Golf

Many things that displace golf courses range from neighborhoods to shopping malls. However, mares produce a much lower yield of milk than do cows. Many golf courses have been displaced by urban planning practices. They may let it ferment to produce kumys. In New Zealand it is not uncommon for rural courses to have greens fenced off and sheep graze the fairways. Mare's milk is used by peoples with large horse-herds, such as the Mongols. You carry a small piece of astroturf from which you tee. It is also commonly found in commercially produced pet food.

In Coober Pedy, Australia, there is a famous golf course that consists of nine holes dug into mounds of sand, diesel and oil and not a blade of grass or a tree to be seen. Although consumption by humans is considered abhorrent by some people in the United Kingdom, the US and Australia, it is eaten in many other parts of the world and is an export industry in the USA. However, in some cities such as Dhahran, modern, grass golf courses have been built recently. Horse meat has been used as food for animals and humans throughout the ages. In Saudi Arabia, golf courses have been constructed on nothing more than oil-covered sand. See: Horse (Zodiac). Resisting golf tourism and golf's expansion has become an objective of some land-reform movements, especially in the Philippines and Indonesia. According to Chinese folklore, each animal is associated with certain personality traits, and those born in the year of the horse are: intelligent, independent and free-spirited.

Although golf is a relatively minor issue compared to other land-ethics questions, it has symbolic importance as it is a game normally associated with the wealthier Westernized population, and the culture of colonization and globalization of non-native land ethics. The horse features in the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. In some parts of the world, attempts to build courses and resorts have led to significant protests along with vandalism and violence by both sides. However, several other explanations are equally plausible. Many Western countries have instituted significant environmental restrictions on where and how courses can be built. The common European practice and tradition of saddling and mounting the horse from the lefthand side is often said to originate from the need to avoid inadvertantly striking the horse with a carried sword in the process. Golf courses are built on many different types of land, including sandy areas along coasts, abandoned farms, strip mines and quarries, deserts and forests. "Heavy" or draft horses such as Clydesdale, Draft, Percherons, and Shire horses weigh up to 2800lbs (about 907kg).

(Sources include the National Golf Foundation and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America [GCSAA].). Light horses such as Arabians, Morgans, Quarter Horses, Paints and Thoroughbreds weigh up to 1300lbs (about 590kg). While most modern 18-hole golf courses occupy as much as 60 ha (150 acres) of land, the average course has 30 ha (75 acres) of maintained turf. Both groups agree that 'genuine abuse' should be ended within the industry. At the same time, water restrictions placed by many communities have forced many courses to limit the amount of maintained turf grass. Horse professionals that understand equine psychology and care claim they know what is best for horses than rights activists that live horseless lives and are easily influenced by propaganda. This has led to a ten percent increase in the amount of area that is required for golf courses today. Animal living conditions vary, but many rodeo stock live on open ranches when not working on the weekend.

In a concern for safety, modern golf course architects have had to lengthen and widen their design envelope. Sports like rodeo and racing are closely monitored by veterinarians to prevent and treat injuries if they occur. A major result of modern equipment is that today's players can hit the ball much further than previously. Most horse owners that compete in sports, however, does not force-breed, kill unprofitable horses, or have poor living conditions for their horses. While many people continue to oppose golf courses for environmental reasons, there are others who feel that they are beneficial for the community and the environment as they provide corridors for migrating animals and sanctuaries for birds and other wildlife. They also cite psychological harm, poor living conditions, forced-breeding, and the killing of unprofitable horses as forms of abuse. The turf on golf courses is an excellent filter for water and has been used in many communities to cleanse grey water. Activists claim rodeos turn a blind eye to minor injuries which do not impair performance.

This has led to reductions in the amount of chemicals and water used on courses. Rodeos claim that an injured horse is less profitable than a healthy horse. The modern golf course superintendent is well trained in the uses of these practices and grasses. This brings a dilemma; If a horse gets an injury while competing, is this immoral? If a horse slips in its pasture while playing, is this ok?. These, along with health and cost concerns, have led to significant research into more environmentally sound practices and turf grasses. All sports are dangerous, but then one observing horses in nature can see more terrible injuries occurring than occur in sports. Specific concerns include the amount of water and chemical pesticides and fertilizers used for maintenance, as well as the destruction of wetlands and other environmentally important areas during construction. Such extreme viewpoints are rare, however, and many people are more reasonable and worried that sports may cause injuries to horse atheltes, just as they do for human athletes.

