Anyone who has ever tried to mount a mount knows that horseback riding is one of the greatest ways to get in touch with nature. The best time to start your horse riding adventure is summer.
More and more people find out thathorse ridingis a pleasure available to almost everyone, regardless of the season and weather. Even a quiet walk through the meadows or forest backwoods is an unforgettable experience for a city dweller. All equestrian sports enthusiasts probably know the proverb that says that the greatest happiness in the world is to sit on a horse's back.
Developmentequestrianism , tourism and recreation, and even the use of these animals in medicine makehorsesreturn to fashion. Holidays in the saddle, multi-day horse rallies, shows, equestrian competitions, dressage competitions, jumping competitions, vaulting and races - all these competitions are gaining more and more fans. A special place is occupied by treatments with horses for people, especially children with disabilities - the so-called hippotherapy.
ABC of horse riding
There is a wide variety of breeds and types of horses. However, most often we hear about the division of horses into warmbloods - light horses, noble ones, which include mainly Arabians, English Thoroughbred horses and Anglo-Arabs, and cold-blooded horses - heavy, for example Bretons, Ardennes, Fiords.
Purebred Arabians are famous for their beauty, bravery, resilience and gentle disposition. They are most suitable for rallies and long-distance journeys, as well as for long-distance racing.
In turn, thoroughbred horses were bred in the British Isles at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries especially to win in flat races over short distances. A well-trained thoroughbred horse can run a kilometer in less than a minute. These horses usually have a fiery temper and are quite expensive to maintain.
The horse moves with three different gaits:walk(6-8 km / h),trot(12-18 km / h ) orgalloping(up to 60 km / h) and each of these paces may have different paces. The fastest is, of course, an extended gallop, that isgallop . Contrary to the opinion of people who are not aware, the horse cannot gallop forever. There are, however, touching and sometimes true stories of Fr.mounts that, forced to constantly gallop, fell at their destination, delivering their rider on time.
In the world's most strenuous endurance races, the best horses cover 160 km in one day, but in the course of this race the pace is changed very carefully. The mounts alternately trot and canter, while their heart rate is measured every few dozen kilometers during rest breaks.
Equestrian - equipment for the rider
The most important part of the equestrian outfit is the headgear, i.e. a toque made of stiff plastic and covered with dark velvet. Appropriate high boots are also necessary, while breeches, i.e. trousers without seams on the inside of the legs with special reinforcements at the knee height, provide effective protection against abrasions. Gloves are also an important element of clothing. Competitors taking part in such disciplines as dressage or show jumping are required to wear a white shirt, light breeches and a tailcoat (tights) in black or red.
Equestrian - horse equipment
A bridle for a horse, i.e. a bridle, consists of a bit and a whole set of leather straps put on a horse's head and connected with reins. A good saddle makes it easier to sit correctly and makes riding a pleasure. They are fastened on the horse's back with a girth, and its important element are the stirrups in which riders put their feet.
Horses used for racing, show jumping or walking a lot on hard surfaces receive horseshoes, while in winter or in particularly difficult conditions, hooks are screwed into the horseshoes. Among Polish cavalrymen there was a statement that a horse without a hacel is like a uhlan without a soles. Nowadays, hacels are still used, and additionally, sports horses often receive leather ankle protectors or special galoshes worn over the hooves.
You must do itRemember:
- Before you start learning to drive, improve your physical fitness, strength and endurance;
- Always approach the horse slowly and calmly;
- The most important part of the equestrian outfit is the headgear (toque or helmet);
- Almost everyone can ride a horse, regardless of gender and age;
- A contraindication to using this type of recreation is mainly a panic fear of the horse.
A bit of horse riding history
The common history of horse and man goes back at least several thousand years. A Hittite imprint in clay dating from around 2000 B.C.E. depicts horses harnessed to a four-wheeled cart and is considered to bethe oldest evidence of horse use in history. It is possible that the Hittites - the ancient people of Asia Minor - were the first to tame the horse. It is known that these animals were also known in one of the oldest centers of civilization - Mesopotamia. The legendary Assyrian queen Semiramida was supposed to make a series of victorious war expeditions with the help of horses. Babylonia under Nebuchadnezzar became a great military power based on fine horses. They were used there both in chariots and for riding, as well as in races. Steeds played a significant role in the history of Athens and Sparta. At the Games, a lot of time and space was devoted to horse competitions. The victorious horse, on a par with the coachman, enjoyed the highest honors. The steed has been an object of entertainment and luxury for centuries, a weapon of combat, an object of science and art.
In the past century, there have been opinions that the horse will be replaced by its mechanical equivalent. Machines entered the streets and fields, but fortunately you understood that nothing could replace a real horse.