When you have some extra time on your hands and are looking for a hobby, there are several great options. It is a good idea to try equestrian sports a...
When you have some extra time on your hands and are looking for a hobby,
there are several great options. It is a good idea to try equestrian sports at this stage. Often, people who cannot ride tend to think that riding is not difficult, as it looks easy. The fact of the matter is that it does take some doing to ride a horse. After a couple of lessons, you will have learned to ride the basic gaits, walking, trotting and cantering. Once you have conquered all of those three, you will soon be ready to go galloping. A good idea for the new rider looking for a specialized discipline is for them to go through all the disciplines that they can.
Take the time to go to the different stable yards to check investigate the different disciplines. Generally, the various breeds of horses are trained to do different things. In dressage, the animal is taught to do many gaits, such as walking, trotting and cantering. Although these all look easy to do from the ground, it does take some effort to do them. Dressage is the basic starting step of all equestrian sports.
If you are interested in dressage, it is a good idea to do it on a specialized horse. Dressage horses that are trained are easy to ride in most disciplines. The basic starting point of all horse riding is dressage. It is in this discipline that the animals are trained to compete in the other disciplines. Therefore, if you are going to ride a horse, the best place to start is in dressage.
After you have tried the show jumping, you will no doubt have been bitten by the adrenaline rush and want to be more daring. Following the last two events, you may want to try out the cross country event. It is just like show jumping, but over a larger area and the jumps cannot fall down.
Once you have tried out all three of these, you may be inclined to want to put all your skills together and do the three day eventing competitions. Here, all three disciplines are going to be entered into. The rider and horse act as a team, as they attempt to do all the disciplines over a period of three days.
The first day of any eventing is spent on dressage. The tests are set out for the riders to ride through and the ability to handle your horse as well as its skills are all scrutinized. Every step that you and your animal take is judged.
On the second day the event, the cross country test is given. Horse and rider have to go over obstacles in the country. One may even come across some water jumps during this event. Here, both the horse and rider need to fit to complete the event. Time plays an important role during this competition too.
On the third and final day of
equestrian eventing, the show jumping is held. It is here that the horse and rider are once again tested in a smaller area than on the country courses. A course of numerous jumps, all at the same height, is put together. The horse and rider go over these jumps without knocking them down. The obstacles in a show jumping arena are not solid and they can come down with a simple knock.