Environmental concerns over the use of land for golf courses have grown over the past 30 years. Animal rights activists have the general viewpoint that all animal ownership is wrong, and thus using horses for riding and sports is also wrong, but these events are 'softer targets' than trail riding or 'refined' sports like dressage. In 2003 Annika Sörenstam was the first woman after fifty years who started at a men's PGA Tour. One problem is a disagreement about terms like abuse. Only the last of these is also recognised by the Ladies European Tour. Both sides provide contradictory evidence. Like the PGA TOUR, the LPGA currently has four majors:. Rodeo and racing professionals do have a strong case against radical claims.

The LPGA's list of majors has changed several times over the years, with the last change in 2001. It is difficult for average people (or even experts) to differentiate between normal equine abilities and actual abuse. Women's golf does not have a globally agreed set of majors. Horse racing and rodeo are more easily targeted because of their extensive use of animals in sport. These are the four that Bobby Jones won in 1930 to become the only player ever to have earned a Grand Slam. Most animal rights groups such as the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which advocate against animal ownership, target wilder horse "sports", with claims of cruelty. Amateur, the Open Championship, and the British Amateur. Competitions exist in the following forms:.

Open, the U.S. Riders can choose any color, and optionally accoutrements such as chaps, bolo ties, belt buckles, and (shiny) spurs. Prior to the advent of the PGA Championship and The Masters, the four Majors were the U.S. The riders must wear cowboy boots, jeans, a shirt with long sleeves, and a cowboy hat. This feat has been frequently called the Tiger Slam. But show -- in the form of outfit (and silver ornaments on saddle and tack) -- forms part of Western riding. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship; and the 2001 Masters. In dressage all riders wear the same to prevent distraction from the riding itself.

Woods also came closest to winning all four current majors in one season (known as a Grand Slam) when he won them consecutively across two seasons: the 2000 U.S. The outfit of the competition Western rider differs from that of the dressage or 'English' rider. Tiger Woods, who may be the only golfer likely to challenge Nicklaus's record, has won ten majors, all before the age of thirty. Technically, fewer differences between 'English' and Western riding exist than most people think. Amateurs are included. The cowboy's boots, which have high heels of an uncommon shape, also feature a specific design to prevent the cowboy's foot from slipping through the stirrup. Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time, largely because he has won a record 18 professional majors, or 20 majors in total if his two U.S. The Western saddle has a very much more substantial frame (traditionally made of wood) to absorb the shock of roping, a prominent pommel surmounted by a horn (a big knob for snubbing the lasso after roping an animal), and, frequently, tapaderos ("taps") covering the front of the stirrups to prevent the cowboy's foot from slipping through the stirrup in an accident and resulting in a frightened horse dragging him behind it.

The number of major championships a player accumulates in his career has a very large impact on his stature in the game. These multiple work needs mean that cowboys require different tack, most notably a curb bit (usually with longer bars than an English equitation curb or pelham bit would have) which works by leverage, long split reins (the ends of which can serve as an impromptu quirt) and a special kind of saddle. Open and PGA Championship are played at various courses around the United States, while The Open Championship is played at various courses in the UK. Working with half-wild cattle, frequently in terrain where one cannot see what lurks behind the next bush, means the ever-present very great danger of becoming unseated in an accident miles from home and friends. The U.S. For roping calves, the horse learns to pull back against the calf, which falls to the ground, while the cowboy dismounts and ties the calf's feet together so that he can be brand it, treat it for disease, and so on. The Masters has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia since its inception in 1934. Once the cowboy has twirled the lariat and thrown its loop over a cow's head, he must snub the rope to the horn of his saddle.

The fields for these events include the top several dozen golfers from all over the world. That means that horses must learn to neck rein, that is, to respond to light pressure of the slack rein against the horse's neck. In current (2005) chronological order they are:. The cowboy must control the horse with one hand and use the lariat with the other hand. The major championships are the four most prestigious men's tournaments of the year. A main differentiating factor comes from the need of the cowboy to rope cattle with a lariat (or lasso). The most prestigious of these is the U.S-based LPGA Tour. Western riding evolved stylistically from traditions brought to the Americas by the Spanish, and its skills stem from the working needs of the cowboy in the American West.

There are five principal tours for women, each based in a different country or continent. Dressage, jumping and cross-country offer forms of what Americans refer to as 'English riding' (although the United States has a strong following of riders in those disciplines). There are several senior tours for men 50 and older, the best known of which is the U.S.-based Champions Tour. The three following count as Olympic disciplines:. Golf is unique in having lucrative competition for older players.
. The Japan Tour is the 3rd biggest Tour overall, it has the best sponsors besides the PGA Tour. In France they also race under saddle.

