1.
Trot
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The trot is a two-beat diagonal gait of the horse where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. It has a variation in possible speeds, but averages about 8 miles per hour. A very slow trot is sometimes referred to as a jog, an extremely fast trot has no special name, but in harness racing, the trot of a Standardbred is faster than the gallop of the average non-racehorse, and has been clocked at over 30 miles per hour. June 29,2014 at Pocono Downs in Pennsylvania the Swedish standardbred Sebastian K ran a mile in 1 minute,49 seconds and this is equivalent to a 1000-pace in 1.07,7 or 53,14 kilometers per hour or 33 miles per hour. From the standpoint of the balance of the horse, the trot is a very stable gait and does not require the horse to make major balancing motions with its head and neck. Due to its many variations, the trot is a gait that the horse is worked in for dressage. Eadweard Muybridge was the first to prove, by photography, in 1872 that there is a moment of suspension or unsupported transit during the trot gait. Depending on the amount of engagement and collection of the horse and it is easy to ride because there is less bounce. The head of the horse is carried low while the hindquarters are engaged and underneath the horse, collected trot, A very engaged trot where most of the horses weight is carried toward the hindquarters. The frame is compressed and the length is shorter than any of the other trots with the horse taking higher steps. The horse is lighter and more mobile in the collected trot, slow trot or Road gait, Is slower than a working trot, but faster than a jog trot. This gait is one of the used in harness classes at horse shows. Working trot or Trot, The stride length is normal for the horse and is the trot of the horse when under saddle. It is a gait between the collected trot and medium trot, medium trot, A trot that is more engaged and rounder than the working trot with moderately extended strides and good, solid impulsion. The medium trot lies between the working and the extended trot, park trot, Sometimes simply called a Trot in a given class and seen in saddle seat and fine harness classes for Saddlebreds, Arabians and Morgans. It is a showy, flashy trot with extreme elevation of the knees, the head is held high and at times a horse may hollow its back and lose cadence in an attempt to achieve high action in front. The hindquarters must be engaged for it to be properly performed, lengthened trot, A trot with lengthened strides. It differs from the more advanced extended trot in that it not require the horse to bring its weight as far back on its hindquarters
2.
International Federation for Equestrian Sports
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The International Federation for Equestrian Sports is the international governing body of equestrian sports. The FEI headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, an FEI code of conduct protects the welfare of the horses from physical abuse or doping. Jumping, Dressage and Eventing have been a part of the Olympics since 1912, para-Equestrian Dressage has been part of the Paralympic games since 1996. The FEI has organized the FEI World Equestrian Games every four years since 1990, the idea of the World Equestrian Games came into being in the mid-1980s and was strongly supported by HRH Prince Philip, who was then FEI President. The WEG encompasses the World Championship titles in all the FEI global disciplines, the FEI World Cup is an indoor series and takes place throughout the world with qualifying leagues leading to a final in each of the disciplines. The FEI World Cup series began with Show jumping in 1978 and has since extended to the disciplines of Dressage. Today, there are 134 National Equestrian Federations affiliated with the FEI, there have been 13 different presidents of the organization. Major Jhkr Karl F. Quarles van Ufford is the individual to have served twice. Nowadays, a President can serve for a maximum of two terms, since 2014, the President of the FEI is Ingmar De Vos from Belgium. Official website FEI TV, Official Video Website Official Facebook Page
3.
Horse
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The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. It is an ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature, Eohippus, into the large, humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BC, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC. Horses in the subspecies caballus are domesticated, although some domesticated populations live in the wild as feral horses. There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors, markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior. Horses anatomy enables them to use of speed to escape predators and they have a well-developed sense of balance. Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait, female horses, called mares, carry their young for approximately 11 months, and a young horse, called a foal, can stand and run shortly following birth. Most domesticated horses begin training under saddle or in harness between the ages of two and four and they reach full adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years. There are more than 300 breeds of horse in the world today, horses were historically used in warfare, from which a wide variety of riding and driving techniques developed, using many different styles of equipment and methods of control. Many products are derived from horses, including meat, milk, hide, hair, bone, humans provide domesticated horses with food, water and shelter, as well as attention from specialists such as veterinarians and farriers. Specific terms and specialized language are used to describe equine anatomy, different life stages, colors, depending on breed, management and environment, the modern domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. Uncommonly, a few animals live into their 40s and, occasionally, the oldest verifiable record was Old Billy, a 19th-century horse that lived to the age of 62. In modern times, Sugar Puff, who had listed in Guinness World Records as the worlds oldest living pony. The exception is in endurance riding, where the age to compete is based on the animals actual calendar age. The following terminology is used to describe horses of various ages, Colt, a common terminology error is to call any young horse a colt, when the term actually only refers to young male horses. Filly, A female horse under the age of four, foal, A horse of either sex less than one year old. A nursing foal is sometimes called a suckling and a foal that has been weaned is called a weanling, most domesticated foals are weaned at five to seven months of age, although foals can be weaned at four months with no adverse physical effects. Gelding, A castrated male horse of any age, mare, A female horse four years old and older
4.
Horse tack
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Tack is a piece of equipment or accessory equipped on horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, equipping a horse is often referred to as tacking up. A room to store equipment, usually near or in a stable, is a tack room. Some western saddles will also have a second strap known as a flank or back cinch that fastens at the rear of the saddle, there are many types of saddle, each specially designed for its given task. Saddles are usually divided into two categories, English saddles and Western saddles according to the riding discipline they are used in. Other types of saddles, such as racing saddles, Australian saddles, sidesaddles and they provide greater stability for the rider but can have safety concerns due to the potential for a riders feet to get stuck in them. If a rider is thrown from a horse but has a foot caught in the stirrup, to minimize this risk, a number of safety precautions are taken. First, most riders wear riding boots with a heel and a smooth sole, next, some saddles, particularly English saddles, have safety bars that allow a stirrup leather to fall off the saddle if pulled backwards by a falling rider. Other precautions are done with stirrup design itself, Western saddles have wide stirrup treads that make it more difficult for the foot to become trapped. A number of saddle styles incorporate a tapedero, which is covering over the front of the stirrup that keeps the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. The English stirrup has several variations which are either shaped to allow the riders foot to slip out easily or are closed with a very heavy rubber band. The invention of stirrups was of historic significance in mounted combat. Bridles, hackamores, halters or headcollars, and similar equipment consist of arrangements of straps around the horses head. A halter or headcollar consists of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horses head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope is separate, and it may be short for everyday leading and tying, or much longer for tasks such as for leading packhorses or for picketing a horse out to graze. Some horses, particularly stallions, may have an attached to the lead rope. Most of the time, horses are not ridden with a halter, as it offers insufficient precision and control. In Australian and British English, a halter is a rope with a running loop around the nose and another over the poll
5.
Olympic Games
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The Olympic Games are considered the worlds foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years. Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure. The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in changes to the Olympic Games. The IOC has had to adapt to a variety of economic, political, as a result, the Olympics has shifted away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to allowing participation of professional athletes. The growing importance of mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship, World wars led to the cancellation of the 1916,1940, and 1944 Games. Large boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Games, the Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations, National Olympic Committees, and organising committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for each Games, the IOC also determines the Olympic programme, consisting of the sports to be contested at the Games. There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag and torch, over 13,000 athletes compete at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. The first, second, and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals, gold, silver, the Games have grown so much that nearly every nation is now represented. This growth has created numerous challenges and controversies, including boycotts, doping, bribery, every two years the Olympics and its media exposure provide unknown athletes with the chance to attain national and sometimes international fame. The Games also constitute an opportunity for the host city and country to themselves to the world. The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece. These Games featured mainly athletic but also combat such as wrestling. It has been written that during the Games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the Games were finished. This cessation of hostilities was known as the Olympic peace or truce and this idea is a modern myth because the Greeks never suspended their wars. The truce did allow those religious pilgrims who were travelling to Olympia to pass through warring territories unmolested because they were protected by Zeus
6.
Equestrian at the Summer Olympics
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Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since, the current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping. In each discipline, both individual and team medals are awarded, women and men compete together on equal terms. Equestrian disciplines and the component of Modern Pentathlon are also the only Olympic events that involve animals. The horse is considered as much an athlete as the rider, the International Governing Body for equestrian sports is the Fédération Équestre Internationale. The 1924 Olympics were the first at which equestrian competitions were held under the authority of the FEI, equestrian events were first held at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games, although it did not include any of the disciplines seen today. There were 4 different equestrian events, the polo competition consisted of 4 teams made up of players from Britain, France, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Grand Prix Jumping, which was similar to show jumping event, for which 45 competitors entered. The first and second place was taken by riders from Belgium, while a French rider, Louis de Champsavin, on his mount Terpsichore, got the third place. However, Constant van Langendonck and Extra Dry were able to clinch the gold in the Long Jump competition, clearing a distance of 6.10 meters. Trissino and Oreste won the silver, clearing 5.70 meters, equestrian competition was dropped from the 1904 Olympic Games, and owed its return to Count Clarence von Rosen, Master of the Horse to the King of Sweden, for bringing it back. The 1906 IOC Congress agreed to his proposal to add dressage, eventing, however, due to problems with the newly formed International Horse Show Committee, they were not introduced until the 1912 Games in Stockholm and only a polo event was held in 1908. These three disciplines would be held at every Summer Olympic Games through to the present day, in 1952, however, all men were permitted to compete in all equestrian disciplines, and women were permitted to compete in Dressage. Women were later permitted to compete in Jumping in 1956 and in Eventing in 1964, since then, equestrianism has been one of the very few Olympic sports in which men and women compete with and directly against one another. Following the 1900 Olympic Games, polo would be held an additional 4 times, at the 1908 London Games, the 1920 Antwerp Games, the 1924 Paris Games, the 1908 Olympics had just 3 polo teams, all representing Great Britain. The 1920 Games included a team from Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, and it was not until 1924, after Argentina sent a team to Paris, that the gold changed hands. Argentina also won gold at the 1936 Olympic Games, vaulting was only held once, at the 1920 Antwerp Games. Vaulting included both a team and a competition, with the entrants having to perform movements at the canter and at the halt
7.
