The Diverse World of Horses
The world of equestrian competition is age old, complex, and varies a great deal throughout the world. Horse competitions interest all kinds of people, small children as well as old men, the poor as well as the rich. In addition to appealing to a lot of people, horse competitions are incredibly varied, generating a great deal of diversity in how horses compete in agility, speed, beauty, and discipline. Equestrian sports range from riding shows and dressage competitions to cattle herding and cutting to the multi-million dollar industry of thoroughbred horseracing.
Equestrian sports probably evoke a particular interest in people because of the animals involved. Horses and humans have a relationship reaching as far back into history as man first appreciated the specialized qualities of animals and wondered if they could tame them for their use. In the horse, humans saw a gentle, yet fiercely independent creature that could bear the weight of a man and be trained for a variety of uses requiring strength, power, speed, and intelligence.
Like other domesticated animals, humans found that it was possible to train horses, to develop relationships with them, and discovered what well-cared-for animals could do. For centuries, human beings have depended on horses for travel, farming, war, and as status symbols. In evaluation of their fitness for differing kinds of jobs, humans have developed an intricate understanding of horses, especially how to assess their size, speed, power, endurance, maneuverability, precision, beauty, temperament, obedience, and other qualities. Inevitably, these evaluations involved comparisons and led to an array of competitions.
Although the diversity in horse competitions is fairly complex, there are a few major categories for horse competitions: Racing, Dressage, Show Jumping and Cutting. Each of these competitions represents a particular talent by which a show horse can be evaluated. Racing measures a horse's speed, power, and endurance. Dressing measures a horse's discipline, cooperation, and showmanship. Jumping measures a horse's training, speed, maneuverability, and of course, jumping skill. Cutting is a western sport that measures a horse's agility and ability to herd cattle.
To learn more about the diverse world of horse competitions, please review the remainder of this website.
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