Horse Riding

Man has always had a special relationship with animals and his relationship with horses in particular is one of the longest and most enduring.

It’s impossible to know exactly when we began to befriend horses but some records suggest that horses were domesticated and ridden as far back as 4500 BC. However, the earliest direct evidence of horses being driven is around 2500 BC when they were used in chariot races.

Horse Transport

However, even before such evidence and certainly afterwards, the horse has played a major part in human life from transport and agriculture to trade and warfare.

According to archaeological studies, there were horses in North America but they died out during the Ice Age. They were later introduced by early European explorers.

Horses on Duty

Before the invention of the car, horses were our main means of transport and, of course, they were used by all of the services from the military to the police.

Although the use of the horse as a means of transportation was rendered almost obsolete by the invention of the automobile (for the main part in the West although some less-accessible areas are still best served by the horse), our love of horses has elevated horse riding to a whole new level.

There is a whole range of sports, disciplines and events in which we display the skills of horse and rider.

Horse Racing

The most popular is undoubtedly horse racing. We seem to have an unquenchable thirst for knowing what is the biggest, largest and fastest so it’s no surprise that a vast business of betting has been built around which horse is the fastest.

The two main forms of horse racing in America are flat racing where horses race over flat ground, and steeple chasing where horses race over a series of jumps or hurdles.

Olympians

Horses were first seen in the Olympics in 1900 and there are three types of event.

Dressage (from the French for ‘training’) is very popular and shows the horse carrying out natural movements while carrying a rider.

Show Jumping is arguably the most popular horse event. It involves the horse and rider jumping over a number of obstacles or fences in a given order in the shortest possible time and with the fewest refusals and knockdowns of the obstacles.

The third discipline is Eventing but is also called by various names such as horse trials, three day event, and the military. It combines the skills from the other disciplines and includes the obedience of dressage, the skill of show jumping and the endurance of cross-country jumping.

It’s worth noting that there is also a higher degree of dressage, not used in the Olympics, known as haute école (from the French ‘high school’) or classical dressage. It’s rarely used in competition but plays a major part in exhibitions and demonstrations.

English Riding

As any fan of westerns and horses will know, there is a marked difference between the way Americans and English ride horses. The difference, however, is more in the equipment than the style of riding.

The main difference lies in the saddle. Western riding evolved from working cowboys brought to the Americas by Spanish Conquistadors. Generally the saddles provide greater support for horse and rider, suitable for long working hours in the saddle.

Both English and Western styles of riding require the rider to have a solid seat with shoulders and hips balanced over the feet.

Western riding is often more flamboyant than English were dress is typically more reserved

Horse Sports

Apart from those already mentioned, horses are used in many other sports such as polo, equestrian vaulting, cross country jumping, orienteering, endurance riding, and there are several sporting events involving horses pulling a trap, carriage or harness.

Injuries

Without doubt, horse riding does carry with it the risk of injury and it is important that you wear the right clothes. In particular, most injuries occur by falling off the horse with the attendant risk of being kicked.

The most important safety item is a helmet, suited to the activity you are taking part in. So take care, stay  safe and enjoy your horse riding.