Most equestrians will agree that the most relaxing place to be is out in nature, with just you and your horse, with no worries in the world. The wooded cross country course and the rolling wheat field are a tranquil and quiet place to spend quality time learning about and enjoying your horse. The cross country course provides a motivating factor for eventers like no other. The wheat fields have a meditation-like feel with the quiet rustling of the plants in the soft wind.
The cross-country course at our eventing barn is the epicenter of adrenaline junkies and daredevils alike, but hacking in the deep wooded track can be a relaxing, motivating ride for both my horse and I. To access the course, we cross a large open field, dropping down into
a large water complex, and the start box. The start box brings an almost overwhelming feeling of adrenaline and competition. The steep, dark hillside taunting us to turn back. As we lumber through the dark woods, the smell of the pine and fresh grass engulfs our senses, and calms us, as if it was a reward for ascending the gargantuan hillside. We soon drop into the bank water complex, with towering Intermediate (4’11” drop into water) and Advanced level (5’6” drops into water) banks. The threatening banks are adorned with Rolex and Land Rover sponsorship flags, representing our target career, to attain the triple crown of four-star eventing and win the Kentucky 3 Day Event. The refreshing breeze brings the clean smell of the water up to our noses as we plunge into the water from the Intro level (2’ drop) bank. Reaching the peak of the hill, the encouraging view of the entire course ignites a fire in my stomach to follow my goals and dreams. As we stroll back down the hill, we pass by the Intermediate and Advanced obstacles, stoking the fire to follow my dream and be the best team my horse and I can be. The wheat fields offer a polar opposite experience. The myriad of golden hills and windblown waves of the golden flora. As we journey out past the enormous green combines and tractors. We amble towards the outer edge of the tree line and set out on “the trail to nowhere” as our barn refers to the path. One could get led astray with the symmetricity of the open fields. As we follow the tree line, my brain gets focused on the crunching of the rigid wheat stalks beneath my horse’s feet. It soon transfers to the soft trill of the chickadees lounging in the average height pine trees. As the blue sky morphs into an orange-pink glow. We turn back as we want to avoid being out at night. As we swiftly march home, the breeze starts to pick up and whisper cool breaths in my ear. We sneakily pick up the pace as we pass the now haunting combines and tractors. It is a refreshing trek, but is also quite intimidating, with an almost ghost-like feeling looming over us as the sun retreats. As we reach back to the barn, a feeling of consolation washes us over every time, even though the trip is always spooky, we keep going back as it is very refreshing and amusing.
The first virtue that can be obtained through the world wide sport of rodeo is patience. Because of the fact that rodeo is such a big sport, there are many competitors. With this in mind and the fact that events take more than a few mere seconds, rodeos can be an all day event. In a high school rodeo in Laramie this spring, there were nearly 200 runs or rides being made throughout the course of just one day. So you can imagine the...
Once you get them to settle down and get there mind focused on just walking and the rider then you know the bond with the rider and horse are strong. When it is time for the second run of the night you want to warm them up again but not as hard this time because he or she has already been warmed up once before this, so just a little warming up won’t hurt. When it is that time for the second run the rider will bring the horse him a set him or her up for their first barrel and make the most of the race. If you see the rider smiling then everyone knows she has done her job with this horse. The rider can make an automatic barrel horse where that horse know his job and she barely has to ask the horse for a turn or touch his face to go around that barrel. When the rider gets a horse to be like that everyone can tell they spent hours and days together. The rider worked with that horse but never made him sour or hate coming into the arena. They spent time working on flexing the horse and making sure he knew when to tuck his nose and leave it for an extra second. They will all see when they are running home how much they spend time they spend together if they are fast and smooth through the pattern and don’t have any blow ups before or after coming in and out of the arena. After the race is over and the announcer say who
fun with and enjoy your horse. To start you should have your horse groomed and in the cross ties.
The course is run on a variety of surfaces, none of which come close to ideal . Around 10% is run on rough dirt roads while 10% is run on old dirt roads which are now overgrown with grass. Approximately 20% is run on rough trails with 40% being on old abandoned trails which are said to be easily mistaken for the deer trails that are actually better. The remaining 20% is run on no trails at all but is actually bushwhacking through the forest.
I am now officially in my Senior year of Cross Country , and am close to the end of my season. My first race of this year though was a big accomplishment for me, because I hadn`t been able to run. When I ran that race though it made me just so happy I was able to finish it, I was`nt happy with the time, but there is always time for improvement. I was glad to be racing again and being apart of the team again. I believe that my injuries were a barrier in my way, but they did not stop my sports career.
