What are the disciplines in horse riding?
Practiced simply as a leisure activity or as a real competitive sport, horse riding is one of the disciplines which brings together many other equestrian disciplines.
Horse riding therefore offers each rider many choices while allowing everyone to ultimately practice the discipline that suits them.
What are the disciplines that are practiced in horse riding? We discover some of them in this article.
The show jumping competition
One of the disciplines that many people practice in horse riding is show jumping . Show jumping is a discipline that consists of completing an obstacle course without making any mistakes. In other words, this discipline must be done within the time limit, without knocking over any bars, or refusing or even shirking when faced with an obstacle.
These are therefore tests which are intended to demonstrate in the pony or horse, power, frankness, skill, speed or even respect for the obstacle.
At the competitor, we will have to measure the quality of the riding. Show jumping is a leading discipline in France. It currently represents more than 80% of competition activity, whether in terms of competitor or whether it is a question of events or commitment to competition.
The training
Another activity that many equestrian professionals practice is training their horses. This is to show the elegance of its movements and ease of use.
During competitions, the developments are done on tests which are composed of classic movements or imposed or even free figures with the horse which evolves in the different gaits. The aim of dressage is to develop certain important qualities in the pony or with the horse through harmonious education.
Dressage results in making the horse calm, confident, supple, brilliant and attentive. Many qualities that will demonstrate the great complicity between the rider and his horse. Dressage is also one of the bases of the majority of equestrian disciplines. It helps to improve the horse's qualities such as locomotion, balance and flexibility. For effective dressage, it is good to take girths that put your horse at sufficient comfort.
Endurance
The other discipline that many professionals like to develop with their horses is endurance . Practiced individually or in a team, equestrian endurance is a discipline that is characterized by outdoor events run at a set or free speed on a marked route with veterinary examinations that validate the pony's ability to run long distances.
Equifeel
Beyond the activities mentioned above and all the others, there is Equifeel. Equifeel is a set of fun tests on foot during which the rider will choose levels of difficulty of contract in order to highlight his complicity with his horse or pony.
The goal of an activity like Equifeel is to give the rider a context that allows him to develop a greater understanding of his horse or pony. He will thus be able to have a little more sensation or interaction with it.