WHAT IS HORSEBACK RIDING? By: Tatum Shearer

OLYMPICS Have you ever heard of the Olympics? The Olympics is a challenge between top athletes from different countries. The Olympics happen every four years and many sports are included. One of my favorite is, Equestrianism. Horseback Riding made it’s summer Olympics debut at the 1900 summer Olympics in Paris, France. It somehow disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every summer Olympics since. The current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping.

EQUIPMENT Horseback Riding includes a lot of equipment for the horse and the rider. The rider needs: Helmet (Most important thing),Riding Gloves, Breeches, Riding boots and chaps, Crop, and lastly a safety vest for High jumping. Horse: Halter, Bridles, Lead rope, Saddle pad, Saddle, horse boots and wraps. There are many more things but these stuff are included for riding.

HORSE MOVES Now, Horses have a lot of tricks and moves but since there are too many, I am not going to list all of them. Here we go. Walking Trotting Posting Trot Canter Gallop Horses can also do a rear in where a horse will go on it’s two hind legs and stand up with or without a rider on.

My favorite Olympian rider is Georgina Leigh Bloomberg, Mayor Bloomberg’s daughter. She was born on January 20th 1983, in New York City. She is currently 30 years old. Georgina suffered a small concussion and fractured a vertebra during a horse show accident in November Several days later after the accident, she was eager to continue the dangerous sport. Georgina attended Spence School and New York University.

ESSAY Horseback Riding is a free sport, a dangerous sport, and also an expensive sport. Horseback Riding is a free sport, not meaning money but just the freedom of jumping and galloping. Also, the freedom of going to the barn everyday, tacking up your horse to go on a quiet and calm trail ride. And just being on a hunter team with all your friends and doing competitions together with your beautiful horses. Horseback Riding is a dangerous sport, because as I said, Georgina Bloomberg had a large fall in a horse show in November From my experience, I fell off 2 times and the second time was when I got a fractured wrist, but I still love the animals, I still ride even though I made 2 big falls. As you can see, You may fall off but if you really love the sport, you’ll really want to get back on, well, after you have recovered from your fall. Horseback Riding is an expensive sport, because the equipment is at least 50 dollars for more than 2 products. I don’t have much to prove that horseback riding is expensive but from my personal experience, it costs a lot. If you ride than you obviously will see how much the equipment costs. In conclusion, If you haven’t ridden before and is just scared of the horse, please try at least once, you may even like it.