Pet Topics

Riding horses will always be part of history. It has been around, in a way, since medieval times. Since then it has become a refined sporting activity. Riding horses will give you a few different paths. There is Rodeo style riding, that calls for barrel racing saddles. In addition, there is jumping and horse shows, for which you have to haveshow saddles. Different saddles are needed since there are such different types of movements required for each style riding.
Rodeo riding is the more rigorous of the two types. This generally includes barrel races. In barrel races, the rider and horse have to maneuver through a slalomed course of barrels. This takes place inside a Rodeo pen. You can also enter competitions for bull and cattle herding. This is not as popular as barrel races and is much more dangerous. The rider has to control the bull or herd of cattle and try to rope them in, or herd them into a pen. If rodeo riding doesn’t seem like your style but you love riding, I would suggest show riding.
Show riding is lower impact and much more refined than barrel racing. It is a genre that can include very high class individuals and everyone else. These events include courses of jumps and obstacles. The biggest difference between this and barrel racing is the location. They usually are held in nice, green, show arenas. It is a big contrast to the dirty, rustic rodeo pens. Also, the horse’s appearance will be judged and scored. The riders have to groom and prepare their horses for this before hand. There is a separate section all on the horse’s stance, appearance, and obedience. If the horse gets very low marks here, it often cannot be made up for even with a perfect ride.
There are a couple reasons that different saddles are used for the two types of riding. First of all, they are very different environments. Rodeo is rough, and dirty where as show arenas are clean and well-kept. The quality of material the two are made of differs because of this. Another reason for this is because of the abuse that rodeo saddles get in comparison to show saddles. Rodeo saddles get ridden harder and need to be stronger than saddles for shows. In barrel racing, the rider uses the stirrups a lot for the turns so the stirrups on these saddles are also different. Therefore, before purchasing a saddle,make sure to know the difference between rodeo and show.
From fighting in battles to the pony express to pulling carts across the country, people have always been riding horses. In the past hundred years, riding horses has turned into a competitive sport. There are lots of different stages for jumping, racing and managing horses. The most popular types of riding are Rodeo and general Show riding. Rodeo often included barrel slaloms and herding where as is show riding, there are jumps, obstacles and presentation scores. Each style of riding calls for different equipment, especially saddles, because of the change in terrains and activity level. Riding horses is a timeless treasure that will only grow from here.