Equestrians please?

Question

i'm planning to take my son to an equestrian event soon( he recently started riding). however, i'm not sure what these events actually are. the calender of events lists hunter/jumper,dressage,eventing and horse trials. can someone tell me what these are exactly so i know which event he would like?

thanks

Answer 1

Start him in 4-H shows if he's under 18 (which I'm assuming he is.) These are great shows to go to for beginners that need experience! I started showing at them and had a blast! I hope this helps!

Answer 2

First, as a lifelong horse owner and classical dressage enthusiast, I have to say that I disagree with the descriptions given by the other writers here of the sport. Dressage is NOT BORING, unless of course one makes no effort to understand it- and these people obviously either don't know about or have forgotten about the special events which are real crowd pleasers, no matter where they are held- namely, the musical freestyles, or "keurs". Keurs are a LOT of fun to watch, and enormously entertaining- because one never knows in advance what the horse and rider will do, or where they will do it- and as with figure skating or gymnastics, the more often a rider does a particular movement, the more he or she will be scored for it. I have see freestyles ridden to all kinds of music- everything from patriotic band tunes to Broadway musicals, and even things like jazz, pop or soft rock, and even rap music !!! The only requirement for music is that it must fit what the horse is doing- and it must be instrumental only. I myself have actually done a variation on the "keur", by participating in mounted drill work from time to time. That's a LOT OF FUN TOO, and very entertaining to watch as well. Given this, and the fact that dressage is really the foundation of ALL OTHER horse sports except for flat racing, steeplechasing, and harness racing, I don't know how people can say it's totally boring. The only boring thing about it is standing around watching regular dressage tests, which I don't recommend you do until both you and your son have a basic understanding of the sport.

In addition to dressage, I am also a lifelong follower of 2 other sports- Eventing ( which is what horse trials are a part of) and Show Jumping. Eventing is also called Combined Training, because it is actually a combination sport with 3 elements in it- dressage on the first day, speed and endurance ( also called cross country) on the second day, and show jumping on the third day, with vet inspections in between each of the 3 phases. Whichever horse completes all 3 phases of the competition with the LOWEST overall score and fewest number of faults wins- and right now, there are HUGE prizes awarded to the winners of some of the most popular events. This is an old sport, like dressage. Eventing actually didn't start life as a sport- it developed out of the tests given to cavalry officers and their mounts at or near the conclusion of said officers' and mounts' training. In essence, it was like a final exam, meant to determine who would go on to lead troops on the battlefield and win commissions, etc.- and those who couldn't or didn't pass DIDN'T get to do this, PERIOD. The first 3-day Event type competition was even called the militare, in recognition of where the sport came from.

Show Jumping is pretty much what it sounds like. It is a jumping contest held in an arena ( at the Olympic Games, there is a tradition that the Show Jumping finals are always held in the main Olympic stadium on the closing day, right before the closing cermonies) in which a rider and horse compete in two rounds. The first is the easier of the two in the sense that the fences are usually not as high, and that there isn't as much pressure to go against the clock. Most of the horses which get eliminated from a competition like this one will get eliminated during the first round. Those who survive the first round compete in the final- against both the clock and each other. The object is to get around the course of fences in the shortest amount of time possible, with the fewest number of penalties, or faults. Ideally, the horse will jump "clean", that is, incur no faults whatever. If this happens to more than one horse and rider in a given competition, then all the pairs which went "clean" will be called back in for yet another round- until someone makes a mistake, at which point the winner will be determined. Show jumping is exciting to watch, and one of the other writers is correct in pointing out that there are a fairly large number of male competitiors in that sport, unlike in some of the other equestrian disciplines. Some of these men are famous worldwide- and this is a sport which has also produced at least one athlete who crossed over into the racing business and has become a successful trainer there.

There are are 2 kinds of Hunters: Field hunters, who as the name implies, are ridden in the actual hunt field with a hound pack, and Show hunters, which are horses that are ridden in classes where they are judged on things like their manners, way of going ( meaning how do they move) and appearance. What separates Hunters from Jumpers is the way in which the horses jump fences- in the Hunters, things like rubbing or rapping a fence will be counted as faults- whereas with jumpers, this is not the case. Hunters are also judged on their form over fences, how they behave under saddle in the ring, and on their conformation ( which is a fancy way of saying how is the horse put together) In the Hunter division, there are also classes in which the RIDER is judged, rather than the horse- this is called an EQUITATION class. In this case, the rider is judged on how well he or she communicates with the horse, and how the horse responds to his or her signals or aids. There's nothing boring about this type of class either- and there are also plenty of male riders who are professional Hunt riders.

