HORSES WITHIN THE HUMAN ECONOMY : SPORT

Around the world, horses play a role within human economies. Horses can be used for leisure activities, sports, and working purposes.

In wealthier First World industrialized economies, horses are primarily used in recreational pursuits and competitive sports, though they also have practical uses in police work, cattle ranching, search and rescue, and other duties where terrain or conditions preclude use of motorized vehicles.

Horses are trained to be ridden or driven in many different sporting events and competitions, examples include :

• Horse shows
• Gymkhana and O-Mok-See
• Rodeos
• Endurance riding
• Fox hunting
• Olympic-level events such as : Combined driving, Dressage, Show jumping

Although scoring varies by event, most emphasize the horse's speed, maneuverability, obedience and / or precision. Sometimes the equitation, the style and ability of the rider, is also considered.

Examples of these sports of partnership between human and animal also include :

Jousting
Reenacting the skills used by medieval knights, where the main goal is for one rider to dismount the other.

Buzkashi
A team game played throughout central asia, the aim being to capture a goat carcass while on horseback.

Polo and horseball
This sport do not judge the horse itself, but rather use the horse as a partner for human competitors as a necessary part of the game. Although the horse assists this process and requires specialized training to do so, the details of its performance are not judged, only the result of the rider's actions be it getting a ball through a goal or some other achievement.

Horse racing

The most widely known use of horses for sport. There are three types : 

• Flat racing
• Steeplechasing ( racing over jumps )
• Harness racing ( where horses trot or pace while pulling a driver in a small, light cart known as a sulky )

Most race horses in the developed world are Thoroughbreds, a breed which can reach speeds up to 40 mph / 70 km/h. In the case of a specialized sprinting breed, the American Quarter Horse, speeds over 50 mph have been clocked. In harness racing, performed by Standardbred horses, speeds over 30 mph have been measured. A major part of the economic importance of horse racing, as for many sports, lies in the gambling associated with it. 

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