In 2005, China started a China Tour. Standardbred trotters and pacers race in harness with a sulky or racing bike. The Sunshine is being played in South Africa, Asian Tour is associating with The European Tour to host European Tour level tournaments in Asia. It occurs most commonly in the United Kingdom. There are several other men's tours around the world. Steeplechasing involves racing on a track where the horses also jump over obstacles. Some top professionals from outside North America play enough tournaments to maintain membership on both the PGA TOUR and European Tour. Quarter Horses traditionally raced for a quarter mile, hence the name.

The PGA European Tour, which attracts a substantial number of top golfers from outside North America, ranks only slightly below the PGA TOUR in worldwide prestige. Thoroughbreds have a pre-eminent reputation as a racing breed, but Arabians, Quarter Horses, and Appaloosas also race on the flat in the United States. PGA TOUR wins can mean endorsement deals, automatically provide the winner a minimum two-year exemption to play in other tournaments, and supply the prestige earned by beating the best of the best. In harness:. This is due mostly to the fact that most PGA TOUR events have a first prize of at least USD 800,000. Under saddle:. The most widely known tour is the PGA TOUR (officially rendered in all caps), which attracts the best golfers from all the other men's tours. Today, several categories of racing exist:.

Gaining membership of an elite tour is highly competitive, and most professional golfers never achieve it. Humans have always had a desire to know which horse (or horses) could move the fastest, horse-racing has ancient roots. Typically a tour has "members" who are entitled to compete in all of its events, and also invites non-members to compete in some of them. The list of horse breeds provides a partial alphabetical list of breeds of horse extant today, plus a discussion of rare breeds' conservation. There are at least twenty professional golf tours, each run by a PGA or an independent tour organisation, which is responsible for arranging events, finding sponsors, and regulating the tour. They show more excitability, and often more dominance; and the longer you ride them, the more excited they become, instead of merely getting tired (although any breed of horse can succumb to fatigue). A small elite of professional golfers are "tournament pros" who compete full time on international "tours". True hotbloods usually offer greater riding challenges than other horses, especially the coldblood.

The majority of professional golfers work as club or teaching professionals, and only compete in local competitions. The term "warmbloods" covers everything else, but the term also specifically refers to the European breeds, such as the Hanoverian, that have dominated dressage and show jumping since the 1950s. Golf is played professionally in many different countries. The slow, heavy draft horses class as "coldbloods", as they usually possess a quite calm temperament. Read more at [10]. The Thoroughbred is also included in the "hotblood" category. South Korea is notably strong in women's golf. The Arabian horses, whether originating on the Arabian peninsula or from the European studs (breeding establishments) of the 18th and 19th centuries, gained the title of "hotbloods", for their fiery temperaments.

The number of countries with high-class professionals continues to increase steadily, especially in East Asia. Some other breed registries allow artificial insemination, embryo transfer, or both. Since around the 1970s, Japan and various Western European countries have produced leading players on a regular basis. A foal born of two Thoroughbred parents, but by means of artificial insemination, is barred from the Thoroughbred studbook. Other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and South Africa are also traditional powers in the game. For example, all Thoroughbred registries require that a registered Thoroughbred be a product of a natural mating. The professional game was initially dominated by British golfers, but since World War I, America has produced the greatest quantity of leading professionals. Breed registries also differ as to their acceptance or rejection of breeding technology.

For example the first golf course in the People's Republic of China only opened in the mid-1980s, but by 2005 there were 200 courses in that country. Still other breeds, such as most of the warmblood sporthorses, require individual judging of an individual animal's quality before registration or breeding approval. Apart from Sweden all of these are countries where English is the main language, but the number of courses in new golfing territories is increasing rapidly. Other breeds tolerate limited infusions from other breeds—the modern Appaloosa for instance must have at least one Appaloosa parent but may also have a Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, or Arabian parent and must also exhibit spotted coloration to gain full registration. [9] The countries with most golf courses in relation to population, starting with the best endowed were: Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Wales, United States, Sweden, and England (countries with less than 500,000 people were excluded). Some breeds have closed studbooks; a registered Thoroughbred, Arabian, or Quarter Horse must have two registered parents of the same breed, and no other criteria for registration apply. In 2005 Golf Digest calculated that there were nearly 32,000 golf courses in the world, approximately half of them in the United States. The modern landscape of breed designation presents a complicated picture.

