When most people think of horseback riding, they typically have a picture of a cowboy riding his rugged horse down a dirt path herding cattle in the great mountains of Colorodo... but there's many different types of riding or "disciplines" as we horse folk like to call them. Here are some more popular disciplines with some short descriptions.
The different disciplines can be subdivided into two different categories: western or English. What's the main difference you ask? Well it's the type of saddle that the horse is ridden in. A western saddle is typically a larger saddle with a prominent horn and large skirts. An English saddle has no horn, no skirts, and a low cantle.
1. Western pleasure - the horse is ridden "on the rail" at varying gaits consisting of a walk, jog, and lope which are judged on the horse's cadence and collected manner. The horses are very smooth and must look like a "pleasure" to ride. The gaits are usually slow and very collected which requires extensive training and athletic ability to perform.
2. Barrel racing - a timed event which requires that the rider follow a clover leaf pattern around 3 barrels.
3. Team roping - also known as heading and healing is also a timed event which includes two riders and steer. The first rider (header) ropes the steer around the horns (or neck) and the second rider (heeler) ropes the steer's back leg or both legs.
5. Reining - the horse must complete a pattern which consists of circles, spins, sliding stops, and flying lead changes at a lope and gallop.
6. Cutting - a timed event where a rider must "cut" out a cow/steer out of a small herd of cattle and then the horse must use its "cow sense" to prevent the cow from returning back to the herd.
7. Team penning/ranch sorting - another timed event where a team of 3 riders must select and cut a certain number of cows from a small herd and corral them into a pen.
8. Trail - not a timed event, but the ability to complete a course that can range from simple to complicated. The horse is judged on its ability to complete the course with as little error as possible.
9. Halter/showmanship - although not a discipline where a horse is ridden, halter and showmanship are normally thought of as "western" events anyway. Halter is an in-hand class where a horse is judged on its conformation and movement. Showmanship is also an in-hand class where a horse/handler is judged on a pattern and the ability of the handler to control and handle the horse while performing the pattern.
