What are the different disciplines in horse riding?

Whether it's ridden purely for pleasure or as a genuine competitive sport, riding is one of those activities that brings together a whole range of equestrian disciplines.

Riding therefore gives every rider plenty of options, and allows each person to take up the discipline that suits them best.

So which disciplines can you take up within horse riding? Here are a few of them.

Show jumping

One of the disciplines that a great many people take up in riding is show jumping. Show jumping involves riding a course of fences without picking up any faults. In other words, the round must be completed within the time allowed, without knocking down poles, refusing or running out at a fence.

These classes are designed to demonstrate the pony or horse's power, boldness, agility, speed and respect for the fence.

As for the competitor, it is the quality of their riding that is assessed. Show jumping is the leading discipline in France. It currently accounts for more than 80% of competition activity, whether in terms of competitors, classes or entries.

Dressage

Another activity that many riding professionals take up is schooling their horses. The aim is to show off the elegance of the horse's movement and how easy it is to ride.

In competition, horse and rider perform dressage tests made up of classic movements, set figures or freestyle work, with the horse working in the various paces. The purpose of dressage is to develop certain important qualities in the pony or horse through harmonious training.

Dressage makes the horse calm, confident, supple, brilliant and attentive. All these qualities go to show the close partnership between rider and horse. Dressage is also one of the foundations of most equestrian disciplines. It improves the horse's qualities, such as movement, balance and suppleness. For effective schooling, it's worth choosing girths that keep your horse comfortable.

Endurance

Another discipline that many professionals like to develop with their horses is endurance. Ridden individually or as a team, endurance riding is a discipline made up of cross-country classes ridden at a set or free speed along a waymarked route, with veterinary checks confirming the pony's ability to cover long distances.

Equifeel

Beyond the activities mentioned above and all the others, there is Equifeel. Equifeel is a series of fun in-hand tests in which the rider chooses the difficulty level of each task in order to showcase their partnership with their horse or pony.

The aim of an activity like Equifeel is to give the rider a setting in which to develop a deeper understanding of their horse or pony. It allows them to gain a little more feel for, and interaction with, their horse.