Common equine sport includes dressage, show jumping, eventing, polo, horse racing, endurance and mounted games to name a few, but there are some more unusual equine sport out there. Have you tried any of these?
1) Mounted Archery
A 99m long course has a single moving target. A rider and horse must hit the target as accurately as possible while completing the course. This sport originated in Mongolia but is gaining popularity in Europe.
2) Jousting
There are numerous jousting companies that produce Medieval reenactments, and can be seen at places like Warwick castle. If you fancy having a go, the World Champion Jousting Association was formed in 1999.
3) Pato
The original horseball. This game originated in Argentina but has been banned several times due to deaths and high levels of violence. Originally played with a live duck, its now played with a ball with handles and 2 teams of 4 must score a goal by throwing the ball through a loop.
4) Polocrosse
A mixture of polo and lacrosse, each team having long lacrosse poles. It consists of 6 to 8 chukkas each 6 minutes long and no pony changes. There are teams in the UK through the pony club.
5) Ride and Tie
Endurance but with a twist! Each team has 2 riders and 1 horse. One person must run whilst the other rides. After an agreed distance the rider must tie the horse up and start running. When the original runner reaches the horse they must ride. The horse must be exchanged at least 6 times and the course can be up to 100km. Everyone needs to be very fit!
6) Horseball
This is a mixture of polo, basketball and rugby played on horseback! Played in teams of 4 the players must pass a ball to each other before scoring a goal. It’s fast and a bit brutal.
7) Vaulting
Gymnastics but on horseback. It originated over 2000 years ago and is one of 10 disciplines recognised by the International Federation of Equestrian Sports. The horse moves around the handler on a lunge line whilst the vaulter performs complex moves to get both on and off the horse and whilst it is in motion.
Have you played any of these? They sound fairly hardcore and I’m sure the horses that play them need a lot of TLC with Equine Massage. They put my happy hacking to shame.
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