Horses and Humans- The English Riding World

Over centuries, human interaction with horses has drastically changed. In the beginning, horses were used as laborers because of their strength. But over time, humans began to fall in love with horses and see their futures not as workers, but also companions.
Perhaps the earliest known use of horses for entertainment is racing. With origins tracing back to the nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia in 4500 B.C., racing has become one of the most common equestrian sports. For thousands of years, horse racing flourished as the sport of kings and the nobility. Now, horse racing is popular as it provides legal venues for gambling. But, there are those who see horse racing for what it really is: a competitive, rigorous lifestyle. The Superbowl of horse racing is the Triple Crown. Consisting of three races, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, winning this title is considered the greatest accomplishment of Thoroughbred racing. Only 11 horses have ever succeeded in winning all three races. The most well recognized horse is Secretariat who won in 1973.
A second sport found throughout the English riding world, and my favorite, is jumping. Show Jumping is fairly new to the equestrian world as it was introduced in England in the 18th century. Under the show jumping category there are two forms of riding: hunter and jumper. In a hunters competition, riders are judged on manners, way of going, and conformation. In a jumpers competition, riders are judged by how quickly a horse can complete a course of jumps with the fewest faults. Jumping requires immense stamina and an incredibly strong relationship between the horse and rider. The pinnacle of show jumping is the Grand Prix.
Dressage is another sport within the English world. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform. This form of riding consists of several gymnastics moves performed by the horse after given unnoticeable cues from the rider. The rider will be relaxed and appear effort-free while the horse willingly performs the requested movement.
I've just barely scratched the surface of the equestrian sports found within the English riding world, but what about the Western spectrum?
SSoftballProduction. (2008, November 15). Equestrian commercial. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqz12jHAdFU&feature=related