Learner's Special: Events and Classes

Hi! I'm Perfect Ponies and this is my blog!
This is my first learner's special. It's for beginners or advanced who just want to learn more!
This special is on Events and Classes.

                          Pony Club Dressage

(Written by Rhóna)

There will be a dressage judge either in their car, in the middle of the arena, or at the back or front in the arena. They will be judging your every movement - so don't get a hoof wrong!

There will be you caller. Your caller will call out to you what movement comes next. there will be numbers or letters on the ground. When you reach a certain letter, your caller could say "Transition to canter" and you kick your pony on to canter until the caller tells you to stop at a different letter.

                                                Example 

Proceed at A, trot down centre line. Halt and Salute at X then track right. Trot down the long side arena to K, then transition to canter!

Classical/Professional Dressage

(Written by Perfect Ponies)

Classical or Professional dressage, whatever way you want to put it, is a sort of dressage for Eventers. Carl Hester at Crofton Manor teaches the classical dressage. Many stud farms in Spain train their horses into the classical Haute Ecole dressage movements. Classical dressage is usually performed with music.

A Piaffe, in basic words, is trotting or walking on the spot. (Video of a demonstrated Piaffe above)

A Pirouette is when a horse is trotting and you make them whirl like a ballerina left and right. (Demonstration above) 

A Flying Change is having the horse change legs in mid-air. It looks a bit like the horse is skipping, doesn't it?

The courbette isn't usally performed in Eventing. Here it is form the Spanish Riding school in Vienna, Austria.

The half-pass is a lateral movement seen in dressage, in which the horse moves forward and sideways at the same time. It's often confused with the leg yield.

There's more to that dressage but I'm running out of space!

Showjumping

Showjumping is jumping fences (Not literal fences!) and it's so fun. A little hard to explain, so here's a vid!
Here's a little info form Wikipedia

Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrianevents that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows are limited exclusively to jumpers, sometimes jumper classes are offered in conjunction with other English-style events, and sometimes show jumping is but one division of very large, all-breed competitions that include a very wide variety of disciplines. Jumping classes may be governed by various national horse show sanctioning organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation in the USA. 

Cross-Country 

Cross country is not jumping fences, but obstacles like wood cars or tractors, lightweight wooden houses (Really small, of course!)

Here's a vid to help you along with some info from Wikipedia.

Cross country equestrian jumping is an endurance test, and is one of the three phases of the sport of eventing; it may also be a competition in its own right, known as hunter trials or simply "cross-country" - these tend to be lower level, local competitions.

The object of the endurance test is to prove the speed, endurance and jumping ability of the true cross-country horse when he is well trained and brought to the peak of condition. At the same time, it demonstrates the rider's knowledge of pace and the use of this horse across country.

Here's another vid that looks as if you are riding the horse!

Novice Classes

Novice classes can be Show Hunter, showjumping, dressage, cross-country - anything! 

It's for total beginners or riders have never competed in Show Days before.

Show hunter classes

The show hunter is a type of show horse that is judged on its movement, manners, and way of going, particularly while jumping fences. The horses are shown in hunt seat style tack, and are often ofWarmblood or Thoroughbred type, though a hunter-style pony is also seen in youth classes. In theUnited States, show hunters are primarily exhibited over fences, with a few additional classes offered for horses shown in-hand or on the flat. In the United Kingdom, competition over fences is called "Working Hunter," and the term "Show Hunter" describes classes held on the flat.

Here's a vid of a children's hunter class

What have you learned?

We'll see with this quiz!
(BTW All Learner specials will have quizzes at the end)
Don't Cheat!

Q1. What is a Piaffe?

a. Walking/Trotting

b. Trotting on the spot

c. Duh, it's a horse eating Fruit Pie!

d. Duh, it's a horse making a Fruit Pie!


Q2. What are 'fences' in showjumping?

a. I thought fences were just fences...right?

b. Duh! They're gates!

c. Jumps

d. Your pony's striding

Q3. Where would you find a 'Wire-and-post' fencing?

a. Around a field

b. What is 'wire and post' fencing?

c. Wire-and-post is found in showjumping and cross country

d. Wire-and-post is a Show Hunter Class jump

Q4. What is a courbette?

a. A dressage movement

b. A movement were the horse is rearing and does a flying leap

c. Don't you mean crochet?

d. A movement where you stand on a mounting block, wait for your pony to gallop riderless to you, then jump from the mounting block and onto the pony's back

Q5 What's A 'Flying change'?

a. A dismount will your pony's still moving

b. Changing the leading canter leg in mid-air

c. Sorry, what?

d. Uhhhhh......


For my first issue, there will only be five questions.





Results:

1.B
2.C
3.D
4.B
5.B

What did you get?