Association: FEI
First Played: 900 BC
Team Members: 1
Equipment: Saddle, whip
Area: Outdoors
Olympics Played: 1984
Description:
Equestrianism is simply the skill of riding a horse. Horsemanship is the art of using a horse in good condition, and this good condition is the skill of using the horse in the right place, calmly, on time, safely and with the most appropriate force for the job. The history of horsemanship dates back to ancient times. Today, while military riding is in decline, sport riding has gained importance. There are two main forms of horsemanship: English riding and Western riding. English riding is horsemanship done for sport purposes. Western riding is the horsemanship specific to cattle herders called cowboys in the Americas. Cowboys use heavy saddles with long stirrups and ride their horses with their legs straight. English horsemanship is based on an understanding that takes into account the safety of the rider, the rider's control of the horse and the comfort of the horse.
History:
It is known that 4 thousand years ago, the Turks in Central Asia used horses as mounts. The Scythians of Caucasian origin were the first to understand the importance of sitting firmly on a horse and the importance of stirrups. The Hittites went down in history as the oldest society that fought and hunted on horseback. Xenophon's book "Hippike" is the first book written on horsemanship. The first person to suggest that horses could be trained without using force with the methods we still use today was François Robichon de la Guérinière, author of the book "Ecolé de Cavalerie". The Turks were good horsemen in ancient times when they lived as nomads in Central Asia. It is known that the ancient Turks were masters of games played on horseback such as polo and javelin. However, with the transition to settled life and during the Ottoman period, horse riding lost its importance, especially in cities, and was limited to military purposes. With the establishment of the Sipahi Corps in 1913, importance began to be given to horse riding again. Especially during the republican period, horse riding became a sport that civilians also showed interest in. Turkish riders participated in international competitions for the first time in 1931 and Captain Cevat Mustafa came third in the individual ranking. The following year, Lieutenant Saim Polatkan came second with his horse "Kısmet" in the Nice competitions. Lieutenant Cevat Gürkan won the first gold medal in an international competition among Turkish riders in 1934 in the Vienna competitions. The first Turkish female rider to make a name for herself in international competitions was Hayal Gönenli, who won the silver medal in the Balkan Championship in 1971. In the following years, many Turkish riders won medals, especially in competitions held among Balkan countries.
Field Dimensions:
Competition Open Arena minimum 4000 m2 and above are silica sand textile mixed fields. Surrounded by barriers, there is a lighting and irrigation system. Competition Softening Open Arena minimum 1000 m2. Field ground must be silica sand textile mixed fields. Surrounded by barriers, there must be a lighting and irrigation system. Competition Closed Arena minimum 2450 m2 and above are sand textile mixed fields. Surrounded by toe boards, there must be a lighting and irrigation system.
