Equine Unit 1

Event Branches

Western and English

Western Branches

Performance and Gaming

English Branches

Dressage, Flatwork, and Jumping

In-Hand

Halter and Showmanship

Halter

Based on conformation of the horse

Showmanship

Based on the exhibitor

Typically pattern performing

Fox Hunting

Hunters pursue a chase by the most direct route possible

Equitation

Judges the rider’s position while mounted and the ability to ride correctly with effective aids

Hunt seat or saddle seat version

Horsemanship

Having correct knowledge about horses to properly care for them. Body position of the rider.

Western equivalent to hunt seat or saddle seat equitation

Trail

Negotiate up to 8 obstacles to test technical coordination and sensitivity of horse

Western Riding

Incorporates elements of both reining and trail

Set course with a pattern with expectations of western pleasure quiet manner

Hunter Under Saddle (HUS)

Functional correctness, traveling with long, ground covering strides.

No pattern, flat

Hunter Over Fences (Working Hunter)

Judging on horse not rider

Even pace, correctness, safety, fluid movement and jumping style

Stadium Jumping

Larger, more difficult jumps

Timed event - not judged on horse or rider

Dressage

Horse Ballet

Perform memorized series of predetermined movements

Continual training of the horse to increase level of difficulty

Eventing (combined training or horse trails)

Originated as Calvary test

1 or 3 day events - dressage, cross country, show jumping

Racing

Sport of the kings

Flat Racing

Turf or dirt tracks

Stakes, handicap, allowance, claiming, maiden, derby, or futurity

Maiden

Horses have not won a race

Harness Racing

At a trot pulling a sulky cart

Restricted to Standardbreds in North America

Trotter

Legs move forward in diagonal pairs

Pacer

Legs move forward laterally

Steeplechase

Race to prove speed, endurance, and jumping ability

Primarily limited to thoroughbreds

Polo

Originally a training game for Calvary units

4 players/team

Series of Chukkers

Argentine Polo Ponies - cloned horses

Horseball

Combination of polo, rugby, and basketball

Teams of 4

Use a special piece of tack keeping riders on the horse

Endurance Riding

50-100 mile long race

Must pass checkpoints with lower heart rates and respiratory rates with adequate water intake

Vaulting

Combination of gymnastics and dance on horseback

Western Pleasure

Relaxed relatively slow speed

Horse appears to be a “pleasure” to ride

Cadence

Footfall pattern

Judging Pyramid base

On Pattern

Judging Pyramid 2nd tier

Correctness

Judging Pyramid 3rd tier

Quality

Judging Pyramid top tier

Degree of Difficulty

Reining

Run a precise, specific pattern of only 9

A-general behavior

A-General

Willingly guided - dictated to be completed

Don’t want the horse to memorize; direction the whole time

Team Penning

Three horse and rider pairs

2 minutes to pen 3 designated cattle

Ranch Sorting

Two horse and rider pairs

Move 10 cows from one pen to another in order

Time limit - 60, 75, or 90 seconds

Working Cow Horse (Reined Cow Horse)

