Sports

Dressage

Dressage is an Olympic sport. It is popular in the United States and Europe. It has high standards. It is a sport for both children and adults. It is done on ponies and horses. It originated in Europe. It is considered a dance on horseback. The horses are collected in order to do spins and cross-canters. Riders practice movements then at shows the movements are put together to form a test. The judges give the horse and rider a score rating how well they perform each movement.

Polo

Polo is a sport that requires timing and accuracy. The Polo ponies are bred for speed and flexibility. The ponies have to be able to turn on a dime and gallop immediately. The object of the game is to get the ball to the team's goal the most times. Each player has a mallet that they use to strike the ball. It is similar to hockey on horseback. The pony's tails are rolled up out of the way or bobbed. Research shows the first Polo game was played in Thailand. After that the sport spread around the world.

Racing

The Thoroughbred, Arabian and Quarter Horse are the three breeds that race. The three founding sires of the Thoroughbred are the Darley Arabian, The Byerley Turk and the Godolphin Arabian. They were imported from Arabia to England. In England, they were bred to English racing mares. The offspring of these horses became the modern day Thoroughbred. They were quick like the Arabians but were larger than the Arabians. The three breeds that race rarely compete together. The Thoroughbred is the fastest breed of racehorse in the world. This breed can run up to forty miles per hour.

Hunter-Jumper

Hunter riding is based on form not speed. It is very popular in the United States. Young and old have events available based on age and experience. Men and women compete against each other from beginning levels to the highest level. This is a very competitive sport. There are small local shows as well as advanced shows that are attended by the best in the nation. A typical beginner course might consist of four cross-rail jumps. The number of jumps and their height increases as the horse and rider become more experienced. The horse and rider must ride the course in a balanced and consistent form. Extreme speed and knocking rails down are counted off.

Jumper riding is based on time and speed. This is a timed event based on how fast the horse and rider can make it through the course. The jump height varies from three feet to six feet based on the level of horse and rider. The winner is based on the fastest speed with the fewest number of poles knocked down.