In sports and competitions involving horses both the rider and the horse are challenged to perform well and to work together as a team, creating a special bond between human and animal. Another unique feature of horse sports is the fact that men and women can compete together, which is rarely the case in sports.

One of the most popular spectator sports involving horses is horse racing. Horse racing has long been known as “the sport of kings.” There are several different types of horse racing, such as quarter horse racing, harness racing, steeplechasing, point-to-point racing, and the most popular, thoroughbred racing. Thoroughbred racing’s biggest events are the famous Triple Crown races and the Breeder’s Cup.
There are two basic types of racing: flat racing, over a track with no obstacles, and racing over jumps or hurdles. When horses compete, the competition is known as a meeting. Meetings have entrance qualifications, distances, and types of prizes that can vary greatly. The course on which horses race can be grass or dirt, oval-shaped or a more complicated pattern. Officials who supervise meetings are called stewards.

Horses must be of a certain age to participate in different types of races. In flat races, horses must be at least two-year-olds, for hurdles they must be three-year-olds, and for steeplechasing, they must be four-year-olds. Long races tend to favor older horses.

Show jumping is a horse sport practiced by many riding enthusiasts, and is also a popular spectator sport. The jumping competition tests the horse’s jumping ability and the rider’s skill over an obstacle course. Jumps may be gates, stone walls, brush, water jumps, or parallel poles, and there may be combinations of jumps together. The rider and the horse work together navigating the course and the obstacles. Certain “errors” are faulted, and depending on the
competition, the winner may be the competitor with the lowest number of faults, the fastest time, or the highest number of points.

Dressage is a competitive test of the horse’s ability. The rider takes his or her horse through “tests” in paces, halts, and changes of direction. Dressage events are held in indoor or outdoor arenas. In dressage competition only the horse’s execution of movements is scored, not the ability of the rider. Dressage, along with show jumping, is one of the Olympic equestrian events. Freestyle dressage, or musical dressage, is performed to music and is somewhat comparable to figure skating.

The competition known as three-day eventing is made up of three distinct competitions: dressage, endurance (which includes a steeplechase and a cross-country course), and show jumping. It is a three-day-event, just as its name indicates. A rider rides the same horse for all three days. The competition tests speed, endurance, obedience, and jumping ability.

One of the most popular breeds in Alabama and throughout the South for riding and for showing is the Tennessee Walking Horse. The Tennessee Walker has its origins in the 1880s when several equine bloodlines were mixed. It was developed as a plantation horse (and in years past was sometimes called a Plantation Walker) for the owners of plantations and large estates who had to be in the saddle for hours at a time overseeing their lands. The Tennessee Walker remains a favorite for riders who want a smooth, comfortable ride.

Although a Tennessee Walker can walk and canter, this horse is best known for its unique running walk. The characteristics that make it a smooth riding horse also make it an elegant horse to watch, which accounts for its popularity as a show horse. Tennessee Walkers are also known for their gentle dispositions.

Roy Rogers’ Trigger was a Tennessee Walking Horse. Gene
Autry, Darrell Waltrip, and Olivia Newton-John are other famous Tennessee Walking Horse owners.

For more information about Tennessee Walking Horse
shows and events, contact the Walking Horse Association of Alabama at 256-931-2686. There are a number of stables and farms in Alabama, including those in Joppa, Killen, Mobile, Phenix City, Ranburne, and Theodore that breed, sell, board, show, and train Tennessee Walkers.

Rodeos, popular both in the West and in the South, showcase the work of the cowboy and his horse. Rodeos generally feature saddle bronc riding, in which a rider rides a saddled, bucking horse for a minimum of eight seconds; bareback riding, in which the rider holds to a strap rather than a rein; bull riding; calf roping; and calf steering.

The rodeo sport barrel racing is often considered a woman’s sport. In barrel racing riders compete for the fastest time in running a triangle-shaped pattern around three barrels. Time begins and ends upon crossing a starting line. Success in
barrel racing depends on the timing and judgment of the
rider and the speed and agility of the horse. Many people say that barrel racing became popular as an event to keep wives, girlfriends, and daughters busy while men were involved in the rougher rodeo sports.

Not only do horse sports provide good physical exercise, recreation, and entertainment, they are also good for the state economically. A study conducted by Auburn University’s Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station in 1994 estimated that Alabama’s horse industry contributed $1.6 billion a year to the state’s economy. The same study found that in addition to racing—which is generally
sponsored more than 100 open shows a year and that rodeos attracted almost 400,000 people a year. Whether the cry you like to hear is “They’re off!” or “Yee-haw,” there’s a horse sport for you in Alabama.

Sources for sports information: The Random House Book of Horses and Horsemanship by Paula Rodenas and Rules of the Game: The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of All the Sports of the World by the Diagram Group Staff.