Horse judged on accuracy, timing, and responsiveness

Reining pattern, herd work, fence work

Arabian and Quarter Horse

Cutting

Drive a single cow from herd and keep separated

Horse not guided by rider

Biggest economic impacts

Cutting and racing

PRCA

Calf roping, team roping, steer wrestling, bareback and saddle bronc riding

Rodeo

Barrel racing and pole bending

5 second time penalty

Pleasure Driving

Similar to hunter

Presentation, manners, safety, movement

Ground covering strides

Park gait

Slow

Road gait

Fast

Combined Driving

Dressage, marathon, and cones

Most similar to eventing

Single, pair, or team of 4

Draft Horse Cart/Hitch

Separated by breed

Includes halter and driving classes

Zoological Classification

Equidae family

Equus genus

Caballas species

Order of Evolution

Eohippus, Mesohippus, Miohippus, Merychippus, Pliohippus, Equus

Eohippus

4 toes on forehand, 3 on hind

Cat size - adapted for living in swamps

Mesohippus

3 toes on front and back - one longer

Low crowned teeth for grazing

Dog sized

Merychippus

3 toed with center bearing all weight

Shetland pony sized

High crowned teeth and hard for prairie grazing

Pliohippus

First 1 toed horse

Pony sized

High crowned teeth and hard - well adapted to prairie and grazing

Equus

Large single hoof with side toes reduced to splint bones

Modern horse

Historical Uses

Horse power - ore from mines, trees to saw mill

Transportation - road building, wagons

Agriculture - plowing, planting, etc.

Military - Calvary, chariots

Communications - pony express prior to telegraph line

2023 Economic Value

$177 Billion

2023 Employment Impact

2.2 million jobs

2023 Horse Population

6.65 million

2023 Salary, Wages, and Benefits

$122 billion

Property Ownership

62% of horse owners

12.5 million acres

1915 Horse Population

28 million

#1 Horse State

Texas

#2 Horse State

California

#3 Horse State

Florida

Breed

Distinguishable characteristics

Registered

Purebred

Top Side Pedigree

Sire

Bottom Side Pedigree

Dam

Hot-blood

Thoroughbred, Arabian

Athletic ~ high-strung

Warm-blood

Combo or hot and cold breeding

Larger framed

European term

Cold-blood

Original horses of Europe

100% = draft breeds

Height

Color Breeds

Palomino - yellow coat, white mane

Buckskin - dorsal stripe

Appaloosa - blanket, frost, leopard

Brindle

2 complete sets of DNA

Paint

Stock type pedigree and coloring

One breed parent

Can only cross with QH or Thoroughbred

Pinto

Any type of breeding

Stock, saddle, hunter, and draft types

Overo

Like a painting, small splotches of white

Tobiano

Large sections of white, not splotchy

Tovero

When overo or tobiano aren’t distinct. Mix of both

Light horse

14.2 - 17.2 hands

900 - 1400 lbs

Stock, saddle, hunter

Draft Horse

14.2 - 17.2 hands

1400 lb or >

Stock Type

Western performance

Shorter, stockier, stout

Saddle Type

Gaited for fun or pleasure riding

Hunter Type

Huntseat and jumping

Taller, longer legs for sport

Arabian

Stamina and beauty

Dished face, arching neck, short flat croup, high tail set

Long, lean muscle

Foundation breed

Tennessee Walking Horse

Running walk, built uphill

Flat across back, more coarse head

Used on plantations

Saddlebred

High knee, tail, and head

Ridden saddleseat and involves Morgan bloodlines

Morgan

Tremendous trotting ability

Famous stallion, “Figure”

Quarter Horse

Don’t want excessive white

Stocky build, compact body with expressive muscling

More angulation through hip

Standardbred

Cross between TB and Morgan

Trotting/pacing and harness racing

Thoroughbred

Speed, racing ability, hunter/jumper

Foundation breed

Paso Fino

Gaited - smooth 4 beat gait

Cross of Barb and Andalusian

Paso corto 10ft board without spilling drink

Andalusian

White or light gray

Beauty and intelligence

Belgian

Sorrel with minimal white

Radar - 2006 Guinness record for talked horse (born in IA)

Clydesdale

White legs and face

Feathers

Budweiser advertising and parades

Percheron

Black or gray

Used for pulling

Friesian

Lightest draft breed

Black and popular in dressage

Used in war as cart horses

Ponies

< 14.2 hands

500 - 900 lb

Coal mining history

Shetland

Less than 11 hands

Best known - good for children and cart

Shaggy appearance

Welsh

Sturdy

4 types in one registry

Pony of the Americas

Smaller version of Appaloosa

Versatility, good temperament, youth horse

Icelandic Horse

Tolt - very smooth trot gait

Hardy