Horse Disciplines

EQUESTRIAN

RIDING DISCIPLINES

There are a variety of riding disciplines to choose from. Many riders often try a few, others will choose one or two. It also often comes down to availability of teaching and training facilities or capability of both you and your horse. Read on to learn about different styles and disciplines and how to choose the best one for you. A few examples are listed in the following pages.

What is Equine Assisted Learning?

Equine assisted learning is an experiential learning approach which promotes the development of life skills.

This focus on life skills can be related to academic achievement and classroom behavior, personal growth and exploration or professional pursuits such as leadership development, team building and executive coaching.

What is Therapeutic Riding?

Therapeutic riding is an equine-assisted activity for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of individuals with special needs.

Therapeutic riding provides benefits in the areas of health, education, sport and recreation & leisure.

What is Para-Equestrian?

Para-Equestrian sport includes all equestrian disciplines practiced by people with physical disabilities. "Para" means, parallel to able-bodied equestrian sports. Many disabled athletes are able to hold their ground in competitions designed for the able-bodied, but Para-Equestrian opens the world of competition to riders and drivers with severe disabilities as well, allowing them to compete in a serious, focused environment.

In Para-Equestrian, each rider or driver is classified according to his or her functional ability. Para-Equestrians are assessed by trained physiotherapists and doctors who evaluate either muscle strength, coordination, or a combination thereof throughout the athlete’s body. The athlete is then given a functional profile that indicates the grade in which they can compete. The competition within each grade is judged on the functional skill of the rider or driver and not the level of disability.

The primary focus of the Para-Equestrian programs are to provide clinic and competition opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities. Many of our Para-Equestrian athletes were first introduced to horses through their therapeutic riding programs. The therapy program objectives are to introduce riding to improve balance, joint mobility, coordination, muscle tone and posture to ease symptoms of a wide variety of disabilities. It is a well know fact that horse's gaits parallel that of the human.

What is Equestrian Vaulting?

Vaulting is basically gymnastics on a moving horse. The horse canters around in a circle, controlled on a longe line. The athlete or athletes, depending on the event, jump on to the horse and carry out a variety of movements from standing on one foot up to incredibly complicated jumps and lifts.

What is Barrel Racing?

A rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a clover leaf pattern around three pre-set barrels in the fastest time.

What is Cross Country?

An event that tests endurance, skill and agility following a prescribed course through forest and fields. The horse and rider are required to negotiate natural obstacles such as logs, ditches, streams, banks, hills and fences. Cross country is part of three-day eventing also known as horse trials.

What is Combined Driving?
The driver sits on a vehicle drawn by a single horse, a pair or a team of four. This sport has three phases: dressage, cross-country marathon and obstacle cone driving, and is most similar to the mounted equestrian sport of eventing.

 What is Cutting?

A western riding event where a horse and rider work as a team before a judge to demonstrate ability to handle cattle by separating a calf from a cattle herd and keep it away for a short period of time.

What is Dressage?

Each horse and rider perform a combination of movements and gaits, designed to demonstrate the level of achievement of the horse to show a perfect understanding with his or her rider.

What is Hunter?

A style of competition where horses are judged on conformation, temperament, manners and their ability to manoeuvre a course of jumps and on the flat.

What is Endurance?

An endurance ride is a test of horse and rider teams over challenging terrain of distances up to 100 miles in one day.

The welfare of the horse is paramount and vet checks are used to monitor and evaluate each horse’s ability to maintain the level of exercise being undertaken.

What is Eventing?

An event where a single horse & rider combination compete across three disciplines; dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.

What is Pole Bending?

A timed event that features a horse and mounted rider running a weaving or serpentine path around six poles arranged in a line.

What is Polo?

A team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team’s goal using a long-handled mallet.

What is Saddle Seat?

A style of horseback riding that is designed to show off the high trotting action of certain horse breeds, most notably the saddlebred.

What is Reining?

Competitors are required to run one of several patterns. Each pattern includes small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs, 360-degree spins done in place, back ups and the exciting sliding stops (the hallmark of the reining horse).

What is Show Jumping?

A competition in which the combination of horse and rider is tested under various conditions over a course of obstacles. It is intended to demonstrate the horse’s freedom, energy, skill, speed and obedience in jumping, as well as the rider’s horsemanship.

What is Roping?

The goal of this timed rodeo event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run the calf and restrain it by tying three legs together in as little time as possible.

There is also team roping where one rider must rope the calf's head, header, and the other rider must rope the heel, healer. 

What is Team Penning?

The object is for three team members on horses to collect three head of cattle with the same number on them from a herd of 30 cattle. The team then attempts to put these three head of cattle into a small pen at the other end of the arena, in 90 seconds or less.

What is Trail Riding?

Riding outdoors on natural trails and roads as opposed to riding in an enclosed arena both recreational and competitive There are competitive events, testing the ability of horse and rider to navigate obstacles commonly found on a trail, such as opening and closing gates, crossing streams, etc.

What is Western Pleasure?

A style of competition that evaluates horses on manners and suitability. The horse is expected to demonstrate a relaxed, slow, soft and collected tempo along with a calm and responsive disposition. The term “pleasure” comes from the relaxed overall appearance of the horse and the style of riding used in the show class. Riders wear full flashy show apparel, and the saddles and bridles feature intricate tooled designs and silver decorations.

What is Western Dressage?

Western dressage is an equestrian sport that combines the principles of dressage riding and the use of western tack. Riders typically wear western attire, such as button-up shirts, cowboy boots and jeans. All horse breeds are permitted to compete in western dressage.

What is Showmanship?

Showmanship is an event found at many horse shows. The class is also sometimes called "Fitting and Showmanship", "Showmanship In-Hand", "Showmanship at Halter" or "Halter Showmanship" It involves a person on the ground leading a horse, wearing a halter or bridle, through a series of maneuvers called a pattern.

What is Mounted Shooting?

Cowboy mounted shooting (also called western mounted shooting and mounted shooting) is a competitive equestrian sport involving the riding of a horse to negotiate a shooting pattern. Mounted shooting is the fastest growing equestrian sport in North America. It is a fast-paced event that combines horsemanship with safe firearms handling and shooting skills. 

What is Polo Crosse?

Polocrosse is a team sport that is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played outside, on a field (the pitch), on horseback. The objective is to score goals by throwing the ball between the opposing team's goal posts.