Discover the plethora of horse riding sports

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Published: Tuesday, 09 January 2024 at 11:42 AM


Yes, horse riding is definitely a sport – or rather, that should be sports, as there are rather a lot of them and they are usually thrilling to watch.

Three of the most famous horse-riding sports are National Hunt racing, flat racing and polo.

The most famous National Hunt races are the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National, while in flat racing it is the Derby. Polo (think hockey on horseback) is of course synonymous with the upper classes and both Prince Harry and Prince William play – as did their father, King Charles III, and grandfather Prince Phillip.

There are also three Olympic equestrian sports: dressage, show jumping and eventing.

Dressage is also a Paralympic sport. Dressage tests a horse’s obedience and suppleness through a series of movements – think gymnastics on horseback.

Showjumping requires horse and rider to jump a series of brightly coloured jumps in an arena. Should there be more than one clear round, there is usually an exciting jump off against the clock to determine the winner.

Eventing tests horse and rider over three disciplines – dressage, showjumping and cross country – where bold horses and riders jump fences across country at speed. The competitor with the fewest penalties across the three disciplines wins.