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All you need to know about Equestrian Sports

Updated: May 10, 2023


The sport of self-confidence, personal strength, and assertiveness is the sport of the sons of kings and nobles, and it is one of the most beautiful sports known since ancient times.

Equestrian Sports girl  with her trainer
Equestrian Sports

About the history of equestrian sport:

#Equestrian was known in all ancient civilizations, as the first competition dates back to the year 682 BC. Many of the ancient monuments and murals contained pictures of knights riding horses, whether for the purpose of war or for the purpose of travel, as in the ancient Egyptian or Assyrian civilization, the Persians, the Greeks, and also the Arabs, and the knight was famous The Arab with his superior ability and skill in riding horses, as evidenced by the historical books.

The matter was not limited to the horse being a means, whether for travel or in wars and battles, but rather it turned into a sport that was initially limited to the sons of kings and nobles, and then it turned into a sport Competitive, as the first equestrian competitions were held in 1900 in the Olympic Games, and they were in the three disciplines that still exist until now. #Olympics


"Prizes were awarded for each of the sporting competitions, which were staged under the aegis of the Paris 1900 Exposition Universelle. The winners each received either artwork or a cash prize of between 4,000 and 6,000 francs. There were five equestrian competitions in all, of which three were recognized by the International Olympic Committee: jumping, high jump, and long jump! The other two events were "mail coach" and "hacks and hunters combined".

In the jumping event, which is the only one of the five contested at Paris 1900 that remains part of the Olympic sports program, the top three prizes were awarded to riders who completed the course without any faults and classified according to their times. Belgian Aimé Haegeman, riding Benton II, topped the rankings to become the first-ever Olympic gold medallist in equestrian sport. Second and third respectively were fellow Belgian Georges Van der Poele (on Windsor Squire) and France's Louis de Champsavin (on Terpsichore).


In Paris, the long and high jump, traditionally contested in athletics, was transposed to the equestrian arena for the first and only time in Olympic history. In the long jump, the initial challenge was to clear a distance of 4.50m, which all 17 competitors managed; however, several then fell by the wayside once the asking distance was increased to 4.90m. In the end, Belgian army officer Constant van Langhendonck, riding his mare Extra Dry, emerged in a league of his own, as the only rider to go clear at 6.10m, to secure the top prize. He was followed by Italy's Giovanni Giorgio Trissino (on Oreste), who managed 5.70m, and Frenchman Camille de La Forgue de Bellegarde, (on Tolla) who recorded the best jump of 4.90m.

On the final day of competition, 18 competitors took part in what was billed as the "high jump championship". The gold medal was shared by France's Dominique Gardères (on Canella) and Trissino, riding Oreste once more and who in the process became Italy's first-ever Olympic champion. The two horses – with Oreste standing 5cm taller at 1.64m – both cleared a bar 1.85m off the ground. Riding Ludlow, Van der Poele jumped 1.70m to finish third."

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Meaning of the word Equestrian:

When you know that Equus is the Latin word for "horse," the meaning of equestrian becomes clear. An equestrian is someone who is involved with horses. You can also use it as an adjective to describe anything having to do with horseback riding, It is the knowledge of horse riding and mastering it, and it means courage.


Types of equestrian sports:

  • Show jumping race:

In this race, the rider's skill and ability to overcome barriers, which are usually made of iron and are of different heights, are shown. Or natural barriers such as woods, short trees, and water dams. The language of understanding between the rider and his horse is very important for the success of performing these jumps. #show_jumping


lady jumping horse bay color
jumping 110cm


  • Endurance race:

This race depends mainly on the endurance of the horse itself. This race is performed on a track in which the horse runs long distances, sometimes up to 160 kilometers. This track includes various terrains, and the horse travels that distance according to the rules of the race.

This type of race depends on training the horse and equipping it well to withstand long distances and avoid injuries to the tendons or muscles. #endurance_race

Endurance race
Endurance race team

  • Dressage race:

It is one of the races in which the extent of compatibility and the ability to communicate between the mare and the rider appears, as the rider and horse are expected to perform a set of predetermined movements that are stored in memory.

The rider appears in this race as if he is relaxed while the mare performs the movements on his own, but contrary to what appears, these movements indicate the ability of the rider and his skill in taming the mare to perform those movements, which are tests in the form of a group of movements performed by the horse within the limits of a certain area In which the judges evaluate each movement on an objective basis appropriate to the level of the test, as they give each movement a score of up to 10 for excellent performance and zero for movements that were not performed, and the winner is entitled to qualify for the next level. #dressage


dressage training
dressage

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