Equestrian Gifts

Horse riding is a hobby enjoyed by all ages and although many start horse riding when young, more people are taking up horse riding for the first time later in life. Equestrian sports include Dressage, Driving, Endurance, Harness Racing and Horse Racing.

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Equestrian clothing is designed to offer safety, praticality and comfort to the horse rider. However, it is not necessary to buy a full set of riding wear before starting horse riding as riding schools have riding hats of varying sizes available for beginners to hire for a lesson and this is the single most important item of equestrian clothing. Once riding regularly though it is wise to invest in proper equestrian clothing to ensure maximum safety and comfort whilst riding.

Equestrian Sports

Equestrian Sport Of Dressage - Dressage dates back to classical Greek horsemanship and the military who trained their horses to perform movements whilst in battle intended to evade or attack the enemy. The earliest work on training horses was written by Xenophon, a Greek Military Commander born around 430 BC. From this classical horsemanship and training of movements came the equestrian sport of Dressage which tests the horse's physical ability, suppleness, responsiveness, balance and obedience - where horse and rider should seem as one as they perform a series of complex movements. Dressage can be likened to gymnastics or dance on horseback. Dressage become an Olympic Sport in 1912 with only commissioned military officers eligible to compete until 1952 when the rules changed and today Dressage is a popular equestrian sport in many countries.

Equestrian Sport Of Driving - Driving Trials are based on eventing, with three stages to the competition, Dressage (which consists of a sequence of set movements). Marathon (which consists of driving a cross-country marathon course with natural obstacles such as steep banks, water, etc) and Obstacle Driving (which consists of driving around a course through narrowly spaced cones). There are also show classes for horses under harness where the turnout of the horse, harness and driver are judged along with the performance in the show ring.

Equestrian Sports Of Endurance - Endurance competitions require a horse and rider to ride over a long distance measured course within a specified maximum time. Endurance competitions are held over distances of 15 to 100 miles or more and require a horse and rider with good stamina and fitness. The horse with the fastest time is the winner.

Equestrian Sport Of Harness Racing - Harness racing began with owners competing against each other in the streets and Trotting races occurred in Holland as early as 1554. "The Golden Whip", Holland's most famous trotting event, was first run in 1777. Around this time horses were being bred as "Trotters" in various countries - Russia developed the Orlov Trotter whilst in the UK the Norfolk Trotter was bred as a road horse but was also being used for road racing, whilst in the US a Thoroughbred stallion imported in 1788 was crossed to local harness horses to produce horses with exceptional trotting speed.

Equestrian Sport Of Horse Racing - Horse racing is one of the most ancient sports with the nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia racing horses since early domestication and horse racing has long been an organised sport in many countries throughout history. Horse racing as a professional sport in the UK can be traced back to the 12th Century after the English knights returned from the Crusades with Arab horses. These horses were bred with English horses to produce the Thoroughbred horse that is the breed of horse used in horse racing in the UK today.