Australian Stock Horse - Equine Sports

Sports

The Australian Stock Horse will excel at all equestrian sports including: Campdrafting, Polocrosse, Polo, Working, Led, Ridden classes, Showjumping, Hacking, Pony Club, Dressage, Sporting, Eventing, Endurance and Riding for the Disabled.

The Australian Stock Horse truly is...
The Breed for Every Need

CAMPDRAFTING

Campdrafting provides the perfect arena for registered Australian Stock Horses to showcase their stamina, strength and intelligence. Possibly the world’s most versatile horse, Australian Stock Horses are renowned for their quiet temperament, athletic ability, resilience and endurance. The sport of campdrafting requires a horse with good cattle sense and athletic ability.

The achievements and outstanding performance of Australian Stock Horses in campdrafting are recognised by a number of Awards in the sport.

POLOCROSSE

Polocrosse is a game played by six players on horseback. The sport was evolved by Mr. and Mrs. Hirst at Ingleburn, New South Wales in 1939. Polocrosse, actually, has ideas that were used from other sports:

Netball - the idea that players can only enter certain parts of the playing area.
La Crosse - the player carries a racquet with a net and one of the objectives is to pick up a sponge rubber ball and throw it from team member to team member.
Polo - riding a horse and the idea of "line of the ball".

Of course as well as borrowing ideas from these games Polocrosse has many ideas of its own; bouncing a ball on horseback, one section (3) of players on the field, while one section is off. Mix it all together and you have one of the fastest, most skilful games on earth and even more importantly, a game that is affordable by anyone who owns a horse.

Very Basically - The Rules
The field is divided into three sections. The centre section is 91.5m x 55m. All players play in this area and this is where the ball is thrown in between players to recommence play after a goal is scored. The ends are 27.5m x 55m and only the No 1 (goal scorer) and opposing No 3 (defence) may enter that area. The ball must be bounced or thrown across the line (penalty line). The team consists of six players, divided into two sections of three who play alternate chukkas. This allows one section's horses to be having a spell while the other section keeps the game going. The positions are No 1 or attack, No 2 or centre, No 3 or defence. The players' positions are shown by numbers worn by players on their backs.

Equipment Required
If you own a horse and ride, probably the only extra gear you will need is a racquet, bandages and bell boots, as the horse, saddle, bridle and safety helmet you probably already have. This is why Polocrosse is such an easy game for most people to get started in.
Getting Started
Most areas in Australia have Polocrosse clubs and this is where you will be able to practice and join a team. If you are unsure of your nearest club contact the Australian Polocrosse Association.

The Breed for Every Need
Being fast, agile, flexible and eager to learn, the Australian Stock Horse is the ideal horse for the game. However, the idea is to start with the horse you already have and as you advance as a player you then may think about upgrading your horse. A good Polocrosse horse is fast, but also needs to be able to check and change direction quickly. A horse which responds readily and enjoys the challenge of an activity that requires them to work against other horses is desirable. A good temperament added to this makes an ideal mount.
It's easy to see why the Australian Stock Horse fits the bill. Polocrosse is an International sport played in approximately sixteen countries worldwide. International visitors play on a regular basis and these visits usually include a Test Series.
The Nationals in Australia are conducted every two years in different States and Carnivals are held at local venues during the playing season in the various States.

DRESSAGE

Dressage is a French word which roughly translates as "training". Dressage is the basic training of all riding horses. Showjumpers, Show Hacks and Pleasure horses will all benefit from dressage training - dressage training creates a horse which is more comfortable, safe and pleasurable to ride.

Competitive Dressage
Competitive dressage takes the form of a series of tests of ever increasing difficulty. Each test is a rigorous routine of set gymnastic movements which are performed with absolute exactness in front of judges. The sequence of movements is designed to show the suppleness, obedience and strength of the horse.

Australian National Tests are ridden from Preliminary to Advanced Level. The International Tests, issued by the FEI are executed at five levels, from Prix St Georges through to Grand Prix Special. A Freestyle to Music has recently been added to the Dressage repertoire. In Freestyle tests, riders perform their own pattern of movements choreographed from a list of compulsory elements suitable for each level.

Horses
Horses for official competition must exceed 14.2hh, be three years of age or over, registered with the EFA and have a current performance card. There are no restrictions on breeds.

Riders
Official dressage requires a rider to be fourteen years plus and a member of the EFA. Dressage riders come in all shapes and sizes and male and female riders compete on equal terms.

