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The Development
of Riding |
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The earlier mounts were ponies, too small to be ridden by man
for long. Although an engraved bone, found at Susa and dating
from the third millennium BC, shows a man riding a horse, the practice
was very rare until about 1500BC. From then onward, riding was
increasingly found useful in hunting, fast moving quarry and
carrying out raids. Later, mounted troops of archers and
spearmen began to replace chariots; the former were more
flexible and mobile. It is thought that the Assyrians, during
the first millennium BC developed a cavalry, and others
gradually adopted this new method of warfare. |
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Mounted horsemen were to play an important part in warfare for
nearly 3,000 years until the magnificent Police cavalry was
destroyed by German tanks and infantry in World War II. Though
use of the horse in war had been declining since the end of the
Boer war, the Polish tragedy gave dramatic emphasis to the end
of the horse as an important influence in man's struggle of
power.
Mysore, thanks to the 4th
National Games hosted by Karnataka got a well equipped
equestrian arena at the Police Park just behind the Mysore Race
Cource. The equestrian events during the National Games were
held in this ground amidst the picturesque setting of the
Chamundi Hills.Mariba Shetty and Mallikarjuna have done every
Mysorean proud with their feats by winning silver and gold
medals respectively in the National Games held in Mysore. Mariba
Shetty has represented the country in the International Police
Equestrian events and has performed well.
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| Dressage |
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Dressage is simply the training of a horse. At its basic level,
it is normally a means to an end - that of making horse jump
better or even race faster. At the more advanced stages,
however, as specialists teach their horses increasingly
complicated gymnastics, dressage becomes an end in itself; and
ultimately, an art. Great dressage riders use their horses
creatively, as a means of expression. |
| Eventing |
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Known officialy as horse trials, is the all-round test of horse and rider. The
competition consists of three phases - dressage,
cross-country and show jumping: in order to do well, the rider
must be proficient in all three branches of riding, and the
horse must combine obedience, agility, speed, stamina and
jumping ability. There are competitions at different levels. The
one-day events vary in standard of difficulty, but it is the
three-day event that places the greatest demands on both horse
and rider. |
| Endurance
Riding |
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Although a comparatively young sport in modern times, the
history of endurance riding goes back many years. The ancient
Greeks and Arabs prided themselves on competing against each
other to see whose horse had the most stamina. Often, in those
days, horses would be ridden to a pitch of exhaustion; today,
such ill-treatment would not be acceptable. |
| Showing |
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The ridden horse can be shown in three classes. The first, and
most comprehensive, is the hunter; the second, the back; and the
third, the weight-carrying cob. At some shows, there are also
classes for riding horses, in which a horse is judged more for
its way of going than for its conformation or action. Finally,
there are the children's pony classes. |
| Vaulting |
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Gymnastics on horseback. The Romans practiced it is as part basic riding
instruction, and later, cavalry recruits in many parts of the
world received similar training. In 1920, vaulting was
introduced into the equestrian Olympic games, but did not become
a regular Olympic event. Today, it is a sport mainly for
children. Young riders vault with a horse/pony on the end of a
lunge. Germany is the leading vaulting country, though in the
rest of Europe and in America sport is gaining popularity.
International championships are held in Europe and the American
Vaulting Association run their own championships. |
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