Table of ContentsToggleWhat is Working Equitation?The Three TrialsDressageEase of HandlingSpeedThe Ideal Horse for Working EquitationWho Can Ride It?Ready to Try Working Equitation?Many equestrian sports trace their origins to horses practical uses. The need for fast horses as transportation led to racing. Ranch work begat rodeo. The multipurpose training of cavalry mounts led to eventing. More recently, the diverse traditional duties of several old European breeds have given rise to a discipline thats garnering a lot of interest. Its called working equitation (WE)and if you think you and your horse would enjoy doing a bit of dressage, jumping, obstacle navigation, and maybe even cattle work all at one show, then read on, because this sport might be for you!What is Working Equitation?WE was developed in Europe in the mid-1990s as a fun pastime as well as a means of preserving the equestrian traditions in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France, where Iberian horses and other breeds served as hardy, nimble, brave mounts to work cattle. The horses ability to collect also made them natural choices for classical dressage.I describe [WE] as dressage with obstacles, or a trail course with dressage, says Taylor Lindsten, of Taylor Made Sport Horses in Scottsdale, Ariz. Primarily a dressage trainer, Lindsten is a newer WE enthusiastand her success proves that some horses can excel in both sports: A current mount, the Georgian Grande stallion Wallace G, not only notches wins in WE, but also competes at the FEI levels in dressage, earning the Intermediate I Open championship title at the 2023 U.S. Dressage Finals.As Lindsten explains, WE consists of three trials: dressage, ease of handling, and speed, typically ridden all in one day. An optional fourth element, the cattle trial, is mandatory in more advanced competition, and entails working with other horse/rider combinations as a team to cut a designated cow from the herd and move it to a holding pen.A cattle trial is required in more advanced competition, as Taylor Lindsten and Wallace G show here. Photo by Steed & Hound PhotographyThe Three TrialsDressageModeled after the U.S. Equestrian/U.S. Dressage Federations tests and competition structure, WE dressage is ridden in a small dressage arena measuring 2040 meters, the size often used for dressage tests in lower-level eventing (regulation size for dressage and upper-level eventing dressage tests is 2060 meters). The seven tests range in difficulty from Introductory (walk, trot, halt, and rein-back) to Masters (a test executed to music that includes canter work, pirouettes, extended gaits, and flying lead changesall ridden one-handed!). Tests are judged using the established 0-10 scale of marks.Ease of HandlingHorse and rider navigate an obstacle course that combines elements of several disciplines, including crossing a bridge, opening and closing a gate, hopping over a small jump, sidepassing over a pole, bending around poles or barrels, reining back through an L, and others. Elements and required gaits increase in number and difficulty through the levels, and judges want to see competitors negotiate the obstacles in a stylish and organized way, Lindsten says.Ease of Handling may include a small bridge, opening and closing a gate, backing in an L, sidepassing over a pole, and more. Photo by Steed & Hound PhotographySpeedThe clock is the only thing that matters on this final obstacle course. Like jumping faults, riders are penalized for such errors as going off course, refusals, or even switching the hand used to handle an obstacle. In a nod to the sports origins, WE obstacle courses require riders to spear a ring with a long poleshades of the garrocha that vaqueros use to maneuver cattle.In a nod to the sports origins, WE obstacle courses require riders to spear a ring with a long poleshades of the garrocha that vaqueros use to maneuver cattle. Photo courtesy Emily KempThe Ideal Horse for Working EquitationDressage basics underlie WE, but the sport develops a horse that is extremely versatile, says USA Working Equitation (USAWE) Professional Instructor, technical delegate, and L judge Emily Kemp, who operates Kemp Horsemanship in Newton, Wisc.A smaller, handier mount may have an advantage given the speed and agility requirementsKemp successfully showed a 14.2-hand Haflinger, which she calls an ideal sizebut all breeds are welcome. Even gaited horses may participate, substituting their gait for the trot. But a dressage background remains a competitive advantage because balance is huge, she says.The reverse may also hold true: As Lindsten discovered, WE can actually be a boon to dressage training. While teaching Wallace G the flying changes a few years ago, she found that he had a lot more interest in his work when we were working with the obstacles.She rode turns around barrels and poles to help teach him to bend and yield to her leg aids, and the obstacles provided a purpose in what I was asking him to do, and a purpose for the lead changes.Who Can Ride It?In WE, rider backgrounds are similarly varied. Kemps wheelhouses are natural horsemanship, cutting, and reining.Competitors may show in any disciplines tack and apparel: Kemp goes western, while Lindsten enters at A in full dressage garb. (Just dont mix and match, Lindsten says; ride in the apparel that your tack denotes.)English or western riders can compete, as long as your apparel matches your tack of choice. Shown is Ease of Handling phase, which can include a small jump. Photo courtesy Emily KempRiders with physical disabilities may apply for dispensations to compete using adaptive equipment or allowances, as well.Kemp says that most U.S. WE enthusiasts are adults, but USAWE is trying to grow youth participation by reaching out to Pony Club members and other youth-oriented groups. Currently especially popular in California and the Pacific Northwest, the sport is working to expand nationwide, she says.Ambitious competitors may strive to reach the sports international levels. The World Association of Working Equitation (wawe-workingequitation.com), the sports international federation, holds a World Championships every four years. The U.S. hopes to send a team in 2026and Lindsten, for one, hopes to be on it.Ready to Try Working Equitation?Want to learn more about WE? Both Lindsten and Kemp recommend starting out by watching shows or clinics in your area. Find a calendar of events, rules, dressage tests, and a directory of instructors and officials on the USAWEs website (usawe.org).Kemp enthuses about the great show environment at WE competitions. Besides the friendly people, WE has a way of leveling the playing field. You just keep competing until its done. The variety of skills required takes out that super-competitive edge found in some singular disciplines, Kemp adds, and the WE arena is one in which all breeds can compete as equals.This article about working equitation appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustratedmagazine.Click here to subscribe!The post An Overview of Working Equitation appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.