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Equestrian, which can also be called horseback riding, can be referred to as the skill of riding with horses. Equestrian can be for recreational purposes and competitive sport.

In the early 20th century, equestrian events were introduced in the Olympics. Some of these events are still seen today. These events are: dressage, show jumping, and eventing.

Some equestrian events which are not in the Olympics are combined driving, endurance, reining, and vaulting. These events are of the World Equestrian Games which is organized by the FEI. They are organized every four years. The governing body for equestrian is the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.

There are many other types of equestrian sports. Some equestrian competitions are, under saddle: thoroughbred horse racing, steeplechasing, American quarter horse, Arabian horses, akhal teke, appaloosas, American paint horses, endurance riding, and ride and tie. There is also harness racing which is done all over Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.

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FEI Equestrian Sports

• Dressage — riders and horses perform from memory a series of predetermined events.
• Show Jumping — riders on horseback attempt to jump cleanly through sets of obstacles within a specific time.
• Eventing — riders compete in three types of races, dressage, cross-country and show jumping, in a single competition.
• Combined Driving — a driver on a carriage pulled by horses takes part in three events: dressage, marathon and cones.
• Endurance Riding — an equestrian discipline where riders and horses compete in races over very long distances.
• Reining — equestrian riders guide their horses through a precise pattern of spins, circles and stops.
• Equestrian Vaulting — a gymnastics and dance discipline done on horseback

Other Equestrian Sports

• Cross-Country — equestrian riders are required to jump over 30 to 40 obstacles within a fixed time, incurring penalties for exceeding the allocated time or if a horse refuses to clear an obstacle.
• Western Pleasure — a horse show competition in which horses are evaluated for their manners and composure.
• TREC — a French equestrian sport in which the objective is to test both the horse and the rider in competitions consisting of three separate events.
• Gymkhana — a multi-game equestrian event that is performed to display the talents of the horses and their riders.

There are many other sports involving horses and performed while riding on the back of a horse. See the complete list of Sports on Horses, which includes horse racing sports, team sports on horseback, and horse rodeo sports.

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Related Pages

• More about the sport of Equestrian
• List of all sports involving horses
• Equestrian at the Olympics
• About the Equestrian Games — the Olympic Games in Stockholm 1956.
• Equestrian at the Paralympics
• Ban'ei is an unusual Japanese sport — a horse race which requires a draft horse to pull a weighted sled up sand ramps.
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports