Horseback riding is split between English and Western riding, but it’s the least of your worries.

What you need to know are the different types of horse riding styles that you can try.

Horseback riding is a fun sport, but it’s not as simple as riding a horse and moving from one point to another.

If you have a competitive nature and love sports, this is something that will surely capture your interest.

As such, let’s have a closer look at some of the different styles of horse riding.

Types of Eventing Disciplines

Eventing or an equestrian triathlon is a type of horse riding that combines three disciplines in one competition done within one or three days.

These disciples are show jumping, dressage, and cross-country.

Show Jumping

You can consider this as one of the most challenging activities you can try with horseback riding.

In show jumping competitions, you need to complete a set of obstacles, including spreads, uprights, and combinations of jumps.

The goal of this sport is to test your horse’s agility, carefulness, and scope.

It would also test your ability to figure out the right speed and line when under pressure.

The judges will deduct points every time you knock on a fence or stop riding.

The winner of the competition would be the duo with the fastest time with fewer faults or mistakes.

This type of competition has two classifications, namely low and high levels.

Lower-level courses are usually divided into two parts:

• The first part of the competition has an optimum time, and the riders get penalized if they knock the fences down or go over the timeframe provided.
• The second part is to jump fast without knocking on the fences.

For higher-level courses, the riders have to jump clear if they want to move on to the second round.

Dressage

Dressage is a French word that means “Training”, and it has something to do with how this type of competition is done.

Commonly known as “dancing with horses”, you can think of dressage as a ballet dance for horses.

In this type of competition, it would take more than 10 years to develop the horse’s skill, balance, and strength.

It means you are not only practicing your skills, but you should also develop your horse’s overall ability.

The goal is to perform movements with grace, elegance, and power.

There are a set of judges who would check the performance of the horse and the rider.

They will look at the duo’s movements, and they should be supple, calm, and flowing.

The best riders can move in the saddle without making any excess movements.

They can even do the most demanding steps like flying changes or piaffe with grace and elegance.

This is probably one of the most challenging types of horseback riding because you need to spend a lot of time and effort to win the competitions.

Cross-Country

Are you looking for a real challenge? This particular event is definitely the best choice since it requires you and your horse to be in tip-top condition. 

It is composed of 12 to 20 fences for lower levels and 30 to 40 at higher levels positioned in an outdoor circuit.

The whole outdoor circuit is in a cross-country setting with natural objects like stone walls and telephone poles.

Other obstacles also include streams, ponds, drops and banks, and ditches.

You and your horse have to complete the whole course and do it within the optimum time.

In this kind of competition, you should trust your horse and need to be brave.

You are usually riding in a brisk space, so you should think fast to prevent accidents.

Hunt-Seat Riding

Hunt-seat riding is one of the most popular types of horse riding.

It is a challenging competition where you and your horse will complete a course with eight or more jumps in the area.

In this type of competition, there are three horse show categories:

• Show Hunters: Show hunters get judged on three criteria. They are going, manners, and conformation on a straightforward course.
• Jumpers: For this hunt-seat riding type, you get judged on how quickly you can finish a course of jumps. You also have to make sure you don’t make a lot of errors because it would be deducted from your points.
• Equitation: In this competition, you get judged based on your and your horse’s appearance. The judges will check the smoothness of both your moves.

Reining

Reining is a type of western riding competition where you will guide your horse through a series of circles, spins, and stops.

With the various types of horse riding styles, reining is on the top five list of the hardest competitions that you can try.

Although it is known as the western form of dressage riding, it is harder.

That is because aside from the patterns you need to follow, you and your horse should also be in tune with each other.

The judges can easily see through your ability and the elegance in performing the set of movements.

You should have the ability to guide or control the horse with little to no resistance.

The horse should follow you throughout the course.

Horse Polo

Polo is actually one of the oldest team sports in India. It was used to train cavalry units and known as “The Sport of Kings”.

There are two teams with four riders each. They need to compete to score goals within a one-and-a-half-hour to a two-hour game.

The game itself is also divided into seven-minute periods known as chukkas.

There is a four-minute rest time in between chukkas and a 10-minute half-time break.

The game is very intense, so it is very common for top players to change their horses every chukka.

Umpires are monitoring the game to make sure the players and horses are safe.

This game is very physical, so there are instances of accidents.

Since the players are holding their mallets to hit a goal successfully, the other players can also use their mallets to block or interfere with the other riders.