The announcer calls my number and I walk Jake into the arena and check the calf in the chute to be sure he is the one we are to rope. I back Jake into the roping box and the judge stretches and secures the barrier. (The barrier is a small piece of rope pulled tight across the exit of the box designed to give the calf a 10- foot head start. If the horse leaves early and breaks the barrier, 10 seconds are added to the completion of the run).
I've been four wheeling since I was about three. Id say its pretty fun when you're not busy crashing. My favorite thing about four wheeling is having the wind blow in my face, it makes me feel free in a way. When i'm with my family four wheeling nothing can stop us so you better watch out. My best experience while riding a four wheeler was when I was about nine my grandpa and my four year old sister were together on one four wheeler and I was on my own we were riding down the road when my grandpa said “ Aryona do you want to go down there?” i was a little scared at first, but he told me it would be okay, so i said “yes.” Once we got down there I was happy I decided to go because It was awesome! One of my favorite things about
Today's rodeos consists of two types of competitions – roughstock events and timed events. Rough stock events include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding. In these competitions, a contestant must ride a bucking horse or bull for a certain amount of time. In bull riding competitions, the rider's only concern is remaining on the bull for as long as he possibly can. However, in saddle bronc and bareback riding, the cowboy must "mark out" his horse. "Marking out" a horse is when the cowboy must exit the chute with his spurs set above the horse's shoulders and hold them there until the horse's front feet hit the ground after the jump out of the chute. If he fails, he is disqualified.
There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the sport of riding horses, including that the horse is doing all of the work. Contrary to popular belief this is false. The rider needs to guide and support all the horse does. The use of abdominal muscles keeps the rider balanced and stabilized. Coordination also plays a major part in horsemanship. To get the horse to do what you want like stop or speed up, a lot of different cues given synchronously to keep the horse from wondering off on its own. Hamstrings, glutes, and quads all work to support yourself upright in the saddle and used as cues to get the horse to turn and move forward. “Straddling a large powerful animal with a mind and agenda of its own is a full body workout that will engage your muscles
The last step in training a horse is riding them in different places. The first thirty days of riding should be done in a round pen or riding arena. After you have done this it?s time to take them outside. Different types of places you should ride your horse is near the highway, in the woods, and in town. The first time you ride your horse in a new place you want to be very alert because you never know what might spook your horse. After you have completed all the steps of training your horse should be ready for other people to ride.
Success in the equestrian world can be difficult to achieve. There are many different principles and ideas as to how it can be accomplished. There are a variety of horses, disciplines, and trainers. Training a young horse can be a difficult task, and often for beginning trainers a confusing task as well. Striking out on one’s own and deciding how to train a horse is a highly debated project. Many trainers choose to either follow the treaded path of traditional training methods or natural horsemanship techniques. As an animal science major, it is important for my career to decide how I will approach training, and stay strong to my decision. It is a choice to be carefully considered; which school of thought, natural horsemanship techniques, traditional training methods, or alternative training will I obey through my career?
Some people think of them as animals. Some people think of them as objects. Some people think of them as friends. Then there are the few who think of them as family. Horses have always been like family to humans, except sometimes closer. There are many benefits to owning or being around horses. They come in many different colors. There is a multitude of breeds, also. Additionally, they have a long history with humans. Horses have unique behaviors. Showing horses has been the past-time or even career of many people. Furthermore, caring for horses can be a handful, but is definitely rewarding. Finally, riding horses is not just a hobby or a sport, but an action of your heart. Horses are wondrous creatures that have lived with man or thousands of years.
Sliding the barn doors open, I step into a warm, comforting environment. Musty straw mingles with the sharp aroma of pine shavings, complementing each other. A warm glow from sporadically placed incandescent lightbulbs richens the leather tack, all cleaned and hanging ready for the day's use. From it wafts the smell of a new pair of shoes. The fruity essence of "Show Sheen", applied after yesterday's baths, still lingers in the air. Even the harsh stinging scent of urine and manure is welcome at this early morning hour. Breaking open a bale of hay, I sense the sweetness of the dried timothy as it engulfs my olfactory system, making me wish my queasy stomach had not made me skip breakfast. I am nervous, as are many others. I know that the day ahead will bring excitement, dread, triumph, and defeat. The unpredictable nature of horse shows causes frenzied questions, like salmon spawning, to run constantly though my mind. Will the judge like my own particular style? What if the red flowers bordering the first jump spook my horse? What if a piece of paper on the ground blows into the ring? Will this horse show be a success? The outcome depends not just on me; but a...
much an athlete as the rider. Barrel Racing is one sport where horses and their riders compete to get th...
You wake up one morning and realize today is the day you start what you have dreamed about since you were a child: to learn the true meaning of horseback riding. You now know that horseback riding is not only a summer camp fun activity, but it can also be a competitive sport across the nation that involves a lot of equipment, gates to learn, proper posture, and mistakes to learn from.