Horses are always defined for power and beauty and they had been a great companion for kings and leaders. Equestrian sports combine the beauty and power of the horse with the skillful manipulation of the course by the rider. The successful rider works in harmony with the horse to master the obstacles.
HISTORY OF EQUESTRIAN:
Though there is controversy over the exact date horses were first ridden, the best estimate is that horses first carried riders approximately 5000 years ago. Horse and horseback riding played important roles throughout history and all over the world.
HISTORY OF EQUESTRIAN IN OLYMPICS:
Equestrian is the only existing event at the gams that involves an animal. Not only that, but it is also the only Olympic sport where men and women compete together in the same event. Equestrians featured on the Olympics for the first time at the games of the II Olympiad in Paris in 1900 and were then withdrawn until the 1912 games in Stockholm. Since then, the sport has always been on the Olympics. Until 1948, Only men could compete in the events as the riders has to be officers. This restriction was lifted in 1951 and since the game of XV Olympiad in Helsinki in 1952, Women have competed with men in mixed events. They competed for first dressage, then gradually in the other equestrian events.
COMPETITIONS IN OLYMPICS:
- DRESSAGE: It is a type of competition that is focused on the core of all riding activities. To compete, the horse's mind and body are taught to react to different commands to perform maneuvers such as turns, walking, straight lines, stopping, and galloping. The goal of dressage training is to develop a horse's flexibility, responsiveness to aids, and balance. This makes the horse stronger and more pleasurable to ride.
- SHOW JUMPING: Show jumping is horseback riding where horses and riders compete to clear a set jumping course with the lowest amount of faults and the fastest time. If two riders are tied with no faults, then the amount of time it took them to complete the course will be the determining factor of who wins.
- EVENTING: Eventing is a combined training of dressage, Cross country jumping, and show jumping.
- CROSS-COUNTRY JUMPING: Cross country jumping is an event that involves the most crucial connection between the horse and rider. It also requires a high level of physical fitness and great efficiency training. In this, the rider and horse tackle a long course with jumps and other obstacles designed to stimulate riding at speed across the countryside.
FAMOUS RIDERS:
The highest-ranked equestrian at the Olympic games is German rider Isabell Werth who won 7 gold and 5 silver medals between 1992 and 2021. The second rank is taken by Reiner Klimke of Germany won 6 gold and 2 bronze between 1964 and 1988.
EQUESTRIAN OF INDIA:
India's first equestrian in the last two decades at the Olympics is Fouaad Mirza. At the age of 5, when most of the kids playing with horse toys, Mirza had a crush on horse riding and started to practice in his home and for a surprise, Riding has been in his blood for generations. His great grandfather has brought along an Arab horse with him when he set roots in India from Iran in 1824. This is how the great Equestrian is formed in India.
In 2018, Mirza won two silver medals at the Asian games for both individual and team events, He is also a recipient of the Arjuna award. He earned an Olympic quota in 2020 at the southeast Asia Oceania group.
CONCLUSION:
The important and most essential Quality that every equestrian should have is that they shouldn't force horses to do things and the pressure of winning the game shouldn't be given to horses. The Perfect coordination between the horse and rider is the most important thing to win the game.