Equestrian

Equestrian sports involve riding, driving, jumping, or vaulting with horses. These sports test the partnership between horse and rider in a range of challenging scenarios. The two main disciplines are Dressage and Jumping, but there are many other types of equestrian sports enjoyed worldwide.

Equestrian sports require strength, endurance, technique, and a deep understanding of horse behaviour, making them highly competitive and physically demanding activities.

Dressage

• Artistic Riding: This involves horse and rider performing a series of predetermined movements from memory. Marked on both the difficulty of the movements and the smoothness and style of the performance.

Show Jumping

• Clear Round Wins: This involves horse and rider jumping over a series of obstacles with the aim of avoiding knockdowns within the time limit. Penalties are accrued for knockdowns and exceeding the time limit.

Cross Country

• Endurance Test: This is a test of speed, stamina, and jumping ability across varied terrain. Penalties are given for refusals and falls, with the aim to complete the course in the fastest time.

Eventing

• Three-Discipline Challenge: This is a combination of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. It's considered the ultimate test of horse and rider.

Polo

• Team Sport: This is a team sport played on horseback where the objective is to score goals against an opposing team by hitting a small ball into the opposing team's goal using a long-handled mallet.

• Equestrian sports are part of the Olympic Games, with events in dressage, show jumping and eventing.
• There are also world championships organized by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) for various disciplines.

Equestrian Sports: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_sports

International Equestrian Federation: https://www.fei.org/