| Equestrianism, known otherwise as horse
riding goes back to the ancient times when the symbiosis of men and
horses started. Wild horses were domesticated and used as a means of the
fastest on-shore transport before the invention of automobiles and
planes.
In the military, the use of horses allowed the creation of one of the fastest and deadliest
army units – the cavalry. Its mobility and strength were used in a variety of forms - from the chariots of ancient times to modern Cavalry units. In other words, men and horses were living and fighting side by side for centuries. But the true passion of this symbiosis can be best seen in horse riding and racing which is both a sport and a pleasure. Jockeys even consider it an art, comparing it with dancing and theater shows. This Saturday millions of Americans were watching the Kentucky Derby. Even the Queen of England Elizabeth II attended this horse racing event as a part of her short US visit. Street Sense won the Derby. This comes a year after the tragic accident when Barbaro, the horse that won last year's Derby, suffered a bone fracture in his leg while racing in Preakness, and had to have surgery to survive. Unfortunately Barbaro still could not fully recover from the fracture even after the operation and was put to sleep in January 2007.
Equestrian sports is the competition in the art of riding on horses.
While riding on the horse, the rider does not just sit passively on the horse, but interacts actively with the movements of the horse. At the same time, the horse reacts by adjusting the weight of the rider, by contracting the hips and by relaxing or compressing the muscles. The voice of the rider may also play a vital role in the movement of the horse, but this is not allowed in some forms of Equestrian sports.
History
The history of Equestrian sport goes back thousands of years. Its requirement was necessitated by the usage of horses in battle fields. The life of the rider in the battles depended very much on the behavior of the horse, that is why the need was felt for specially training (dressing) the horse: the development of strength, stamina and the implicit obedience to man. The horse was also required to immediately stop, change the pace, overcome obstacles etc. As a result, these became the disciplines of equestrian sport. Between the 14th - 17th centuries, special horse riding schools started to appear, which were training the horses and horse riders.
The equestrian sport was included in the Paris Olympic Games in the year 1900. Then the program included: individual events in crossing the obstacles and long and high jumps. Competitions in equestrian sports were not included in 1904 and 1908 Olympics. The equestrian sport was permanently included in the Summer Olympics in 1912. The international equestrian sports federation was founded in 1921 with a membership of more than 110 national federations. |
Psychologists say that in a relationship one is often a jockey and another one is a horse. That explains why Hillary's face is getting longer.
