 gates at the required pace without incurring penalties.
In cutting, a horse and rider are judged on their ability to separate a single cow from a herd and keep it away for a short period of time. Once the cow is cut from the herd, the rider must give the horse its head. The cow instinctively tries to return to the herd, but the horse must defend the herd and hold the cow.
Dressage requires the horse and rider to combine the strength and agility of gymnastics with the elegance and beauty of ballet. The result is truly the best blend of sport and art. The highlight of a dressage competition is the Musical Freestyle in which the rider creates and choreographs to music an original ride of compulsory figures and movements.