Also, green fees at some of the more picturesque and prestigious courses can be quite sizeable. During the late middle ages the Carthusian monks of southern Spain, themselves forbidden to ride, bred horses which nobles throughout Europe prized; the lineage survives to this day in the Andalusian horse or caballo de pura raza español. In order to be outfitted with the latest equipment (including rather expensive clothing, shoes and gloves) one can end up spending quite a sum. The Arabs had a reputation for breeding their prize mares to only the most worthy stallions, and kept extensive pedigrees of their "asil" (purebred) horses. This being said the social status of better (and usually more expensive) equipment cannot be overlooked. The idea of a "purebred" animal gained importance in Europe during the 19th century but selective breeding has occurred almost everywhere man has kept horses. It is also probably fair to say that the snobbish attitude of many golf club patrons (and particularly members) cannot be denied. See: Domestication of the horse.

Films such as Caddyshack perpetuate this belief. Finally, certain geneticists have started evaluating the DNA and mitochondrial DNA to construct family trees. But the perception of golf as a game for the wealthy elite and country clubs as a haven for corrupt businessmen is common among many. A second school -- the "Single Foundation" -- holds only one breed of horse underwent domestication, and it diverged in form after domestication through human selective breeding (or in the case of feral horses, through ecological pressures). In fact, most regions of the United States feature public courses which strive to be affordable for the average golfer. One school, which we can call the "Four Foundations", suggests that the modern horse evolved from two types of early domesticated pony and two types of early domesticated horse; the differences between these types account for the differences in type of the modern breeds. Golf is not inherently an expensive activity; the cost of an average round of golf is USD $36 [8], and the game is regularly enjoyed by over 26 million Americans and many more world-wide. These schools grew up reasoning from the type of dentition and from the horses' outward appearance.

For this reason, the successful conduct of business golf (which extends beyond merely knowing the game) is considered a useful business skill; various schools, including prestigious universities such as Stanford University, have started both undergraduate and graduate-level courses that teach "business golf." The PGA of America, an organization separate from the PGA Tour, helps to sponsor these programs at universities nationwide. Several schools of thought exist to explain how this range of size and shape came about. It is often said, in fact, that board meetings merely confirm decisions that are actually made on the golf course. The Patagonian Fallabella, usually considered the smallest horse in the world, compares in size to a German Shepherd Dog. In the United States, golf is the unofficial game of the business world. The draft breeds can top 20 hands (80 inches, 2 metres) while the smallest miniature horses can stand as low as 5.2 hands (22 inches, 0.56 metres). Chris was born on the 12th of October 1988, in North Wales. Horses come in various sizes and shapes.

Many believe he will be the next Tiger Woods and is aiming to reach the Ryder Cup team by 2010, which will be held in Celtic Manor. Another that has numerous photographs of various colors and markings is Equine color. He now holds the longest drive record at Holywell Golf Club with a giant drive of 432 Yards on the 10th Hole. Another good resource for horse color is: Horse color, markings, and genetics. He made his first big impact on the 15th of May 2005 in the Flintshire Boys Championship held at Pennant Park. For horse color and marking genetics see Equine coat color genetics. Since 2004 Chris Cummins has made an impact in the golfing world. Elsewhere:.

In the 1970s the use of metal to replace wood heads began, and shafts made of graphite composite materials were introduced in the 1980s. On the legs:. Also in the 1930s the wooden golf tee was invented. On the face:. The major changes in equipment since the 19th century have been better mowers, especially for the greens, better golf ball designs, using rubber and man-made materials since about 1900, and the introduction of the metal shaft beginning in the 1930s. In fact, one will often refer to a horse in the field by his or her coat color rather than by breed or by gender. Evidence has shown that golf was played on Musselburgh Links in 1672 although Mary Queen of Scots reputedly played there in 1567. Horses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive markings, and a specialized vocabulary has evolved to describe them.

The oldest playing golf course in the world is The Old Links at Musselburgh. Horses older than colts and fillies become known as horses and mares respectively. The number was thereby reduced from 11 to nine, so that a complete round of the links comprised 18 holes. Thoroughbred racing defines a colt as a male horse less than five years old and a filly as a female horse less than five years old; harness racing defines colts and fillies as less than four years old. In 1764, several of the holes were deemed too short, and were therefore combined. In horse racing the definitions of colt, filly, mare, and horse differ from those given above. One played the holes out, turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes. You can view an entire equine dictionary at: The Horse Dictionary.

The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property. For details, see Horse gaits. Andrews established a customary route through the undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography. Some horses, called Gaited Horses, have gaits other than the most common four above. As early as the 15th century, golfers at St.
Other gaits. Andrews occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea. Although a race track is an enclosed area, it is designed for a horse to gallop around, without being too enclosed which may cause the horse to slip while turning.

