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What is English Pleasure?
English pleasure can trace its roots to the bygone era when horses represented the primary mode of transportation to and from town. Society members prided themselves with showing off their elegant and finely-trained saddle mounts as they rode through the parks and into town, dressed in their finest hacking attire. These horses exemplified smooth-gaited movement, impeccable manners and superior tractability, making them a true pleasure to ride.
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What is Jumping?
Jumping enjoys its place, both nationally and internationally, as one of the most popular and perhaps most recognizable equestrian events, aside from Thoroughbred horse racing. At its highest competitive level, Jumping is recognized as one of the three Olympic equestrian disciplines alongside both Dressage and Eventing. Essentially, what pole vaulting, high jump and hurdles are to track and field, Jumping is to equestrian sport.
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What is Eventing?
Eventing is the equestrian equivalent to a human triathalon, consisting of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event is usually contested over three days, hence the other popular term for the discipline, three-day event. By performing each of these classes, horses that compete in eventing show their balance, stamina, and precision.
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What is Vaulting?
Vaulting enjoys an ancient heritage and can probably be described as one of the oldest known forms of equestrian sport. Often described as gymnastics performed on horseback, vaulting’s origins can be traced back to Roman games which included acrobatic displays performed on cantering horses. Tracing history through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, many references to vaulting are made, and it was during this time that the practice of “La Voltige” (drill riding and agility exercises performed on horseback by knights and noblemen) gave the sport its present name. Modern vaulting was developed in postwar Germany as a means to introduce children to equestrian sport, and it remains a popular…
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What is Endurance Riding?
Endurance is a long distance sport covering variations in altitude, terrain, and weather that tests the fitness and stamina of the horse as well as the athlete’s discipline and horsemanship skills. Periodic checkpoints occur throughout the competition to ensure the health and fitness of the horse and athlete. Given their ability to meet and master physical challenges, it’s no surprise that Arabians and their close kin dominate in this discipline.
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What is Dressage?
In today’s world, competitive dressage is recognized as one of the three equestrian Olympic disciplines, and as well, is a method for showcasing all levels of training in a competitive format. Currently, there are nine progressive levels of competition, open to any breed of horse and available for all levels of riders, in which the horse and rider perform compulsory exercises. Special classes such as musical freestyle offer creativity and individual expression for the exhibitors and have become spectator favorites.
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What is Western Dressage?
Western Dressage integrates the historically validated principles of dressage with the best of western stock horse tradition. It is a systematic and progressive system of training for the western horse and rider in traditional stock tack with the purpose of enjoying a safe, pleasurable, versatile, and useful working horse. The hallmarks of the Western Dressage Horse are usefulness, rideability, willingness, safety, pure gaits, lightness, calmness, and steadiness. A Western Dressage Rider should be attentive and tactful. They should use clear, effective, subtle aids coupled with a confident seat and light, responsive hands in communication with their horse.
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What is Combined Driving?
Combined driving is designed to test a horse’s or a team’s speed, stamina, obedience, and athleticism, in three distinct and demanding phases usually held over the course of three days, and is actually modeled after the mounted equestrian discipline of three-day eventing.
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What is Reining?
The modern reining horse’s roots date back to the bygone era of the Old West where horses were a vital part of every working livestock ranch. Horses needed to be sturdy, quick, responsive, and agile to be able to herd and move cattle and other livestock across the range. A reining competition essentially shows off the skills and athletic abilities necessary in the working ranch horse, but does so within the confines of a show pen and the movements you see in competition today have become extremely precise and highly refined.
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What is Para-Equestrian?
The primary focus of para-equestrian sport is to provide educational and competitive opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities. Many disabled athletes compete, and even excel, in sports designed for the able-bodied, but para-equestrian in particular opens a world of competition to riders and drivers with even severe disabilities that might preclude them from other forms of sport, and does so while providing a structured, focused, and highly competitive environment.
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