Judging
Judged subjectively, dressage relies on a body of judges positioned at designated points around the dressage arena. Whilst accuracy is important, the quality of the movement and the adherence to the classical principles also govern the mark awarded out of ten. The judge is judging the performance of the horse, however the effectiveness of the rider is recorded at the conclusion of the test.

A score of 60% is considered to be a good score, often a winning mark. At World Championship and Olympic level, scores of 75% plus are now being recorded.

Freestyle to Music Competitions are judged on Technical and Artistic presentation. A winning freestyle test must not only be technically sound, but offer great expression with visual excitement - this is when the craft of dressage becomes an art.

Object and General Principles
* The object of dressage is the harmonious development of the physique and ability of the horse. As a result it makes the horse calm, supple, loose and flexible, but also confident, attentive and keen, thus achieving perfect understanding with the rider.

* These qualities are revealed by the freedom and regularity of paces; the harmony, lightness and ease of the movements; the lightness of the forehand and the engagement of the hind quarters, originating in a lively impulsion; the acceptance of the bridle, with submissiveness throughout and without any tenseness or resistance.

* The horse thus gives the impression of doing what is required of its own accord. Confident and attentive, the horse submits generously to the control of the rider, remaining absolutely straight in any movement on a straight line and bending accordingly when moving on curved lines.

* The walk is regular, free and unconstrained. The trot is free, supple, regular, sustained and active. The canter is untied, light and cadenced. The quarters are never inactive or sluggish. They respond to the slightest indication of the rider and thereby give life and spirit to all the rest of the body.

* By virtue of a lively impulsion and the suppleness of the joints, free from the paralyzing effects of resistance, the horse obeys willingly and without hesitation and responds to the various aids calmly and with precision, displaying a natural and harmonious balance both physically and mentally.

* In all the work, even at the halt, the horse must be on the bit. A horse is said to be on the bit when the neck is more or less raised and arched according to the stage of training and extension or collection of the pace, and the horse accepts the bridle with a light and soft contact and submissiveness throughout. The head should remain in a steady position and as a rule, slightly in front of the vertical, with a supple poll as the highest point of the neck, and no resistance should be offered to the rider.Cadence is the result of the proper harmony that a horse shows when it moves with well marked regularity, impulsion and balance. The rhythm that a horse maintains in all the paces is an integral part of the cadence. Cadence must be maintained in all the different exercises and in the variations of the pace.

(This is Indra Little Boss by Glen Lee Rivoli Hawk.)

POLO

Endurance Riding

Below is the picture of Mindari Aenzac, an Australian Stock Horse. The article recounting his amazing win in January of 2004 is reprinted below.

Heeding the advice of the President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan made a winning return to endurance after a long gap. Sheikh Hazza scored a brilliant win on 12-year-old grey gelding Mindari Aenzac to finish on top in the 120-km second round of the US$ 1.5 million Triple Crown Series here at the Dubai Endurance City in Seih Assalam and said it was the words of the President which encouraged him to participate.

Sheikh Hazza, who was drenched in water during the victory celebrations by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, after the former crossed the finish line to complete a remarkable comeback win in a small but strong field of 24 riders.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Information and Culture and many other sheikhs were on hand to greet the winners after attending the Bodyweight ride which started at 6.15 in the morning.

In fact, Sheikh Hazza and Sheikh Mohammed were all set for a thrilling finish with just the final loop of 14 kms left to cover with less then two minutes separating the two. But unfortunately for Sheikh Mohammed, his horse Rabdaan was found lame at the vet check just before he was to take off and he was eliminated.
Sheikh Hazza then went off and completed the final stage to win convincingly in a timing of 5 hours 38 mins and 28 seconds with an average speed of 21.27.

Sheikh Hazza, who was 11th at the end of the second stage gathered pace in the third to finish first and thereafter maintained it to push Majid Khalfan Al Jahouri on Al Manda Special Edition to second and the young Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum on Shakira to third place. "His Highness Sheikh Zayed was the one who advised and encouraged me to take part and I owe this win to him. I was a bit nervous as I was riding in a competition after a long time but today I also received immense encouragement from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum," Sheikh Hazza said after his win. Only nine of the 24 riders completed the 5-stage ride with Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum now emerging as the leader after the two rounds. (The Gulf News)

Hazza dazzles on return
posted on 23/01/2004