Paralympic Games
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There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea, are held almost immediately following the respective Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee, the Paralympics has grown from a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 to become one of the largest international sporting events by the early 21st century. Paralympians strive for equal treatment with non-disabled Olympic athletes, but there is a funding gap between Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Given the wide variety of disabilities that Paralympic athletes have, there are categories in which the athletes compete. The allowable disabilities are broken down into ten eligible impairment types and these categories are further broken down into classifications, which vary from sport to sport. The first athlete to do so was German American gymnast George Eyser in 1904, hungarian Karoly Takacs competed in shooting events in both the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics. He was an amputee and could shoot left-handed. The first organized athletic day for disabled athletes that coincided with the Olympic Games took place on the day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the first games were called the 1948 International Wheelchair Games, and were intended to coincide with the 1948 Olympics. Dr. Guttmans aim was to create a sports competition for people with disabilities that would be equivalent to the Olympic Games. The games were again at the same location in 1952. These early competitions, also known as the Stoke Mandeville Games, have described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games. There have been milestones in the Paralympic movement. The first official Paralympic Games, no longer open solely to war veterans, was held in Rome in 1960,400 athletes from 23 countries competed at the 1960 Games. Since 1960, the Paralympic Games have taken place in the year as the Olympic Games. The Games were initially only to athletes in wheelchairs, at the 1976 Summer Games, athletes with different disabilities were included for the first time at a Summer Paralympics. With the inclusion of more disability classifications the 1976 Summer Games expanded to 1,600 athletes from 40 countries, the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea, was another milestone for the Paralympic movement. It was in Seoul that the Paralympic Summer Games were held directly after the Olympic Summer Games, in the same host city and this set a precedent that was followed in 1992,1996 and 2000. It was eventually formalized in an agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee in 2001, and was extended through 2020
8.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
9.
Equestrianism
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Equestrianism, more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding, refers to the skill of riding, driving, steeplechasing or vaulting with horses. This broad description includes the use of horses for practical working purposes, transportation, recreational activities, artistic or cultural exercises, Horses are trained and ridden for practical working purposes such as in police work or for controlling herd animals on a ranch. They are also used in sports including, but not limited to, dressage, endurance riding, eventing, reining, show jumping, tent pegging, vaulting, polo, horse racing, driving. Some popular forms of competition are grouped together at horse shows, Horses are used for non-competitive recreational riding such as fox hunting, trail riding or hacking. There is public access to trails in almost every part of the world, many parks, ranches. Horses are also used for therapeutic purposes, both in specialized paraequestrian competition as well as non-competitive riding to improve health and emotional development. Horses are also driven in harness racing, at shows and in other types of exhibition, historical reenactment or ceremony. In some parts of the world, they are used for practical purposes such as farming. Horses continue to be used in service, in traditional ceremonies, police and volunteer mounted patrols. Riding halls enable the training of horse and rider in all weathers as well as indoor competition riding, though there is controversy over the exact date horses were domesticated and when they were first ridden, the best estimate is that horses first were ridden approximately 3500 BC. Indirect evidence suggests that horses were ridden long before they were driven, however, the most unequivocal early archaeological evidence of equines put to working use was of horses being driven. Chariot burials about 2500 BC present the most direct evidence of horses used as working animals. In ancient times chariot warfare was followed by the use of war horses as light, the horse played an important role throughout human history all over the world, both in warfare and in peaceful pursuits such as transportation, trade and agriculture. Horses lived in North America, but died out at the end of the Ice Age, Horses were brought back to North America by European explorers, beginning with the second voyage of Columbus in 1493. Humans appear to have expressed a desire to know which horse were the fastest. Gambling on horse races appears to go hand-in hand with racing and has a history as well. Thoroughbreds have the pre-eminent reputation as a breed, but other breeds also race. Under saddle, Thoroughbred horse racing is the most popular form worldwide, in the UK, it is known as flat racing and is governed by the Jockey Club in the United Kingdom
10.
Horse training
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Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when asked to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for care as well as for equestrian activities from horse racing to therapeutic horseback riding for people with disabilities. Historically, horses were trained for warfare, farm work, sport and transport, today, most horse training is geared toward making horses useful for a variety of recreational and sporting equestrian pursuits. Horses are also trained for specialized jobs from movie stunt work to police and crowd control activities, circus entertainment, there is tremendous controversy over various methods of horse training and even some of the words used to describe these methods. Some techniques are considered cruel, other methods are considered gentler, however, it is beyond the scope of this article to go into the details of various training methodology, so general, basic principles are described below. The see also section of this article links to more specific information about various schools. The range of training techniques and training goals is large, horses, like other animals, differ in brain structure from humans and thus do not have the same type of thinking and reasoning ability as human beings. Thus, the human has the responsibility to think about how to use the psychology of the horse to lead the animal into an understanding of the goals of the human trainer. Horses are social animals and, when properly handled, can learn to follow. Horses, as animals, have an inborn fight or flight instinct that has to be adapted to human needs. Horses need to be taught to rely upon humans to determine when fear or flight is a response to new stimuli. Like most animals, a horse will more easily adapt to human expectations than an older one. Regardless of the goal of training, most horses go through a series of steps on their way to being finished animals for a given discipline. Most young domesticated horses are handled at birth or within the first few days of life, though some are handled for the first time when they are weaned from their mothers. Within a few hours of birth, a foal being imprinted will have a human touch it all over, pick up its feet, and introduce it to human touch and voice. Others may leave a foal alone for its first few hours or days, however, even people who do not advocate imprinting often still place value on handling a foal a great deal while it is still nursing and too small to easily overpower a human. By doing so, the foal ideally will learn that humans will not harm it, while a foal is far too young to be ridden, it is still able to learn skills it will need later in life. The young horse needs to be calm for basic grooming, as well as veterinary care such as vaccinations, a foal needs regular hoof care and can be taught to stand while having its feet picked up and trimmed by a farrier
11.
Riding aids
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Riding aids are the cues a rider gives to a horse to communicate what they want the animal to do. Riding aids are broken into the natural aids and the artificial aids and these are the aids which the rider possesses on their body, and should be used for the majority of the cues to the horse. Overuse of any aid can be detrimental to the training of the horse, the natural aids include, Leg Hand Seat Voice It is important to remember that the aids are used in a spectrum, from very light to very powerful, depending on the response desired. A very sensitive horse may readily jump forward from light touch of the leg, additionally, an aid from canter to walk, for example, will use slightly more restraining aid on a particular horse than that horse would need going from canter to trot. Positioning of the legs, seat, and hands are used in a spectrum according to the individual horse. In all cases, good training aims for the horse to be responsive at the slightest cue and this is one reason why better-trained animals can be harder to ride, as they will respond to the slightest movement or shift in weight made by the rider. Therefore, they take any mistake made by the rider as a cue to do something. Riders must therefore be sure that any perceived disobediences are not actually caused by their own doing, good training of the rider will aim to produce someone with an independent seat, meaning someone who is able to give the aids independent of each other. Only then will the rider be able to start to influence the horse in such a way to help it. The leg, along with the seat, should be the main aid for the horse and it has a great deal of control over the horses hindquarters, and is used to cue the horse to go forward, increase impulsion, step sideways, and correctly bend. It is the primary driving aid, both legs in a neutral position, applying equal pressure against the horses sides, generally asks for an increase in speed or an upward transition. Depending on the level of restraining aids, the leg can also ask for an increase in impulsion, for collection, or even for the rein back. To ask a horse to back up, a rider simultaneously uses soft rein aids to keep the horse from stepping forward and it is incorrect to ask for a rein back by pulling or jerking on the reins. One leg in a position, or slightly back from neutral. One leg further back, in a passive role, and the other leg in a neutral position. This is also important when cueing for movements that require bend, such as the half-pass, one leg farther back, with the other leg in a neutral position, both actively encouraging the horse forward, will usually aid the horse to canter. The horse will pick up the lead opposite the leg that is further back, the hands communicate to the horse through the reins to the bit. They have the most control over the head and shoulders
12.
Xenophon
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Xenophon of Athens was an ancient Greek philosopher, historian, soldier and mercenary, and a student of Socrates. Despite being an Athenian citizen, born to Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, Xenophon of Athens also was associated with city-state of Sparta, the traditional enemy of Athens. Besides the philosopher Plato, Xenophon of Athens is an authority on Socrates, about whom he wrote the dialogue Apology of Socrates to the Jury, which recounts the Trial of Socrates. In the Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laërtius said that, as a writer, Xenophon of Athens was known as the “Attic Muse”, Xenophon was born around 430 BC near the city of Athens to a wealthy equestrian family. Written years after events, Xenophons book Anabasis is his record of the entire expedition of Cyrus against the Persians. Xenophon writes that he had asked the veteran Socrates for advice on whether to go with Cyrus, the oracle answered his question and told him to which gods to pray and sacrifice. When Xenophon returned to Athens and told Socrates of the oracles advice, under the pretext of fighting Tissaphernes, the Persian satrap of Ionia, Cyrus assembled a massive army composed of native Persian soldiers, but also a large number of Greeks. Prior to waging war against Artaxerxes, Cyrus proposed that the enemy was the Pisidians, at Tarsus the soldiers became aware of Cyruss plans to depose the king, and as a result, refused to continue. However, Clearchus, a Spartan general, convinced the Greeks to continue with the expedition, the army of Cyrus met the army of Artaxerxes II in the Battle of Cunaxa. Despite effective fighting by the Greeks, Cyrus was killed in the battle, shortly thereafter, Clearchus was invited to a peace conference, where, alongside four other generals and many captains, he was betrayed and executed. The mercenaries, known as the Ten Thousand, found themselves without leadership far from the sea and they elected new leaders, including Xenophon himself, and fought their way north along the Tigris through hostile Persians and Medes to Trapezus on the coast of the Black Sea. They then made their way back to Greece via Chrysopolis. Once there, they helped Seuthes II make himself king of Thrace, the Spartans were at war with Tissaphernes and Pharnabazus II, Persian satraps in Anatolia, probably on account of the aforementioned treacherous slaughter of their general Clearchus. Xenophon’s military activity with these Spartans marks the final episodes of the Anabasis, on account of this he was exiled from Athens. There may have been contributory causes, such as his support for Socrates, the Spartans gave him property at Scillus, near Olympia in Elis, where he likely composed the Anabasis. Because his son Gryllus fought and died for Athens at the Battle of Mantinea while Xenophon was still alive, Xenophon has long been associated with the opposition of democracy. Some scholars go so far as to say his views aligned with those of the democracy in his time, however, certain works of Xenophon, in particular the Cyropaedia, appear to display his pro-oligarchic politics. This historical-fiction serves as a forum for Xenophon to subtly display his political inclinations, Xenophon wrote the Cyropaedia to present his political and moral philosophy
13.
Renaissance
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The Renaissance was a period in European history, from the 14th to the 17th century, regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. It started as a movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe. This new thinking became manifest in art, architecture, politics, science, Early examples were the development of perspective in oil painting and the recycled knowledge of how to make concrete. Although the invention of movable type sped the dissemination of ideas from the later 15th century. In politics, the Renaissance contributed to the development of the customs and conventions of diplomacy, the Renaissance began in Florence, in the 14th century. Other major centres were northern Italian city-states such as Venice, Genoa, Milan, Bologna, the word Renaissance, literally meaning Rebirth in French, first appeared in English in the 1830s. The word also occurs in Jules Michelets 1855 work, Histoire de France, the word Renaissance has also been extended to other historical and cultural movements, such as the Carolingian Renaissance and the Renaissance of the 12th century. The Renaissance was a movement that profoundly affected European intellectual life in the early modern period. Renaissance scholars employed the humanist method in study, and searched for realism, however, a subtle shift took place in the way that intellectuals approached religion that was reflected in many other areas of cultural life. In addition, many Greek Christian works, including the Greek New Testament, were back from Byzantium to Western Europe. Political philosophers, most famously Niccolò Machiavelli, sought to describe life as it really was. Others see more competition between artists and polymaths such as Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Donatello, and Masaccio for artistic commissions as sparking the creativity of the Renaissance. Yet it remains much debated why the Renaissance began in Italy, accordingly, several theories have been put forward to explain its origins. During the Renaissance, money and art went hand in hand, Artists depended entirely on patrons while the patrons needed money to foster artistic talent. Wealth was brought to Italy in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries by expanding trade into Asia, silver mining in Tyrol increased the flow of money. Luxuries from the Eastern world, brought home during the Crusades, increased the prosperity of Genoa, unlike with Latin texts, which had been preserved and studied in Western Europe since late antiquity, the study of ancient Greek texts was very limited in medieval Western Europe. One of the greatest achievements of Renaissance scholars was to bring this entire class of Greek cultural works back into Western Europe for the first time since late antiquity, Arab logicians had inherited Greek ideas after they had invaded and conquered Egypt and the Levant. Their translations and commentaries on these ideas worked their way through the Arab West into Spain and Sicily and this work of translation from Islamic culture, though largely unplanned and disorganized, constituted one of the greatest transmissions of ideas in history
14.
On Horsemanship
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On Horsemanship is the English title usually given to Περὶ ἱππικῆς, peri hippikēs, one of the two treatises on horsemanship by the Athenian historian and soldier Xenophon. Other common titles for this work are De equis alendis and The Art of Horsemanship, the other work by Xenophon on horsemanship is Ἱππαρχικὸς, hipparchikos, usually known as Hipparchicus, or The cavalry commander. The title De re equestri may refer to either of the two, on horsemanship deals with the selection, care and training of horses in general. Military training and the duties of the commander are dealt with in the Hipparchicus. A treatise on horsemanship by Pliny the Elder is believed lost, as was that by Simon of Athens, some fragments of Simons treatise survive, however, they were published by Ruehl in 1912. The first printed edition of On horsemanship is that in the edition of Xenophon of 1516 from the Giunti press. Ταδε ̓ενεστιν ̓εν τͅηδε τͅη βιβλͅω· Ξενοφωντος Κυρου Παιδειας βιβλια ηʹ, venatoria. de re equestri. de equis alendis, lacedæmonum resp. atheniensium resp. Florentiæ, In ædibus P. Juntæ,1516 The earliest printing in Greek in England may be, the Art of Horsemanship by Xenophon Boston, Little, Brown 1893 pp. He is especially careful to stress the importance of soundness and his recommendations include, A hoof of thick horn, and a frog that is held off the ground. Xenophon believed this would allow the horse to see what was in front of him. It is interesting to note that many of Xenophons suggestions are still applied today when selecting a sport horse, Xenophon first makes a point to say that the reader should not waste his time nor endanger his health by personally breaking colts. Before the horse is delivered to the trainer, the owner should know that he has a good temperament, the horse should trust people, knowing that they are the providers of food and water. If this is correctly, the young colt should grow to love people. The groom should stroke or scratch the colt, so that he enjoys human company, if the colt is frightened, the groom should reassure him, rather than punish him, and teach the animal that there is nothing to fear. Xenophon writes that these passages are to help the reader from being cheated, the age of the horse should first be determined. To do so, Xenophon directs the reader to look at the horses teeth, if the horse has lost all of his milk teeth, the author suggests the reader not buy the horse. The horse should then be bridled, to make sure he accepts the bit and he should then be ridden away from the stable, to see if he is willing to leave other horses. The softness of the mouth may be determined by performing a volte in both directions
15.
Classical dressage
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Classical dressage evolved from cavalry movements and training for the battlefield, and has since developed into the competitive dressage seen today. Classical riding is the art of riding in harmony with, rather than against, correct classical riding only occurs when the rider has a good seat and a correct and well-balanced body position, moves with the horses motion, and applies and times the aids correctly. The origins of classical dressage and collection lie in the ability of the horse. In fact, most modern definitions of dressage state that the goal is to have the horse perform under saddle with the degree of athleticism, horses naturally use collection when playing, fighting, competing and courting with each other. When trying to impress other horses, they make themselves look bigger and they achieve this by lifting the forehand, raising the neck and making it bigger by flexing the poll, while at the same time transforming their gaits to emphasize more upwards movement. When fighting, the horse will collect because in collection he can produce lightning speed reactions for kicking, rearing, spinning, striking with the front feet, bucking and jumping. This natural ability to collect is visible in every horse of any breed, the ultimate goal of dressage training is to develop a horse to its ability as an athlete, maximum performance with a minimum of effort. The training scale is to develop the horse in a consistent manner with longevity in mind. Dressage is fitness training and needs to be treated as such, with thought, compassion, the Western Worlds earliest complete surviving work on many of the principles of classical dressage is Xenophons On Horsemanship. Xenophon emphasized training the horse through kindness and reward, in the 15th century, brute force training fell out of favour, while artistry in riding came to the fore. Along with these came a increase in indoor riding. The Renaissance gave rise to a new and more enlightened approach to riding, by the Victorian age, indoor riding had become a sophisticated art, with both rider and horse spending many years perfecting their form. Gueriniere, Eisenberg, Ruy dAndrade and Marialva wrote treatises on technique, the horses were trained to perform a number of airs above the ground movements, which could enable their riders to escape if surrounded, or to fight more easily. These included movements such as levade, capriole, courbette, movements still seen today in competitive dressage include the piaffe, passage, and half-pass. Modern dressage evolved from the school, although it now exists in a somewhat different form from its ancestor. Competitive dressage is an international sport ranging from beginner levels to the Olympics, unlike classical dressage, competitive dressage does not require the airs above ground, which most horses cannot perform well even with correct training, due to physical limitations. Instead, competitive dressage focuses on such as the piaffe, passage, half-pass, extended trot, pirouette. In theory, competitive dressage should follow the principles as classical dressage
