By Patricia Smith

Hoofbeats Correspondent

Dressage sounds like massage and comes from a French word meaning to train. Its fundamental purpose is to ­develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse’s natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse.

Eventing is an equestrian event which combines cross-country and show-­jumping. This event has its roots as a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding. It has two main formats, the one-day event and the three-day event.

The dressage phase (held first) comprises an exact sequence of movements ridden in an enclosed arena. The next phase, cross-country, requires both horse and rider to be in excellent shape and to be brave and trusting of each other.

The third phase, show jumping, tests the technical jumping skills of the horse and rider, including suppleness, obedience, fitness and athleticism.

In a Combined Driving Event (CDE), horses and drivers compete in three phases: dressage, marathon and cones. It is based on the Olympic sport called Eventing, but with a carriage behind the horse.

The first day of a Combined Driving Event is dressage. The second day of a Combined Driving Event is the marathon and the third day of a Combined Driving Event is the cones competition.

Pleasure Carriage Driving Competitions allow a driver (or whip) to showcase his or her fine driving skills, traditional carriage and show horse(s) or ponies in a ring. With several classes to choose from, they may be judged on the drivers’ abilities, horses’ way of going, or the properness of the entire turnout. 

Hunter and Jumper refers to two equestrian disciplines or styles of riding where horses are ridden English style and jump over a series of obstacles, also called fences or jumps. A series of fences is called a “course.” The two terms “hunter” and “jumper” are often used together because today’s horse shows offer classes in both disciplines to accommodate competitors.

Hunters show over simplified courses meant to mimic traditional hunt field obstacles and the judging is subjective. In general, judges are looking for horses that are well-mannered, athletic and attractive to ride safely and smoothly over the fences.

Jumpers ride over technically difficult courses that tend to twist and turn. The judging is objective and mathematical based on whether the horse knocks down a fence, stops at a fence or does not complete the course in a certain time limit. All of those mistakes incur “faults” or penalties. The horse with the fewest faults and the fastest time taken to complete the course wins the competition. The horses’ style of jumping is not judged.

Fox hunting is a type of hunting in which trained hounds pursue a quarry animal, traditionally the red fox, gray fox and, most recently, coyote. The quarry animal is followed by human hunters who are on horses.

The hunt generally consists of a pack of scent hounds, such as a foxhound, which will attempt to find a fox in wooded areas, called coverts (pronounced “covers”), while under the control of a hunting team consisting of a master of fox hounds and his staff, such as a huntsman and “whippers-in,” who are in direct control of the hounds.

Polocrosse is a team sport that is played all over the world. It is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played outside, on a field on horseback. Each rider uses a bamboo stick on which is attached a racquet head with a loose, thread net, in which the ball is carried. The ball is made of sponge rubber and is approximately 4 inches across. The objective is to score goals by throwing the ball between your goal posts.

Sport Horse Versatility is a new equestrian sport being introduced at the 2008 Pinehurst Dressage shows. There are two phases to the sport. One is a dressage test and the other tests the usefulness of the movements in dressage in an obstacle course.

The eight or nine obstacles on the course include functional tasks such as opening and closing a gate, crossing a bridge, negotiating a water obstacle, stopping at a precise point and putting on a coat while mounted.

Standardbreds train at the historic Pinehurst Harness Track from October to May. 

Standardbreds race in sulkies, also known as racebikes. These are lightweight, two-wheeled carts that are attached an either side of the harness, and the driver sits close behind the horse.

Standardbred racing is contested on two gaits, the trot and the pace. Trotters move with a diagonal gait; the left front and right rear legs move in unison, as do the right front and left rear

Pacers, on the other hand, move the legs on one side of their body in tandem: left front and rear, and right front and rear. This action shows why pacers are often called “side-wheelers.”

Steeplechase: A race for thoroughbred horses over jumps. The concept is the same as flat racing, except the race includes fences to jump. 

Steeplechasing includes all the thrills and speed of horse racing at flat tracks. It mixes in the precision of jumping to create a hybrid not unlike hurdle events in track and field where the premium is on speed, but the concern is focused squarely on the jumps. The races are between two and four miles in length.

The Stoneybrook Steeplechase is held in the spring at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford.