By Julie Alonzo,
WE United President Elect
www.weunited.us
22 / Sport and Trail Magazine
M
any people are first introduced to working equitation through online videos of the master horseman from Portugal, Pedro Torres, and his magnificent Lusitano stallion Oxidado. The pair, featured on this month’s cover, have earned their popularity honestly, through the beauty of their partnership and the absolute poetry of their dance together (search YouTube for “Pedro Torres Working Equitation” if you’ve never seen this pair in action, and you’ll be mesmerized!). Pedro’s love for Oxidado, a horse who was on the path to euthanasia because of his challenging personality before Pedro agreed to take him on and his respect for what the horse has taught him help set the tone for the sport worldwide. rs, and my feet ache from all the standing I’ve done over the past two days, a bit different than my weekday routine comprised mainly of computer work. What I’m feeling more than anything else, however, is the deep sense of contentment that comes from seeing first hand the improvements in the partnerships the sport fosters between horses and their riders.
Working Equitation
Versatility of the Sport
their popularity honestly, through the beauty of their partnership and the absolute poetry of their dance together (search YouTube for “Pedro Torres Working Equitation” if you’ve never seen this pair in action, and you’ll be mesmerized!). Pedro’s love for Oxidado, a horse who was on the path to euthanasia because of his challenging personality before Pedro agreed to take him on and his respect for what the horse has taught him help set the tone for the sport worldwide.
Working equitation is truly a partnership between horse and rider, and one in which respect for what the horse brings to the relationship plays a critical role.
Here in North America, the rules outline a clear progression in skill and challenge as one moves from the most basic Introductory level, completed entirely at walk and trot, to the most challenging Masters level, in which horse and rider perform the equivalent of FEI-level dressage (multiple flying changes in close proximity; canter pirouettes; extended, medium, and collected gaits; reinback; and half pass), as well as working obstacles at speed and sorting cattle, all with only one hand on the reins!
Erin Mathews and Paint horse Cheyenne Quest showing great form as they spear the ring
Photo by Diana Inch
Working equitation is truly a partnership between horse and rider, and one in which respect for what the horse brings to the relationship plays a critical role.
Here in North America, the rules outline a clear progression in skill and challenge as one moves from the most basic Introductory level, completed entirely at walk and trot, to the most challenging Masters level, in which horse and rider perform the equivalent of FEI-level dressage (multiple flying changes in close proximity; canter pirouettes; extended, medium, and collected gaits; reinback; and half pass), as well as working obstacles at speed and sorting cattle, all with only one hand on the reins!
In between, the sport provides carefully scaffolded building blocks, riders and their horses progress in their performance over time. This opportunity for scaffolded, supportive learning is one of the things that makes the sport so popular, but it’s not that alone.
Many riders are also drawn to the utility of the sport and the variety they encounter at working equitation competitions. That variety can take the form of different show environments – from the most classically groomed indoor coliseums with extravagantly creative obstacles (check out the photos from the Andalusian World Cup for a taste of some of the fanciest) to outdoor settings where the weather offers its own level of challenge (as a “working” discipline, competitions can be held outdoors on turf or arenas where springtime squalls can turn the entire course into a giant water obstacle).