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Animal training
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Animal training refers to teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for such as companionship, detection, protection. The type of training an animal receives will vary depending on the method used. For example, a seeing eye dog will be trained to achieve a different goal than an animal in a circus. In some countries animal trainer certification bodies exist and they do not share consistent goals or requirements, they dont prevent someone from practicing as an animal trainer nor using the title. Similarly, the United States does not require animal trainers to have any specific certification, an animal trainer should consider the natural behaviors of the animal and aim to modify behaviors through a basic system of reward and punishment. Negative reinforcement Occurs when a behavior is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus, positive punishment Occurs when a behavior is followed by the addition of an aversive stimulus. This causes a decrease in occurrences of behavior in the future, negative punishment Occurs when a behavior is followed by the removal of a stimulus. As a result, the occurrences of the decrease in the future. Behavior analysts emphasize the use of reinforcement for increasing desirable behaviors. If punishment is going to be used to decrease an undesirable behavior, Reinforcement should be provided according to a predetermined schedule. Fixed ratio A specific number of responses occur before a reinforcer is delivered, variable interval Is the first response that is emitted after a set but variable amount of time has elapsed is reinforced. Fixed interval The first response that is emitted after a set time has elapsed is reinforced, there are various methods animal trainers can use to prompt an animal to respond to a stimulus in a specific way. For example, shaping is a process by which successive approximations are rewarded until the desirable response topography is attained, an animal trainer can use conditioned reinforcers, like clickers, to bridge the interval between response and positive reinforcement. Some stimuli that is considered discriminative are signals, targets and cues and they can be used to prompt a response from an animal, and can be changed to other stimuli or faded in magnitude. In order to delay satiation, reinforcer size should be as small as possible, also, the timing of the delivery of a reinforcer is crucial. Initially the interval between response and consequence must be minimal in order for the animal to associate the consequence with the response, other important issues related to this method are, stimulus control motivating operations Desensitization chaining S-deltas discrimination generalization. Certain sub-fields of animal training tend to also have certain philosophies and styles and they can range from entertainment, husbandry behaviors, physical labor or athleticism, habituation to averse stimuli, interaction with other humans, or even research
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Andalusian horse
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The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE, is a horse breed from the Iberian Peninsula, where its ancestors have lived for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as a breed since the 15th century. Throughout its history, it has known for its prowess as a war horse. The breed was used as a tool of diplomacy by the Spanish government, during the 19th century, warfare, disease and crossbreeding reduced herd numbers dramatically, and despite some recovery in the late 19th century, the trend continued into the early 20th century. Exports of Andalusians from Spain were restricted until the 1960s, but the breed has spread throughout the world. In 2010, there were more than 185,000 registered Andalusians worldwide, strongly built, and compact yet elegant, Andalusians have long, thick manes and tails. Their most common color is gray, although they can be found in many other colors. They are known for their intelligence, sensitivity and docility, a sub-strain within the breed known as the Carthusian, is considered by breeders to be the purest strain of Andalusian, though there is no genetic evidence for this claim. The strain is considered separate from the main breed however. At least one lawsuit is in progress as of 2011, to determine the ownership of the Spanish PRE stud book, the Andalusian is closely related to the Lusitano of Portugal, and has been used to develop many other breeds, especially in Europe and the Americas. Breeds with Andalusian ancestry include many of the warmbloods in Europe as well as western hemisphere breeds such as the Azteca, over its centuries of development, the Andalusian breed has been selected for athleticism and stamina. The horses were used for classical dressage, driving, bullfighting. Modern Andalusians are used for equestrian activities, including dressage. The breed is used extensively in movies, especially historical pictures. Andalusians stallions and geldings average 15.1 1⁄2 hands at the withers and 512 kilograms in weight, mares average 15 1⁄2 hands and 412 kilograms. The Spanish legislation also requires that in order for animals to be approved as either qualified or élite breeding stock, stallions must stand at least 15.1 hands, Andalusian horses are elegant and strongly built. Members of the breed have heads of medium length, with a straight or slightly convex profile, ultra convex and concave profiles are discouraged in the breed, and are penalized in breed shows. Necks are long and broad, running to well-defined withers and a massive chest and they have a short back and broad, strong hindquarters with a well-rounded croup
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Warmblood
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The term distinguishes these horses from both heavy draft horses and refined light saddle horses such as the Thoroughbred and Arabian. Although modern warmbloods are descended from heavier agricultural types systematically upgraded by hotblood influence, open studbook policies separate most warmbloods from true breeds such as Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Percherons, and Morgans which have a closed stud book and require two purebred parents. Instead, most warmblood registries accept breeding stock from other populations to continuously improve their own. The Trakehner is an exception, as some other breeds are used within the breeding population. The Hanoverian, Holsteiner, and Selle Français studbooks are also considered slightly less open than others, a defining characteristic of a warmblood registry is studbook selection, though even some purebred breeds in Europe use this practice. Today, studbook selection usually entails a performance proof in addition to external evaluation, standards of conformation and movement are not designed to perpetuate a particular ancestral type, but rather to meet a particular need. The most critical characteristic of a registry is that its breeding goal is to breed sport horses. Each registry has a different focus, but most breed primarily for show jumping. Many include combined driving and eventing as well, the breeding aim is reflective of the needs of the market. The purposeful evolution of the breeding aim is another characteristic of the warmbloods. Warmbloods have become popular since the end of World War II when mechanization made agricultural horses obsolete, the ancestral warmblood types are referred to as the heavy warmbloods and are preserved through special organizations. The heavy warmbloods have found their niche as family horses and in combined driving, most warmbloods were developed in continental Europe, especially Germany. The best-known German warmbloods are the Hanoverian, Holsteiner, Oldenburg, others include the Württemberger, Rhinelander, Westphalian, Zweibrücker, Brandenburger, Mecklenburger, and Bavarian Warmblood. Several of these breeds are represented by ancestral types such as the Ostfriesen and Alt-Oldenburger, Alt-Württemberger. Western European warmbloods include the French Selle Français, Belgian Warmblood, Dutch Warmblood, Swiss Warmblood, Austrian Warmblood, scandinavian countries also produce high-quality warmbloods such as the Finnish Warmblood and Swedish Warmblood. Warmblood registries which are not based in continental Europe include those that regulate the breeding of American Warmbloods, Sport horse List of horse breeds Edwards, E. H. The Encyclopedia of the Horse, London, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 1-56458-614-6, international Museum of the Horse World Breeding Federation for Sports Horses
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Dressage
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Dressage is a highly skilled form of riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the Olympic Games, at the peak of a dressage horses gymnastic development, the horse responds smoothly to a skilled riders minimal aids. The rider is relaxed and appears effort-free while the horse performs the requested movement. The discipline has a history with ancient roots in the writings of Xenophon. Much about training systems used today reflects practices of classical dressage, in modern dressage competition, successful training at the various levels is demonstrated through the performance of tests, prescribed series of movements ridden within a standard arena. A score of 9 is very good and is a high mark, all riding horses can benefit from use of dressage principles and training techniques. The most popular horse breeds seen at the Olympics and other international FEI competitions are warmblood horses bred for dressage, in classical dressage training and performances that involve the airs above the ground, the baroque breeds of horses are popular and purposely bred for these specialties. There are two sizes of arenas, small and standard, each has letters assigned to positions around the arena for dressage tests to specify where movements are to be performed. Cones with letters on them are positioned on the sidelines of the arena for reference as to where a movement is to be performed. The small arena is 20 by 40 m and is used for the levels of eventing in the dressage phase. Its letters around the edge, starting from the point of entry. Letters also mark locations along the line in the middle of the arena. Moving down the line from A, they are D-X-G. The standard arena is 20 by 60 m, and is used for tests in both dressage and eventing. The standard dressage arena letters are A-K-V-E-S-H-C-M-R-B-P-F, the letters on the long sides of the arena, nearest the corners, are 6 m in from the corners, and are 12 m apart from each other. The letters along the line are D-L-X-I-G, with X again being halfway down the arena. There is speculation as to why these letters were chosen, most commonly it is believed because the German cavalry had a 20 × 60-meter area in-between the barracks which had the letters posted above the doors. At the start of the test, the horse enters the arena at an opening at A, ideally this opening is then closed for the duration of the test, however, this is not always logistically possible, particularly at smaller competitions with few volunteers
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Baroque horse
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It describes the type of agile but strong-bodied descendants of horses in the Middle Ages such as the destrier. Specific ancestors of this include the Neapolitan horse, and the Iberian horse of Barb ancestry known in the Middle Ages as the Spanish Jennet. They are characterized by powerful hindquarters, a muscular, arched neck, a straight or slightly convex profile and these horses are particularly well suited for the haute ecole discipline of classical dressage. Historically, the destrier was a war horse, in the Renaissance its descendants became trained in the haute ecole discipline of classical dressage. In the modern world, these horses are seen in modern dressage and continue to perform haute ecole in venues such as the Spanish Riding School. Their build also suits them for such as mounted bullfighting. Destrier Horses in the Middle Ages Horses in Warfare Classical dressage
21.
