How to Ride a Horse

Horses & Horseback Riding

Over the past 45 to 55 million years, the horse has evolved from a small multi-toed creature into the modern day large, single-toed animal. Humans began domesticating horses around 4000 BC. By 2000 BC using domesticated horses had spread throughout all of Eurasia.. Although most modern day horses are domesticated, endangered populations of the Przewalski's Horse, the only remaining true wild horse, still exist. There is also a sizeable population of common feral horses, descendants of domesticated horses, that live in the wild.

Anatomically designed to escape predators, horses have a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight instinct. However, in the wild, this need to flee is rare as wild or feral horses are known to stand their ground and defend themselves or their offspring in cases where flight is not possible. Like cows, horses can sleep standing up or lying down. Mares, or female horses, carry their young for approximately 11 months. A young horse, or foal, can stand and run shortly after birth. Horses reach full adult development when they are approximately five years old, and have an average lifespan of about 25 to 30 years. Horses are not considered to be mature enough for endurance riding until they are five years old.

The following terminology is used to describe horses of various ages:

Foal: a horse of either sex less than one year old. Although foals can be weaned at four months, most are weaned between five to seven months. Nursing foals are called sucklings and foals that have been weaned are called weanlings.

• Yearling: a horse of either sex between one and two years old.
• Colt: a male horse younger than four years of age.
• Filly: a female horse younger than four years of age.
• Mare: a female horse older than four years of age.
• Stallion: a non-castrated male horse four years old and older.
• A ridgling or "rig": a male horse with one undescended testicle or is improperly castrated. If both testicles are undescended, the horse may appear to be a gelding, but will still behave like a stallion.
• Gelding: a castrated male horse.

Thoroughbred horse racing in the UK defines a colt as a male less than five years old, and a filly as a female less than five years old. However, in the USA, both thoroughbred racing and harness racing defines colts and fillies as four years old or younger. When domesticated horses are between two and four years of age, they begin training under saddle or in harness. However, horses specifically bred for sports such as dressage are generally not entered into competition until they are at least four years old, because their bones and muscles are not yet fully developed.
Today there are approximately 300 horse breeds, which are loosely divided into three categories:

• Hot bloods: characterized by their high spirits, speed and endurance;
• Cold bloods: commonly used as work horses such as draft horses and some ponies;
• Warmbloods: hybrid breeds created by mixing hot bloods and cold bloods, often bred for specific riding purposes.

Historically, horses were also used as integral pieces of equipment in warfare and primary modes of transportation prior to the introduction and widespread use of the automobile – the horseless carriage. But the car hasn’t put the brakes on the bond between horses and humans. Horses and humans continue to interact in sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits, but horses are also useful in working activities, such as police work, farming, entertainment and therapy for individuals with physical impairments and disabilities.