Equine agility or horse agility is a sport similar to dog agility but using horses. Horses are asked to navigate an obstacle course with guidance from a human handler on the ground. At lower levels, the horse may be guided with a lead rope but at higher levels the horse works without a lead and in some cases, without a halter.[1] There also are competition levels where horses compete in the "wild" — outside of an enclosed arena, and competitions where horses are not judged live but rather via video sent in by their handlers.[2] Any equine of any size may compete in agility, including miniature horses, donkeys, mules and draft horses.[3]
In live competition, handlers are required to wear an equestrian helmet and cannot use whips or sticks. The horse is only allowed, at most, to wear a halter, lead rope and may wear leg protection such as brushing boots. The lead rope must be loose and the handler cannot pull on it but must remain within a designated position with their horse.[4] Competition usually consists of a course of eight or more obstacles. Examples of obstacles may include tunnels, jumps, a seesaw, passing through a curtain, weaving between poles or cones, passing through or over poles, branches, gates, hoops, water, or tarps; entering a trailer; rolling a ball, backing between two poles, stepping onto an object, standing still, carrying a light load, crossing a bridge, navigating a small maze or labyrinth, crossing over an A-frame, and so on.[1] Courses are often timed, particularly at higher levels.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "The Competition - Federation of International Horse Agility Clubs". Fihac.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ^ "Horse Agility World Champion Hawkwell Versuvius | Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary". Eventing Nation. 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ^ "FAQ's | Agility For Horses - USA". Agility For Horses. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ^ "Competitive Horse Agility | The International Horse Agility Club". Thehorseagilityclub.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
Further reading
edit- http://agilitynet.co.uk/features/horseagility_vanessabee.html
- http://www.fihac.com/the-competition.html
- http://www.fihac.com/membership--affiliation.html
- http://www.fihac.com/rules--regulations.html
- http://www.fihac.com
- http://www.ponymag.com/article/view/id/813#.U0644caTxzQ Archived 2011-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.thehorseagilityclub.com
- http://www.agilityforhorses.com/about/ Archived 2014-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.agilityforhorses.com Archived 2014-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
- http://efl.net.au/horse-agility.html Archived 2014-03-21 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.equineagility.com
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