Eventing
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Eventing is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combination compete against other combinations across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding, Eventing was previously known as Combined Training, and the name persists in many smaller organizations. The term Combined Training is sometimes confused with the term Combined Test which refers to a combination of just two of the phases, most commonly dressage and show jumping. Eventing is a triathlon, in that it combines three different disciplines in one competition set out over one, two, or three days, depending on the length of courses and number of entries. This sport follows a format in Australia, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom. The test is judged by one or more judges who are looking for balance, rhythm, suppleness, and most importantly, obedience of the horse and its harmony with the rider. The challenge is to demonstrate that a fit horse, capable of completing the cross country phase on time, also has the training to perform in a graceful, relaxed. The tests may not ask for Grand Prix movements such as piaffe or passage, therefore, if one movement is poorly executed, it is still possible for the rider to get a good overall score if the remaining movements are very well executed. The marks are added together and any errors of course deducted, if all four feet of the horse exit the arena during the test, this results in elimination. If the horse more than 20 seconds during the test. This phase consists of approximately 12–20 fences, or 30–40 at the higher levels, sometimes, particularly at higher levels, fences are designed that would not normally occur in nature. However, these are designed to be as solid as more natural obstacles. Safety regulations mean that some obstacles are now being built with a frangible pin system, speed is also a factor, with the rider required to cross the finish line within a certain time frame. Crossing the finish line after the optimum time results in penalties for each second over, at lower levels, there is also a speed fault time, where penalties are incurred for horse and rider pairs completing the course too quickly. For every disobedience a horse and rider incur on course, penalties will be added to their dressage score, after four disobediences altogether or three disobediences at one fence the pair is eliminated, meaning they can no longer participate in the competition. A horse and rider pair can also be eliminated for going off course, if the horses shoulder and hind-quarter touch the ground, mandatory retirement is taken and they are not allowed to participate further in the competition. If the rider falls off the horse they are eliminated, however, in the US this rule is currently being revised for the Novice level and below. The penalties for disobediences on cross country are weighted relative to the other phases of competition to emphasize the importance of courage, endurance
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Horse gait
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Horse gaits are the various ways in which a horse can move, either naturally or as a result of specialized training by humans. Special training is required before a horse will perform an ambling gait in respond to a riders command. Another system of classification that applies to quadrupeds uses three categories, walking and ambling gaits, running or trotting gaits, and leaping gaits. The British Horse Society Dressage Rules require competitors to perform four variations of the walk, six forms of the trot, five leaping gaits, halt, and rein back, the British Horse Society Equitation examinations also require proficiency in the gallop as distinct from the canter. The so-called natural gaits, in increasing order of speed, are the walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Some consider these as three gaits, with the canter a variation of the gallop, even though the canter is distinguished by having three beats, whereas the gallop has four beats, all four gaits are seen in wild horse populations. While other intermediate speed gaits may occur naturally to some horses, in some animals the trot is replaced by the pace or an ambling gait. Horses who possess an ambling gait are usually able to trot. The walk is a gait that averages about 4 miles per hour. When walking, a horses legs follow this sequence, left leg, left front leg, right hind leg, right front leg. At the walk, the horse will alternate between having three or two feet on the ground, a horse moves its head and neck in a slight up and down motion that helps maintain balance. In detail, suppose the horse starts by lifting its left front leg and it then lifts its right hind leg. Next, the front foot touches the ground, then the horse lifts its right front leg. Then it lifts its rear leg, puts down the front right, lifts the left front, puts down the rear left. Ideally, the rear hoof oversteps the spot where the previously advancing front hoof touched the ground. The more the rear hoof oversteps, the smoother and more comfortable the walk becomes, individual horses and different breeds vary in the smoothness of their walk. However, a rider will almost always some degree of gentle side-to-side motion in the horses hips as each hind leg reaches forward. The fastest walks with a footfall pattern are actually the lateral forms of ambling gaits such as the running walk, singlefoot
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Collection (horse)
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Collection occurs when a horse carries more weight on the hind legs than the front legs. The horse draws its body together so that it becomes like a giant spring whose stored energy can be reclaimed for fighting or running from a predator, collection of the horses body is an important mechanism for survival. It raises its head, arches its back, and in so doing brings its legs more under its body where they can maintain the bending of the spine by their contact with the earth, with each step forward this spring is released slightly and then immediately re-compressed. Collection is also an important ingredient in riding, if the rider wishes to perform more advanced movements or jumping and it not only allows the horse to move more easily and athletically, but also helps prevent wear-and-tear on the front legs. Through training, the horse learns to collect itself when requested to do so by the rider, the observer receives the impression of great strength held under perfect control. The most readily apparent form of collection can be observed when comparing different degrees of collection within a single gait. A more collected gait will have two main symptoms, the horse will lower his hindquarters and raise his forehand, and the horse will have more bend in the joints of his legs, additionally, the stride length will be shortened. Collection may be performed at any gait, however, this does not mean that any shortened gait is collected. The shoulders will not be raised, and the horse will find it difficult to perform a task than he would otherwise. The hind legs will usually be strung out behind, rather than coming up under the body with each stride to support it, collected gaits are asked for in dressage tests from the mid-levels upward, at the walk, trot, and canter. Additionally, a degree of collection is required of the rider in more advanced dressage moves, such as the pirouette, piaffe. The ultimate level of collection is the levade, in which the horse carries 100% of his weight on his hindquarters. Unlike a rearing horse, the rear legs are well under it. Collection is also essential in jumping, most horses will physically be unable to jump extremely high fences without collection, as they will not have enough power to make it over the obstacle. Speed is not a substitute, and a horse that is simply galloped at a fence will find it difficult to raise his forehand upward on takeoff. Instead, he will jump flat, without bascule, and will be more likely to pull a rail. Secondly, horses must be adjustable within jumping courses, having the ability to shorten or lengthen their stride between obstacles, especially if placed in a combination. Collection also makes it easier for a horse to make changes of direction
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Leg yield
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The leg-yield is a lateral movement in which a horse travels both forward and sideways at the same time. The horse is fairly straight through his body in the leg-yield and it is one of the three initial movements leading up to true lateral work, the others being the turn on the forehand and the shoulder-fore. The leg-yield and half-pass are sometimes confused because they are both movements in which the horse forward and sideways. However, the half-pass is quite a bit more advanced, requiring greater balance, engagement, in the leg-yield, the horse is fairly straight or bent slightly away from the direction of travel. In the half-pass, the horse is bent towards the direction of travel, the leg-yield is one of the first lateral exercises to be introduced to a horse, teaching it a simple yet valuable lesson, to move sideways away from leg pressure. This basic is later built upon in the shoulder-in and haunches-in, some trainers do not believe that the leg-yield is a particularly useful exercise after this concept has been taught, falling short when compared to such exercises as the shoulder-in. The leg-yield is a movement in the First Level dressage test. Improper execution of the leg-yield can have an effect on a horses training, causing loss of forwardness, resulting in short. The Spanish Riding School uses this exercise sparingly, and only at the walk, because the horse will be bent in the opposite direction learning the more difficult half-pass, it is believed to be counterproductive to spend much time on the leg-yield. However, when used judiciously and correctly, the leg-yield is a beneficial exercise, the most common place the leg-yield is performed is from quarter line to rail, keeping the horses body parallel to the wall. With more advanced horses, leg-yielding can be performed back to the quarterline, the second way the leg-yield is commonly performed is with the horses nose facing the rail, with its body at no more than a 30-degree angle to the wall. The horse may also be leg-yielded with haunches to the wall, unlike shoulder- or haunches-in, the horse does not have the same degree of bend. These are not the same movements, the horse may also be leg-yielded on a diagonal, keeping his body straight. The last form of leg-yielding is much more advanced, and is not commonly practised, in this movement, the horse is leg-yielded on a volte, with his nose facing the center of the circle. Richard Davison, Dressage Priority Points, Howell Book House, New York 1995 Jennie Loriston-Clarke, how to Achieve Perfect Harmony between You and Your Horse. Principal Movements in Step-by-step Sequences Demonstrated by a World Medallist, Quarto Publishing plc, London 1987, reprinted 1993 Leg yield to the wall
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Shoulder-in
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The shoulder-in is a lateral movement in dressage used to supple and balance the horse and encourage use of its hindquarters. It is performed on three tracks, where the horse is bent around the riders inside leg so that the horses hind leg. For some authors it is a key lesson of dressage, performed on a daily basis, in the seventeenth century, Antoine de Pluvinel used the basic shoulder-in exercise to increase the horses suppleness and to get the animal used to the aids, especially the leg aids. He felt the exercise helped to make the horse obedient, independently, the Duke of Newcastle developed the exercise. In the eighteenth century, the French riding master Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere adapted the movement for use on straight lines, because the horse is bending away from the direction of travel, the movement requires a certain amount of collection. The shoulder-in can be performed at any forward gait, but in dressage competition it is usually only at the trot. Thus, as the circle becomes the shoulder-in, the shoulders are turned to the inside. The outside rein steadies the horse and helps maintain the correct bend, the riders back and position in the saddle shift toward the horses outside shoulder in order to restrain the horse from moving off the track, maintaining movement along the track. Common errors include use of the inside rein to create the bend for the shoulder-in, doing so creates too much bend in the horses neck compared to its body, and may also pull the horse off the track. The inside rein only asks for flexion, and if the horse is correctly on the aids, variants of the Shoulder-In include the Shoulder-fore, where less angle is asked, and a four-track movement is created. This is an exercise for the younger horse, and can be used in canter work to negate a horses natural tendency toward crookedness. Richard Davison, Dressage Priority Points, Howell Book House, New York 1995, ISBN 0-87605-932-9 Jennie Loriston-Clarke, how to Achieve Perfect Harmony between You and Your Horse. Quarto Publishing plc London 1989, reprinted 1993, ISBN 0-09-174430-X Richtlinien für Reiten und Fahren, ed. by the German Equestrian Federation Warendorf 12th edition 1997, ISBN 3-88542-283-2
26.
Haunches-in
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Haunches-in, also called travers or tête au mur, is a lateral movement used in the dressage discipline of horse training. It has a cousin, haunches-out, renvers, or croupe au mur. Both movements are four-track, meaning they produce four lines of hoof prints in the sand, in haunches-in, the horse bends its hindquarters slightly to the inside of the arena, away from the arena wall, so that the horse is bent in the direction of movement. The front legs and shoulders should not move from the original track, in haunches-out, the horse is similarly bent in the direction of movement, but the hindquarters are bent toward the arena wall instead of away from it. This movement is considered to be more difficult than travers, a horse that naturally moves with its haunches slightly to the inside is simply travelling crooked, and is not performing haunches-in. Additionally, travers is a stone to the more advanced half-pass, and goes together with the turn on the haunches. Renvers is an exercise to counteract the tendency of many horses to travel crookedly. It is employed by the Spanish Riding School, due to their belief that travers encourages the horse to travel crookedly with their haunches leaning toward the center of the arena, renvers therefore provides all the benefits of travers, without any of the drawbacks. When first introducing the movement, the rider begins with haunches-in, like all lateral movements, it is best to begin with a few steps of haunches-in when first teaching it, asking for quality rather than quantity. Additionally, the rider should ask for only a slight bend to the inside, after performing the movement, the horse should be asked to move straight ahead and forward. To ask for the haunches in, the uses the outside leg to guide the horses hindquarters from the track. The riders outside leg is used behind the position to controls the outside hind leg of the horse, keeping it inward from the track. This both encourages and requires collection and impulsion in this movement, the riders inside leg asks the horse to bend in the direction of movement and to maintain forward motion and rhythm. The inside rein used to keep the horse looking in the direction of travel, renvers is slightly more difficult because the arena wall is not in a position to guide the horses shoulders and requires the horse to be consistently and correctly on the aids. The movement quickly identifies a rider who uses the wall as a crutch, when moving along the wall of the arena, the horses shoulders move toward the inside and the horse remains bent in the direction of movement. Renvers may be asked for through a pessade, to position the horse properly. It may also be asked after going across the diagonal in half-pass, richard Davison, Dressage Priority Points, Howell Book House, New York 1995, ISBN 0-87605-932-9 Jenny Loriston-Clarke, The Complete Guide to Dressage. How to Achieve Perfect Harmony between You and Your Horse, - Principal Movements in Step-by-step Sequences
27.
