OVERVIEW

Working equitation is a discipline intended to preserve and develop equestrian skills related to driving and sorting cattle. It is an equestrian discipline practiced in a large number of European countries as well as in Asia and South America. This very broad geographic scope should be a major development factor.

Working equitation has a number of different objectives;

1. a breeding promotion objective

helping to select and give value to the best suited horses for professional usage in the cattle working sector.

2. a cultural objective

passing on and promoting horse riding and training techniques used to drive and sort cattle;

3. an economic objective

promoting the sale of horses in France, Europe and the rest of the world by developing equestrian activities based on working equitation techniques and by encouraging the use of horses in society.

The common riding skills in the various countries concern areas such as:

1 Specific horse training techniques
2 Riding a horse with one hand and simultaneously using a specific cattle sorting tool (garocha, etc).
3 Interpreting and anticipating the herd's behavior in order to separate one or more of its members.

The cultural dimension of the discipline and the various countries in which this activity is practiced are expressed in terms of:

1 professional techniques passed down from generation to generation
2 horse breeds that are specifically bred for this job in the countries concerned
3 the use of tack and equipment that is a characteristic feature of the culture in the considered country
4 specific dress for each country
5 specific language when working the cattle.

The concern to preserve professional techniques and cultural practices has led to the creation of sports events intended to allow riders to compete on both sports and cultural terms and display the intrinsic qualities of their horses and the skills of their riders.

Over the past ten years, successive organizers of international meetings have carried out a considerable amount of abstraction relative to the reality of this practice in their country in order to gradually allow this discipline to be molded into a "sport".

The intrinsic qualities sought in the horses are:

1 Calmness
2 Balance
3 Impulsion
4 Submission
5 Boldness
6 An aptitude for working cattle

The skills sought in the riders are:

1 General ease
2 Coordination skills
3 Discretion in the use of aids
4 Handling of specific equipment
5 Perception of situations
6 Correct interpretation
7 Correct actions

The events making up these competitions are:

1 A dressage phase
2 Obstacle course phases
3 A cattle sorting phase