Equine agility or horse agility is a sport similar to

dog agility Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. The handler ...

but using horses. Horses are asked to navigate an obstacle course with guidance from a human handler on the ground. At lower levels, the horse may be guided with a

lead rope A lead, lead line, lead rope (US) or head collar rope (UK), is used to lead an animal such as a horse. Usually, it is attached to a halter. The lead may be integral to the halter or, more often, separate. When separate, it is attached to t ...

but at higher levels the horse works without a lead and in some cases, without a

halter A halter or headcollar is headgear that is used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears (behind the poll), and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope is attached. On smalle ...

. There also are competition levels where horses compete in the "wild" — outside of an enclosed arena, and competitions where horses are not judged live but rather via

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...

sent in by their handlers. Any equine of any size may compete in agility, including

miniature horse A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such hor ...

s, donkeys, mules and

draft horse A draft horse (US), draught horse (UK) or dray horse (from the Old English ''dragan'' meaning "to draw or haul"; compare Dutch ''dragen'' and German ''tragen'' meaning "to carry" and Danish ''drage'' meaning "to draw" or "to fare"), less oft ...

s. In live competition, handlers are required to wear an equestrian helmet and cannot use whips or sticks. The horse is only allowed, at most, to wear a halter, lead rope and may wear leg protection such as splint boots. The lead rope must be loose and the handler cannot pull on it but must remain within a designated position with their horse. Competition usually consists of a course of eight or more obstacles. Examples of obstacles may include tunnels, jumps, a

seesaw A seesaw (also known as a teeter-totter or teeterboard) is a long, narrow board supported by a single pivot point, most commonly located at the midpoint between both ends; as one end goes up, the other goes down. These are most commonly found a ...

, passing through a curtain, weaving between poles or cones, passing through or over poles, branches, gates, hoops, water, or tarps; entering a trailer; rolling a ball, backing between two poles, stepping onto an object, standing still, carrying a light load, crossing a bridge, navigating a small maze or

labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by t ...

, crossing over an A-frame, and so on. Courses are often timed, particularly at higher levels.

See also

References

Further reading