Spanish Riding School
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The Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, is a traditional riding school for Lipizzan horses, which perform in the Winter Riding School in the Hofburg. Not only is it a centre for classical dressage, the headquarters is a tourist attraction in Vienna that offers public performances as well as permitting public viewing of some training sessions, the presentation builds on four centuries of experience and tradition in classical dressage. The leading horses and riders of the school also periodically tour, the Spanish Riding School is located between Michaelerplatz and Josefsplatz inside the Hofburg in central Vienna. Performances take place in the Winter Riding School, built between 1729–1735, the Spanish Riding School also has summer stables in Heldenberg-Wetzdorf-Lower Austria. The 68 resident stallions are taken there in July and August for seven weeks, the horses are not schooled during this period, but instead are hacked in the nearby forest. The riding school was first named during the Habsburg Monarchy in 1572, long before the French manege of Antoine de Pluvinel, prior to that time, the School operated from a wooden arena at the Josefsplatz. For a time, the hall was used for various ceremonies, but it is now open to the public. The Spanish Riding School was named for the Spanish horses that formed one of the bases of the Lipizzan breed, today the horses delivered to the Spanish Riding School are bred at the Piber Federal Stud located near the village of Piber in western Styria, Austria. One of the studs used to develop the breed was Lipizza, now called Lipica, near Trieste in modern Slovenia. Traditionally, Lipizzaners at the school have been trained and ridden wholly by men, the methods used by the Riding School are based on François Robichon de la Gueriniere. It is a myth that the movements were developed to aid in battle, in fact, they were used to strengthen the war horses body and mind and make him a supreme athlete. All movements are based on those performed by the horse when at liberty. The stallions are taught in three stages, Remontenschule, This stage begins when the horse is first brought to the Spanish Riding School as a 4-year-old. The stallion is taught to be saddled and bridled, and is started on the longe to teach him the aids, to improve his obedience, and to strengthen his muscles in preparation for a rider. Work on the longe includes transitions between the walk, trot, and canter, and changes of tempo within the gait, after longeing, the horse is ridden in an arena on straight lines, to teach him to respond correctly to the riders aids while mounted. The main goals during this time are to develop free movement in the ordinary gaits, with correct contact and on a long rein. Additionally, the training should have improved the strength and stamina to prepare him for the next stage. Campagneschule, The horse is ready for the second stage after a year of riding in the first stage
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Cadre Noir
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The Cadre Noir is a corps of ecuyers, or instructors, at the French military riding academy École Nationale dÉquitation at Saumur in western France, founded in 1828. It also performs as a display team. Its name comes from the uniforms that are still in use today. It is considered one of the most prestigious schools in the world. The historic role of the Saumur School of Cavalry was to provide training for the officers, in 1843, François Baucher introduced his method into the school. This event marked the beginning of a war between the vicomte dAure and Baucher, which continued for several years. After World War II the mounted element of the French Army had been reduced to a few squadrons of North African spahis, accordingly, in 1972, the National School of Équitation was constituted around the Cadre Noir, which provided its core teaching staff. Today, there are about 50 horses and a team of elite riders, the members of the Cadre Noir have either civilian or military status. Military and civilian riders are distinguished by the insignia on their collar, some of the riders have reached the highest level of international sport, being Olympic or world champions. The Cadre Noir mainly uses Thoroughbreds, Anglo-Arabians, Hanoverians and Selle Français, the Thoroughbreds and Anglo Arabians are used for the Grand Prix dressage, and perform individually, pas de deux, pas de trois, and dûe quantité. They may be displayed in hand or ridden. The Selle Français are used to display the airs above the ground
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Portugal
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Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, to the west and south it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east and north by Spain. The Portugal–Spain border is 1,214 kilometres long and considered the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union, the republic also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments. The territory of modern Portugal has been settled, invaded. The Pre-Celts, Celts, Carthaginians and the Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigothic, in 711 the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by the Moors, making Portugal part of Muslim Al Andalus. Portugal was born as result of the Christian Reconquista, and in 1139, Afonso Henriques was proclaimed King of Portugal, in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal established the first global empire, becoming one of the worlds major economic, political and military powers. Portugal monopolized the trade during this time, and the Portuguese Empire expanded with military campaigns led in Asia. After the 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy, the democratic but unstable Portuguese First Republic was established, democracy was restored after the Portuguese Colonial War and the Carnation Revolution in 1974. Shortly after, independence was granted to almost all its overseas territories, Portugal has left a profound cultural and architectural influence across the globe and a legacy of over 250 million Portuguese speakers today. Portugal is a country with a high-income advanced economy and a high living standard. It is the 5th most peaceful country in the world, maintaining a unitary semi-presidential republican form of government and it has the 18th highest Social Progress in the world, putting it ahead of other Western European countries like France, Spain and Italy. Portugal is a pioneer when it comes to drug decriminalization, as the nation decriminalized the possession of all drugs for use in 2001. The early history of Portugal is shared with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula located in South Western Europe, the name of Portugal derives from the joined Romano-Celtic name Portus Cale. Other influences include some 5th-century vestiges of Alan settlements, which were found in Alenquer, Coimbra, the region of present-day Portugal was inhabited by Neanderthals and then by Homo sapiens, who roamed the border-less region of the northern Iberian peninsula. These were subsistence societies that, although they did not establish prosperous settlements, neolithic Portugal experimented with domestication of herding animals, the raising of some cereal crops and fluvial or marine fishing. Chief among these tribes were the Calaicians or Gallaeci of Northern Portugal, the Lusitanians of central Portugal, the Celtici of Alentejo, a few small, semi-permanent, commercial coastal settlements were also founded in the Algarve region by Phoenicians-Carthaginians. Romans first invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 219 BC, during the last days of Julius Caesar, almost the entire peninsula had been annexed to the Roman Republic. The Carthaginians, Romes adversary in the Punic Wars, were expelled from their coastal colonies and it suffered a severe setback in 150 BC, when a rebellion began in the north
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Spain
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By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spains capital and largest city is Madrid, other urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao. Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago, in the Middle Ages, the area was conquered by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors. Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a power and a major developed country with the worlds fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP. Jesús Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the span is the Phoenician word spy. Therefore, i-spn-ya would mean the land where metals are forged, two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don Isaac Abravanel and Solomon ibn Verga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both men wrote in two different published works that the first Jews to reach Spain were brought by ship by Phiros who was confederate with the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusalem. This man was a Grecian by birth, but who had given a kingdom in Spain. He became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, Heracles later renounced his throne in preference for his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his nephew, Espan, from whom the country of España took its name. Based upon their testimonies, this eponym would have already been in use in Spain by c.350 BCE, Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the Iberians, Basques and Celts. Early on its coastal areas were settled by Phoenicians who founded Western Europe´s most ancient cities Cadiz, Phoenician influence expanded as much of the Peninsula was eventually incorporated into the Carthaginian Empire, becoming a major theater of the Punic Wars against the expanding Roman Empire. After an arduous conquest, the peninsula came fully under Roman Rule, during the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later, much of it was conquered by Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north gradually regained control of the peninsula. The last Moorish kingdom fell in the same year Columbus reached the Americas, a global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe, the leading world power for a century and a half, and the largest overseas empire for three centuries. Continued wars and other problems led to a diminished status. The Napoleonic invasions of Spain led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire, eventually democracy was peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Spain joined the European Union, experiencing a renaissance and steady economic growth
31.
Bullfighting
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Bullfighting is a physical contest that generally involves humans attempting to publicly subdue, immobilise, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. Although people commonly think of Spanish-style bullfighting as representative of bullfighting, there are different forms. Some forms involve dancing around or over a cow or bull, Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of many countries including Spain, Portugal, parts of southern France, India and Tanzania, and some Latin American countries. In some locations, a breed of cattle, the Spanish Fighting Bull, is used for bullfighting. These bulls must be bred in large ranches, and in conditions as similar as possible to the way they would behave in the wild, there are many historic fighting venues in the Iberian Peninsula, France and Latin America. Bullfighting traces its roots to prehistoric bull worship and sacrifice in Mesopotamia, the first recorded bullfight may be the Epic of Gilgamesh, which describes a scene in which Gilgamesh and Enkidu fought and killed the Bull of Heaven. Bull leaping was portrayed in Crete, and myths related to bulls throughout Greece, the killing of the sacred bull is the essential central iconic act of Mithras, which was commemorated in the mithraeum wherever Roman soldiers were stationed. The oldest representation of what seems to be a man facing a bull is on the Celtiberian tombstone from Clunia, Bullfighting is often linked to Rome, where many human-versus-animal events were held as competition and entertainment, the Venationes. These hunting games spread to Africa, Europe and Asia during Roman times, there are also theories that it was introduced into Hispania by the Emperor Claudius, as a substitute for gladiators, when he instituted a short-lived ban on gladiatorial combat. The latter theory was supported by Robert Graves Spanish colonists took the practice of breeding cattle and bullfighting to the American colonies, in the 19th century, areas of southern and southwestern France adopted bullfighting, developing their own distinctive form. Religious festivities and royal weddings were celebrated by fights in the plaza, where noblemen would ride competing for royal favor. In the Middle Ages across Europe, knights would joust in competitions on horseback, in Spain, they began to fight bulls. In medieval Spain bullfighting was considered a sport and reserved to the rich. The bull was released into an arena where a single fighter on horseback was armed with a lance. This spectacle was said to be enjoyed by Charlemagne, Alfonso X the Wise, the greatest Spanish performer of this art is said to have been El Cid knight. According chronicle of the time, in 1128, when Alfonso VII of León and Castile married Berengaria of Barcelona daughter of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona at Saldaña among other celebrations, there were also bullfights. This type of fighting drew more attention from the crowds, thus the modern corrida, or fight, began to take form, as riding noblemen were replaced by commoners on foot. This new style prompted the construction of dedicated bullrings, initially square, like the Plaza de Armas, the modern style of Spanish bullfighting is credited to Juan Belmonte, generally considered the greatest matador of all time
32.
