Dressage

When you see a rider riding a dressage test, you will notice that you can barely see the rider giving the aids . Dressage is an event and competition in English riding category. There are two "types" of  dressage one is riding a planned test, which every competitor rides the same test and another one is dressage to music. Dressage to music can be solo, double or quadruple.
      You can go to youtube and search "hip hop dressage" (freestyle to music) and Prix St Georges.


source from(http://www.dressagedirect.com/ec_hagen_2005)
The basic gaits are walk, trot and canter. (There is no gallop in dressage)
But there are much more complicated. There are two degrees in collection. One of them are collection and collection plus.
Trot: extended, collected, medium
Walk: extended, collected, medium and walk on long rein
Canter: extended, collected
Here are some advanced movements.
Passage, piroutte, half pass and much more.
There is also classical dressage but only lipazzaner stallions can master.Its called "airs above ground" Lipizzaner a born black and when they grow their coats will turn white which we call gray horses.
Here is a lipazzaner stallion performing a courbette.


These moves are not for performing in the times when there's war, it's for defence and attack for knights riding on horses.

Show Jumping

    Show jumping is the most popular equestrian event out of all events in the FEI. Show jumping is also included in eventing . In a show jumping competition , the rider and the horse have to jump over obstacles by a certain route. It is very exciting to watch a show jumping competition, the rider and horse competing against time over the course.

image from( http://klharms.blogspot.sg/2011/10/sport-of-show-jumping.htl)
And below, here are some common fences you will see in a showjumping competition like oxers, vertical, triple bars, combination and much more.

image from( http://klharms.blogspot.sg/2011/10/sport-of-show-jumping.htl)



How do you score a Show Jump round?
If a horse knocks down or refuses a fence, it is called a ‘fault’. These faults are added up at the end of the round, and any time penalties added to give the pairing a score for that round.

• Knocking down an obstacle: 4 penalties
• First Disobedience (refusal, run-out, circle, stepping backwards): 4 penalties
• Second disobedience: 8 penalties
  Third disobedience; Elimination
• First Fall of rider: 8 penalties
  Second Fall of rider: Elimination
  More than 24 jumping penalties: Compulsory Retirement
• Fall of horse: Elimination
• Exceeding the time allowed: 1 penalty per second
• Jumping an obstacle in the wrong order: Elimination
• Error of course not rectified: Elimination

A show jump is classed as being knocked down if any part of it has had its height lowered. It is possible therefore to knock out a pole below the top rail and receive no penalties.

Show jumping is included in the Olympics too.

 image from(http://surrey.greatbritishlife.co.uk/editorial-image/id/94820/?back=/article/eventer-pippa-funnell-on-hacking-in-the-surrey-hills-and-her-olympic-dreams-26530/)

This picture above features one of  the most famous event rider in the world. She is Pippa Funnell ,the first and only person so far to win eventing Grandslam.