For safety purposes, the other riders are not allowed to cross the ball’s line or ride in front of the player to block them.

Horse Racing

It is a type of competition that many people already know, so it is the most popular among the different styles of horse riding.

Actually, it has turned into a betting game in many countries.

In this type of competition, the horses and the riders will run on flat land or over obstacles.

Flat racing is known as a test of the rider’s speed, stamina, and skill, which means the fastest duo will win the race.

Most of these races are run on grassy areas, but there are also synthetic or all-weather race tracks.

Take note that horse racing is very dangerous. It is almost the same as typical car racing.

Your life is on the line every time you enter the ring.

Equestrian Vaulting

Vaulting is like gymnastics while riding on a horse.

In Roman times, it was considered a sport, but it evolved into trick riding and circus bareback riding. Then, it became a competitive international sport.

Individuals or groups of three riders perform movements while horse riding.

The movements have to demonstrate power, brilliance, elegance, and beauty, showcasing your ability to be one with the horse.

The judges base the scores on difficulty, form, technique, balance, consideration of the horse, and security.

Cutting

Cutting is a very unusual competition in a way that you will be required to separate individual cows from the herd.

This is a type of sport that actually developed on the ranch, so you expect that the mechanics are related.

You will let your horse know which cow you should separate from the herd.

After that, the reins will drop, and your horse should take full control of the cow that you picked.

Your horse should be well-trained and athletic to make sure the cow will stay in the middle of the pen.

Barrel Racing

It is a type of rodeo sport where you and your horse need to navigate a total of three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern.

The duo with the fastest time will win the competition.

The barrels will be arranged in a triangle formation with one ahead and one to the left and right.

You and your horse should complete the pattern from left to right in the fastest time possible.

However, hitting or knocking the barrels while riding will result in penalties.

Team Chasing

This is a very interesting sport and perfect for those who love long-distance challenges.

It is a type of sport in which teams with four riders will compete.

They will need to go through a cross-country course of about two miles with more than 25 fences to jump.

If you look at this closely, it’s quite similar to a hunter trial, but everything is done in the countryside with natural obstacles.

The winner will be the team that would complete the whole course with the fastest time.

Endurance

This is one of the most challenging types of horseback riding that you can try.

It’s not just a test of skill and speed, but also a test on how long you can endure.

You need to have a strong mental capacity to finish the race.

Although it’s your horse who’ll do most of the job, the pressure and fatigue will get to you while you are riding.

This type of long-distance riding will cover around 100 miles in just one day.

That is pretty much the same as a marathon where the first horse and rider duo who will cross the finish line wins.

In this type of race, you need to exercise correct judgment and be aware of the terrain and the right speed to ensure your horse will not get tired before reaching the finish line.

Horse Riding FAQs

1. Is Western Riding Safer Than English Riding?

All the types of horse riding competitions are unsafe. The fact that you are riding a horse is already a risk.

Although horses are docile creatures, there is no guarantee that you can stay at their backs for a long time.

Accidents happen, so it doesn’t matter whether you are doing Western or English riding. Both types are actually risky.

You can try the different types of horseriding if you want, but you need to train hard to lessen the chances of an accident.

2. At What Age Should You Stop Riding a Horse?

Horses get old as well, which means that time will come when you can’t bring them out to compete.

As a standard, you should stop riding a horse between 17 and 25 years of age.

Still, there are instances when the horse would need to retire earlier. These conditions can include malnourishment, being overweight, or injuries.

Also, the age depends on the horse. Some horses can still go on at year 25, while others would be fragile already at year 15.

You need to remember that you should not force any horse to compete.

If you think that your horse is already sick or they are too old to continue, then train another horse for the competition.

3. What Is the Most Dangerous Type Of Horse Riding?

Among the different horseback riding competitions, horse racing is definitely the most dangerous.

You are riding at max speed, so any type of accident can be fatal.

Even if you have a lot of protective gear, you might end up dying if you fall off your horse.

Most riders end up crippled, so if you plan to challenge yourself and try horseback riding, you should try the other competitions, especially if you have no proper training.

Types of Horse Riding: Final Thoughts

Horseback riding is a fun and challenging sport. It is so diverse that you can even participate in competitions where you won’t be required to run fast or jump high.

Whatever your gender is, there is a competition that would definitely fit your preferences.

Take your time and do your research if you want to know the best type of horseback riding that you can try.