Riding figures
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Riding figures are prescribed paths a horse is ridden on in a riding arena, usually for training purposes. Figures may also be performed out in a field or other open area, ring figures are a valuable training aid, giving the rider feedback as to his horses training and weaknesses. A poorly executed ring figure may point out where the rider is lacking in control, for example, when riding down the diagonal, a rider may struggle to keep his horse on the correct path, suggesting issues with straightness. A poorly performed 20-meter circle may indicate that the horse is not truly between the aids, perhaps falling out through a shoulder, or that the rider is sitting crookedly. Figures are required components of tests, are used in reining competition. Additionally, jumping courses may often be broken up into riding figures and it is important to work the horse on figures in both directions, to ensure an equal build of muscle on either side. The horse and rider travel along the all the way around the side of the arena. Full-school riding is used for warming-up, to get the horse thinking forward. Additionally, it is preferred for riding lessons, giving the instructor a chance to critique each member of the class as he or she rides in front of her. For beginner lessons, full-school riding eliminates the need for them to turn, allowing them to focus on something simple, however, in a lesson group it requires the riders to correctly rate their horses pace, to prevent the animal from running up behind the horse in front. Full-school riding is also seen when showing on the flat, with all riders judged as they ride in one direction, again, this provides an easy way for the judge to assess all riders in the ring. As its name suggests, the horse and rider travel along one half of the arena, half-school along the width is occasionally seen in lessons, especially if the group is small, giving the instructor a chance to critique all riders. It is also helpful when two classes are conducted in the arena at once. Riding along the width is used for training purposes. For example, it allows the rider to focus on straightness as he rides down the centerline, all circles are measured by their diameter. So a 20-meter circle refers to a circle with a 20-meter diameter, the 20-meter circle is one of the most important training figures in dressage, first seen in the most simple tests possible, and continued on through Grand Prix. It is one of the first ring figures taught to beginner riders, due to its size, it does not require that the horse or rider have incredible skills to ride moderately well, but circle-work should increase in quality as the horse and rider become more adept. This circle is a great test of the suppleness and the riders ability to keep the horse on the aids
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United States Equestrian Federation
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The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for most equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20,1917, as the Association of American Horse Shows, in 2001, the organization changed its name to USA Equestrian and, in 2003 it merged with the United States Equestrian Team. In 2017, USEF rebranded as US Equestrian, US Equestrian keeps track of yearly points accumulated at individual horse shows throughout the year and gives awards based on these points at the end of the year. Horse shows governed under the USEF are given an AA, A, B, Shows with an AA rating are the most prestigious and often offer the most prize money, whereas shows with a C rating are more local, usually awarding less prize money. Competitions recognized by the USEF must follow its rules and bylaws and their intention was to unite in order to assure clean competition in the show ring. They formed the Association of American Horse Shows, which by its first annual meeting on January 29,1918, the association incorporated in June 1918. Membership grew to list 35 member shows in 1919, and 67 shows by 1924, by the time of Mr. Vanderbilts death in 1925, the organization had enrolled almost 70 shows as members of the organization. Maclay was the individual elected president. Early in his term, in 1927, the association printed its first set of rules, the rules were revised continually and have been added to throughout the history of the association. When Maclays term ended in 1936, membership included 183 shows, maclay was followed by Pierre Lorillard as president. He served a year before Mr. Adrian Van Sinderen was elected, under Van Sinderen, the office was relocated to 90 Broad Street in Manhattan. By the end of Van Sinderens tenure in 1960, the book had grown to one hundred. The need for show stewards, representatives of the association to be present at and it was not until the 1948 rule book that stewards were written in, however, and not until the 1960 rule book that licensing of stewards was in place and recognized in the rules. In February 1933 the original name, the Association of American Horse Shows, Inc. was changed to the American Horse Shows Association, at the same meeting, individual members were recognized in addition to show members. The transfer of membership took place after the 1936 Summer Olympics, and after that, in the United States, by this time, AHSA membership had grown to include 183 members and shows. By 1937, the new rule book reflected the growth of the association by dividing the United States into five zones, each with a vice president and a five-member regional committee. In 1939, the association began publication of the magazine, Horse Show. By this time there were 187 recognized shows, and 800 individual members, in 1960, the association began sending licensed stewards to each affiliated show to report and verify that the show was following the associations rules
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British Dressage
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British Dressage is the organisation which oversees all affiliated dressage competitions and training in the United Kingdom. British Dressage is a member of the British Equestrian Federation, in addition to the usual dressage competitions, British Dressage also oversees the British Young Riders Dressage Squad and all para-equestrian dressage. Dressage as a sport in the UK was first organised by the British Horse Society in 1961 under the BHS Dressage Group. In its first year it had 123 members and held eight competitions, British Dressage as a separate organisation was set up in January 1998, and now has over 14,000 members and organises more than 2,000 days of competition per year. The current chief executive office of British Dressage is Jason Brautigam, the current president is the Duchess of Richmond, and the current vice-president is Desi Dillingham
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Pony Club
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Pony Club is an international youth organization devoted to the educating youths about horses and riding. Pony Club organizations exist in over 30 countries worldwide, Pony Club began with the organisation that was formed in Great Britain in 1929 when the Institute of the Horse formed a youth branch of their organization, The Pony Club. It was formed to encourage children to start riding, while providing them opportunities in the field that they would not be able to reach on their own. The group grew rapidly, from 300 members in 1930, to over 10,000 in 1935, when the Institute of the Horse joined with National Horse Association of Great Britain to form The British Horse Society, Pony Club was incorporated into the new group. The success of Pony Club in Britain sparked the formation of Pony Clubs in other nations, Australia has the largest pony club membership in the world with just under 55,000 financial members. Each national Pony Club organization has the ability to define its own structure, there is no strict international governing body, however, national Pony Club organizations often work together for international competitions and exchanges. The core unit of any national Pony Club organization is the local club, local clubs vary in size, but are generally confined to members within a relatively small geographic area. Multiple local clubs may conduct joint mounted and unmounted meetings, ages of participants range from eight to twenty-five. Because of this vast age range, older Pony Clubbers are able to provide assistance to younger members, and younger members are able to be mentored. The Pony Clubs internal structure consists of many ability levels - from the Beginner, D1, D2, and D3, to the intermediate, C1, C2, and C3, followed by the Advanced, HB, B, HA, and A. Further structuring is dependent upon the national organization, but most local clubs belong to regions. Pony Club manuals are books which all the information needed to earn certificates. They have a range of information from buying a horse to looking after it. It will teach pony club members the responsibility and hardships and positive outcomes of owning a horse, new Zealand Pony Clubs Association Pony Club Australia The Pony Club United States Pony Clubs The Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship. Canada, Canadian Pony Club Republic of Ireland, Irish Pony Club Europe, Euro Pony Club China, Hong Kong Pony Club United States of America, Pony Club
36.
