Pole bending is a timed event that features a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

and one mounted rider, running a weaving or serpentine path around six poles arranged in a line. This event is usually seen in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

rodeos and 4-H events as well as

American Quarter Horse Association The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive eve ...

Paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

, and

Appaloosa The Appaloosa is an American horse breed best known for its colorful spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's colo ...

sanctioned shows as well as at many

gymkhana Gymkhana () ( ur, جِمخانہ, sd, جمخانه, hi, जिमख़ाना, as, জিমখানা, bn, জিমখানা) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to den ...

or O-Mok-See events.

Nez Perce Stake Race

The Nez Perce Stake Race is a type of pole bending race which is also a match race: two horses race on identical courses laid out side-by-side, with the loser eliminated and the winner moving up the brackets to race the other winners. It is not a timed event. It is one of five game classes approved for horse club shows by the

Appaloosa Horse Club The Appaloosa Horse Club, located in Moscow, Idaho, is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Appaloosa breed. The state of Idaho adopted the Appaloosa as its state horse in 1975. More than 630,000 Appaloosas have been registered with the Appal ...

(ApHC). The ApHC rules state that racing competition is traditional to the Nez Perce Native American people.ApHC rulebook, rule 730, and "History", p. 11
/ref> However, it is unclear if this particular competition is derived from any traditional competition.

References

External links

Pole Bending Event Information
From Pro Rodeo Online * National Pole Bending Association (2009). Retrieved from http://www.polebending.org. * Smith, Ken. (2009, July 15). Ken and Pat Smith, Sunrise West Quarter Horses, LLC. Retrieved from http://www.sunrisewest.com/help.html
National Little Britches Rodeo AssociationNational High School Rodeo Association
{{Rodeo Western-style riding Rodeo-affiliated events Mounted games de:Westernreiten#Pole Bending