Equestrian Centers train Riders for Steeplechase Competition

One of the Olympic events that draw a crowd of sophisticated equestrian enthusiasts is the show jumping or steeplechase that tests the skills of the horse and rider as they run through a series of jumps and hazards while racing against the clock. A sport that has developed from the traditional fox hunts of bygone time there was once a place for gentlemen and ladies to race across the open countryside on horseback in pursuit of an elusive fox. The hunters were required to jump over streams and downed trees as well as moving through the forested areas of the countryside as they kept pace with the foxes that were being chased by hounds and horses. Although the conditions for hunting have changed the sport of the steeplechase is fascinating to watch and even more enjoyable for a rider that is up to the challenge of jumping a horse over gates that reach as high as 5 or 6 feet tall.
Trained at an equestrian center riders of all ages are able to participate in the sport of nobles and lords who continue the tradition of riding with an English saddle and caring for their horse and equipment in the same way that British landowners did for hundreds of years. Wearing a protective helmet and the riding uniform that consists of boots tight trousers and a blazer, riders today honor the heritage of the equestrian sports that have been carried on for generations. With the instruction of skilled trainers and staff who care for the animals that are owned privately riders are taught the proper respect for the sports that are tied to the estates of wealthy landowners who lived across the Atlantic and brought riding with them as they immigrated to the United States.

A far cry from the western riders that appear in rodeos and on cattle ranches the people that use an English saddle understand that there is a certain series of manners and protocol that needs to be followed as they are participating in their sport. Etiquette and grooming are as much a part of the competition during an equestrian event as the actual jumping portion of the program is. Following tradition riders that are training at an equestrian center are given instruction in every aspect of show jumping and steeplechase as they groom their animal and dress them self for competition that adheres to the strict standards of excellence that can be found in the thrill of riding a horse that has been trained to jump over and across any obstacle that appears in front of them.