Piaffe
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The piaffe is a dressage movement where the horse is in a highly collected and cadenced trot, in place or nearly in place. The center of gravity of the horse should be more towards the end, with the hindquarters slightly lowered. The front end of the horse is highly mobile, free, and light, with great flexion in the joints of the front legs, and the horse remains light in the hand. The horse should retain a clear and even rhythm, show great impulsion, as in all dressage, the horse should perform in a calm manner and remain on the bit with a round back. The piaffe was originally used in battle to keep the focused, warm. In modern times, the piaffe is mostly taught as an upper level movement in Classical dressage, additionally, it is needed to develop the levade and from that, the airs above the ground. The following are elements of the piaffe, The piaffe is straight. The legs do not move out to the side or cross, the horse lowers his hindquarters, collects, and raises the shoulders by taking weight onto the hindquarters, rather than hollowing the back and piaffing with the hindquarters trailing out behind. Bending of the joints is not always an indication of true collection. It is possible to perform a movement with good bend in the legs while the horse remains hollow. This can especially be seen in horses trained to trot in place by holding them back while asking the hindlegs to bend by applying the whip on the hocks, the horse will bend the hocks, but will not lower the hindquarters. The horse is not to raise the hind legs higher than the front, the horse remains relaxed and supple. An incorrect piaffe has short, jerky steps, the horse does not move his fore legs backwards toward his hind legs, so that they are more under his body, but rather keep them perpendicular to the ground. The horse remains at or in front of the vertical, with his poll as the highest point, the horse maintains the rhythm and tempo of the trot
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Passage (dressage)
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The passage is a movement seen in upper-level dressage, in which the horse performs a highly elevated and extremely powerful trot. The horse is very collected and moves with great impulsion, the hindquarters are very engaged, and the knees and hocks are flexed more than the other trot types. The horse appears to trot in slow motion, making it look as if it is dancing, the passage is first introduced in the dressage intermediaire test II. A horse must be well-confirmed in its training to perform the passage, and must be proficient in collecting while remaining energetic, calm, the horse must also have built up the correct muscles to do the strenuous movement. Olympic Ferro performing the passage Analysis of the ideal Passage
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Canter and gallop
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The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gait that can be performed by a horse or other equine. The canter is a controlled, three-beat gait, while the gallop is a faster,4 beat variation of the same gait and it is a natural gait possessed by all horses, faster than most horses trot, or ambling gaits. The gallop is the fastest gait of the horse, averaging about 25 to 30 miles per hour, the speed of the canter varies between 16 and 27 kilometres per hour depending on the length of the stride of the horse. A variation of the canter, seen in western riding, is called a lope, the canter is a three-beat gait, meaning that there are three footfalls heard per stride. Each footfall is the phase of a leg. The three footfalls are evenly spaced, and followed by the phase of the gait, which is when all four legs are off the ground. The three beats and suspension are considered one stride, the movement for one stride is as follows, Beat One, the grounding phase of the outside hind leg. There are many riders who think a front leg is the first beat of the canter, at this time, the other three legs are off the ground. Beat Two, the grounding phase of the inside hind leg. The inside fore leg is still off the ground, the outside hind leg, is still touching the ground, but is about to be lifted off. At the gallop, this beat is divided, with the inside hind landing first, making the gallop a four-beat gait Beat Three, the outside hind leg, is off the ground. The inside hind leg and outside foreleg are still touching the ground, the inside hindleg and outside foreleg are lifted off the ground. The inside foreleg is the only supporting the horses weight. The inside foreleg is lifted off the ground, suspension, The horse has all four legs off the ground. The faster the horse is moving, the longer is the time of the phase of suspension, the canter and gallop are related gaits, as the rider simply asks the horse to gallop from the canter by allowing it to lengthen its stride. When the stride is lengthened, the diagonal pair of beat two breaks, resulting in a four beat gait, the inside hind striking first, before the outside fore. A careful listener or observer can tell an extended canter from a gallop by the presence of the fourth beat. The gallop is the fastest gait of the horse, averaging about 25 to 30 miles per hour, and in the wild is used when the animal needs to flee from predators or simply cover short distances quickly
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Lead (leg)
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Lead refers to which set of legs, left or right, leads or advances forward to a greater extent when a quadruped animal is cantering, galloping, or leaping. The feet on the leading side touch the ground forward of its partner, on the left lead, the animals left legs lead. The choice of lead is of special interest in horse riding, a lead change refers to an animal, usually a horse, moving in a canter or gallop, changing from one lead to the other. There are two forms of lead change, simple and flying. It is very easy to define the correct lead from the incorrect lead, when a horse is executing the correct lead, the inside front and hind legs reach farther forwards than the outside legs. In a transverse or lateral or united canter and gallop, the leg on the same side as the leading foreleg advances more. In horses this is the norm, in a rotatory or diagonal or disunited canter and gallop, the hind leg on the opposite side advances more. In horses, it is more often not an undesirable gait form, also known as rotary and round galloping, and as moving disunited, cross-firing. In animals such as dogs, deer, and elk, however, some authorities define the leading leg in the singular form as the last to leave the ground before the one or two periods of suspension within each stride. In these cases, because the canter has only one moment of suspension, because in some animals the gallop has two moments of suspension, some authorities recognize a lead in each pair of legs, fore and hind. So when an animal is in a rotatory gait, it is called disunited, due to different leading legs in the front and hind. A horse is balanced when on the correct lead of the canter, that is to say. If a horse is on the lead, it may be unbalanced. The standard canter is movement where the horse travels in a transverse canter bent slightly in the direction of the leading inside front and rear legs. In standard horse show competition, travel on the lead is almost always considered correct. The only exceptions are when a counter-canter is specifically requested, or in some timed events where leads are not evaluated, in equestrian competition, a show ring hand gallop, or gallop in hand is a true lengthening of stride. However, the remains in control and excess speed is penalized. Usually the constraints of an arena and the presence of other animals prevent the gait from extending into the four-beat form of the racing gallop
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Pirouette (dressage)
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A Pirouette is a French word for the Ballet reference, to whirl about. A pirouette is a lateral movement asked of a horse in dressage. Specifically, the front legs and outside hind leg should travel around the hind leg. From the part of the rider it needs much practice in collecting and balancing the horse, the horse may perform the movement at the walk or canter, although the pirouette at the walk is more commonly called the turn on the haunches. It can also be executed at piaffe, as in all dressage, the horse should remain relaxed, engaged, and responsive, with the poll as the highest point. Ideally, the pirouette will be almost in-place, although many horses perform a slightly larger pirouette, a pirouette may be performed either as a 360-degree turn,270 degrees, or 180-degrees. Some dressage tests call for two full pirouettes in a row, the walk stride has to consist of four beats. Pivoting around one hindleg without lifting it is not considered a movement, The inside hind foot is raised. When performed at the canter, the gait actually is meant to remain a three-beat action with a moment of suspension, however, the high level of collection, strength and discipline required means that it often degenerates into an incorrect four-beat motion. The correct half-pirouette in canter should take three steps or strides, the whole pirouette should take six to eight strides, the canter pirouette is a very difficult exercise when performed correctly. The horse should not throw his body around, fall inward, or let his hindquarters fall to the outside, but should remain balanced. The horse should not plant one of his legs and move around it—as seen in the western spin—but should lift them up and place them down with each stride. The horse should not lose the rhythm of the canter, or fall onto his forehand, the horse should not make an oval-shaped movement with his hindquarters, but should inscribe a perfect circle. The horse should never step back and it must not degenerate into a four-beat motion or lose its moment of suspension. To see a canter pirouette, see and, to see a walk pirouette, see. FEI Rules for Dressage Events 2011 Purity of Gaits in the Canter Pirouette Comparison of the kinematics of the canter pirouette
41.
Half-pass
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The half-pass is a lateral movement seen in dressage, in which the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time. Unlike the easier leg-yield, the horse is bent in the direction of travel, the outside hind and forelegs should cross over the inside legs, with the horses body parallel to the arena wall and his forehand leading. The horse should remain forward, balanced, and bent, moving with cadence, the inside hind leg remains engaged throughout the half-pass, and the horse should not lose its rhythm. The half-pass is a variation of haunches-in, executed on a line instead of along the wall. At higher levels it is used to perform a counter-change of hand, the half-pass requires more balance, engagement, and collection from a horse than the leg-yield. This is because the horse is bent in the direction of movement in the half-pass. In the leg-yield, the horse is straight or looking slightly away from the direction of travel. The half-pass is a movement that requires the horse to engage the hindquarters and increase its impulsion. The half-pass is commonly seen in dressage tests beginning at the United States Dressage Federation third level, the half-pass is usually taught after the haunches-in is well confirmed. It may first be introduced by riding a circle from the long side to the centerline, or a half-volte. The circle naturally places the body in the correct bend. The outside hind leg must step well under the body to push the animal forward. A rider uses an active outside leg slightly behind the position to ask the horse to step forward. The outside rein maintains the correct bend and contains the energy of the horse, the inside leg keeps the horse moving forward, the rider also uses his or her inside seat bone to help maintain bend. If the rider is off-center or twisted, the horse will also be crooked or off-balance, if the horse loses quality in the movement, such as lack of correct bend, loss of rhythm, or stiffness, the rider straightens the horse and rides forward. The beginning and the end of the movement needs special attention concerning control, richard Davison, Dressage Priority Points, Howell Book House, New York 1995 Jennie Loriston-Clarke, The Complete Guide to Dressage. How to Achieve Perfect Harmony between You and Your Horse, principal Movements in Step-by-step Sequences Demonstrated by a World Medallist, Quarto Publishing plc, London 1987, reprinted 1993 Video of the Half-Pass
42.
Impulsion
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Impulsion is the movement of a horse when it is going forward with controlled power. Related to the concept of collection, impulsion helps a horse effectively use the power in its hindquarters, the concept and term was first written about by practitioners of dressage, but an ability to move with impulsion is a desired goal in most other equestrian disciplines. Impulsion occurs when a horse is under control and is one of the desired goals in horse training. Impulsion allows any horse gait to be elastic and light, and also provides the animal with the power needed to perform complex movements, including the piaffe. There are competing definitions of impulsion, the 2007 USDF rule book defines it as. Thrust. Releasing of the energy stored by engagement, the energy is transmitted through a back that is free from negative tension and is manifested in the horses elastic, whole-body movement. Another definition is that horse is said to have impulsion when the created by the hind legs is being transmitted into the gait. A horse can be said to be working with impulsion when it pushes off energetically from the ground and its ultimate expression can be shown only through the horse’s soft and swinging back to be guided by a gentle contact with the rider’s hand. This is the current position of the USDF, oliveira described impulsion as necessary at all paces, If your horse goes from walk to trot without changing the head and neck position, the walk had good impulsion. Outside the world of dressage, impulsion is considered necessary at all gaits, encouraged in gaited horses. Impulsion at the walk is encouraged and judged in many lower level dressage, impulsion is very important in all equestrian disciplines, because good impulsion allows the horse to effectively utilize the power in its hindquarters. Impulsion is particularly important in dressage and it not only makes the horses gait more elastic, light, and expressive, but provides the animal with the power needed to perform the required movements. This is especially true for those requiring collection, such as passage, piaffe, pirouette, the horse must be forward, yet relaxed, and coming correctly on the bit by coming up through the back. Additionally, a horse must be straight, with throughness, the rider should use correct driving aids, and contain the energy created by the engaged hind legs. Ideally, this is accomplished through persuasion of the horse, not bullying, impulsion occurs in all gaits, the walk, the trot, and the canter and even the ambling gaits of gaited horses. Because the walk has no moment of suspension, it is a difficult gait to perform with impulsion, impulsion at various gaits may not always appear the same. In the walk, it is seen when the hindquarters are engaged, the USEF describes impulsion at the piaffe as follows, The piaffe must always be animated by a lively impulsion and characterized by a perfect balance. While giving the impression of being in there may be a visible inclination to advance
