At the turn of the 20th century horses were still used as a means of transportation and farm labor by much of the world. As the century progressed, their ‘usefullness’ became somewhat obsolete. But horse lovers everywhere continue to find great pleasure in using horses now for sports.
Horse racing is probably the best known and most popular horse sport. The Thoroughbred breed is prized for it’s long, smooth muscles and deep chest. They are bred for speed. This is a sport people love to watch as the average person is much too large to be a jockey. Seabiscuit was so beloved and famous as a race horse that even in modern times, his story is still being made into movies.
No other horse sport all over the world is as comptitive as jumping. It’s divided into two types of categories – show jumping and hunter. With show jumping, it’s pretty simple who wins – the horse with the least jumps knocked down and the fastest time. Hunter competition is a judged class. Style, movement and how the horse folds his legs while jumping are taken into consideration. [spin]Both of these types of classes have competitions for novices to advanced professionals|Any rider, from novice beginner to highly advanced professionals, can find a jumping class to compete in[spin].
One of the oldest forms of horse training is dressage with it’s roots back to the days of ancient Greece. Usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of horses and dressage are the Lippizaner Stallions made famous by being saved by General George Patton during WWII. The graceful movements are seemingly effortless although it can take up to 10 years to train a horse to the highest levels. dressage competitions are popular throughout the world with any breed of horse eligible. The warmblood breeds developed in Europe have locked up the top placings at the Grand Prix levels. However, there is fierce competition from all breeds at the lower levels and especially for youths.
Cowboys and Indians are the first thing that pops to mind when you mention Western style riding. The US has most of the stock type horses and competitions which range from roping, cattle work, to highly pampered show horses. Quarter horses, Appaloosas and Paints are the breeds dominating this type of riding. While recreational riding is the most popular thing to do, there are still plenty of ranches that use horses for work.
Many people love to watch horse competitions, but they are still outnumbered by those who simply love owning a horse and just going for trail rides – even if it’s just on the side of a road. Heck, I know people who just want a horse in their pasture to look at, groom and love.
Horse riding is great exercise no matter which style of riding you prefer. Having an animal as noble as a horse for your training partner – it doesn’t get any better than that!