I hope this answers some of your questions. One thing to keep in mind if you decide to attend a Hunter/Jumper type show is that these shows only RARELY, if ever, RUN on time. Delays are common at these shows, for a wide variety of reasons. Dressage shows are different, because of the strict rules which are in place to see that the show runs on time and that the judges are not forced to work more than 8 hours in a day. As for horse trials and events, you need to contact the show secretary or technical delegate and find out what the start times are on the different days- before you attempt to go to the competition grounds. At all competitions, there are some basic rules you need to follow. First, leave your dog at home, if you have one- loose dogs are extremely dangerous at shows, and many shows have managers who will comfiscate such animals. Next, dress for the event and for the weather conditions, and wear comfortable shoes which you can stand and walk in all day. If it's sunny out, wear a hat and use some sunscreen- and it's a good idea to wear shades as well. Plan on bringing a cooler with some water and sodas as well- food and drinks are usually available on the grounds of most shows and events, but you will pay premium prices for them- so take a hint from an experienced show goer and come prepared with your own stuff. You'll save money, and there isn't as much risk of your getting sick from eating improperly cooked or stored food. If you bring a camera, make sure it has fresh film, and that the batteries are charged up- and make sure as well that YOU ASK the rider's permission before you take anyone's picture. Unless it's pouring or really dark out, then turn the flash off- flashes spook horses. Lastly, plan on arriving early enough in the day that you can get a decent parking spot- most shows typically have limited parking, so it pays to get there early.

Good luck to you, and have FUN !!!

Answer 3

The horse show committee should have some information for you. Their contact information should be listed with what ever media where you found out about the event.

Basically the hunter class is about form and function for the hunt field. The fences are lower. There is a greater emphasis on form, manners, and turn out (dress for horse and rider).

Jumper Classes rate a horse’s ability over a variety of jumps. Only the horse’s ability to jump cleanly is counted. Jump offs will be against time.

This class is exciting to watch.

Dressage is appeals to its own fans and is not real entertaining except at very high levels.

This is the flat class where EVERYTHING is judged. The horses willingness impulsion obedience flexion…it is very precise. To the American audience it is also pretty boreing.

Eventing is exciting as it is judged on the overall score of horse and rider in 3 classes of competition. It takes 3 days, and a child would easily become bored.

What you might want to do is look for a local chapter of Pony Club. Do a search, and you will find a LOT on this subject.

This is children to teens teaching and learning to ride and care for their horses. They have a great time at their shows and they have fun…For the young rider this last is the single most important consideration.

Or..a schooling show. This is what the name implies. This is low level competition and you can see the horses up real close.

Answer 4

i agree with what the other two said but the reason some people hate horse racing is because sometimes the racers/owners/trainers and all other horse racing related people dont always think about whats best for the actual horse and some use whips and its cruel to push an animal further than needed

Answer 5

Dressage will be really boring for him

Hunters might also

GO to the Jumpers

lots of men ride in those classes also if there is a cross country

go see that one to

More action in those classes, and maybe he wont get so bored  

Have fun

If they have any western events go see them The reigning horse class and stock horse classes are fun to watch

Answer 6

I can give you a very basic run down, hope it helps. Hunter/jumper is the event where the horses go around the arena and jump different heights and types of fences.

Dressage is sometimes reffered to as "dancing a horseback". The rider gives the horse very suitable cues, unseen by an untrained eye, so the horse performs a series of graceful movements.

Eventing is usually a combination of dressage, show jumping(see above), and cross country jumping ( outdoors, large course)

The horse trials can be different depending on what type of riding you are going to be doing, and which show you are going to, so that is harder to answer.

If you are very new to the horse scene, the hunter/jumper events are probably your most exciting, fun to watch event. Dressage, while very beautiful, would probably not interest a novice much.

Hope I've been of some help, have fun!