The links at St. However, one would not gallop a horse during training in a ring or enclosed area, due to the fact that the horse may slip in attempting to gallop in such an area. According to the USGA however, this is incorrect. The gallop is usually used in races or fox hunting. It is an urban legend that golf courses contain 18 holes because that was the number of shots it took to polish off a fifth of scotch. To get a horse into gallop, the rider must alter their position so they are slightly more forward in the saddle, then they should allow the horse to head and gently kick the horse's sides. It has been hypothesized that golf is actually an acronym for gentlemen only; ladies forbidden, but this is believed to be an urban legend. Horses that usually are galloped in a straight line need to be caused to alternate leads so that they do not suffer a muscular imbalance and subsequent difficulty making turns in one direction or the other.

The term golf is believed to have originated from a Germanic word for "club". In turning at a very rapid rate, it is even more important that the horse use the appropriate lead, leading with the left leg if making a left turn, and the right leg if making a right turn, since the faster the turn the more the horse needs to lean into the turn. Primatively, the action of using a stick with a boxed attachment to hit stones close to a marked target, similar to that of bocce, originated in Italy. The gallop also involves having a leading leg. They point out that a game of putting a small ball in a hole in the ground using golf clubs was played in 17th-century Netherlands. The gallop is another "four beat" gait which follows a similar progression to the canter, except the two paired legs land separately, the hind leg landing slightly before the foreleg. Some scholars, however, suggest that this refers to another game which is much akin to shinty or hurling, or to modern field hockey.
The gallop.

Golf was usually regarded as a Scottish invention, as the game was mentioned in two 15th-century laws prohibiting the playing of the game of "gowf". The canter is not a natural gait, but a restrained form of a gallop. [4] [5] [6] [7]. Also called "lope" when riding in a Western show class. Hongling suggested golf may have been exported to Europe and then Scotland by Mongolian travellers in the late Middle Ages. To get a horse to canter from gallop, one must alter the position of the body slightly back in the saddle, then you must place the outside leg behind the girth to allow the horse to canter on the correct leg, and apply pressure on the reins. There were further descriptions of clubs being inlaid with jade and gold, suggesting golf was for the wealthy. To get a horse to canter on the correct leg from trot, one must go into sitting trot, place their outside leg slightly behind the girth and squeeze with the inside leg.

The archive also includes references to a Nan Tang Dynasty magistrate who asked his daughter to make "holes" for him to play, and describes his "tee" as being jewel-encrusted. In making a fairly tight turn, the inside leg (the one nearest to the center of the turn) should lead, as this prevents the horse from "falling in". It was played with 10 clubs including a cuanbang, pubang, and shaobang, which are comparable to a driver, two-wood, and three-wood. In the arena, the horse should canter on the inside lead. Archives called the Dongzuan Records from the Song Dynasty describe a game called chuiwan and also include drawings. When cantering in a straight line, it does not usually matter which foreleg (or leading leg) goes first, but both leads should receive equal practice time, as otherwise the horse may become "one-sided" or develop a reluctance to canter on a specific lead. Ling Hongling of Lanzhou University suggests that golf may have originated in China at least 500 years before it was first mentioned in Scotland. the rhythm should be 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc.

It was reported in January 2006 that recent evidence unearthed by Prof. A cantering horse will first stride off with the outside hind leg, then the inside hind and outside fore together, then the inside front leg, and finally a period of suspension in which all four legs are off the ground. See also Timeline of golf history 1353-1850, Timeline of golf history 1851-1945, and Timeline of golf history 1945-1999.. A canter is a "three beat" gait in which a foreleg and opposite hindleg strike the ground together, and the other two legs strike separately. Scores are recorded on a score card during the round.
The canter/lope. To fix it completely, the golfer must execute this proccess several times. There are two types of trot a rider can perform; these are called posting trot, in which the rider stands up slightly in the saddle each time the animal's outside front leg goes forward, and sitting trot, in which the rider sits in the saddle and matches the horse's movement.

(A ball mark in this case is a depression in the green where the golf ball hit it.) To fix a ball mark, you push the tool under the mark, and lift upwards gently. A rider on a walking horse initiates a trot by reducing tautness on the reins and applying more leg pressure. This allows the golfer to fix a ball mark on the green. In this gait, each leg bears weight separately, making it ideal to check for lameness or for stiffness in the joints. Another tool that is commonly used is called the ball mark repair tool. A trot is a "two beat" diagonal gait in which a foreleg and opposite hindleg (often called "diagonals") touch the ground at the same time. When on the green, the ball may be picked up to be cleaned or if it is in the way of an opponent's putting line; its position must then be marked using a ball marker (usually a flat, round piece of plastic or a coin).
The trot/jog.

A tee is pushed into the ground to rest a ball on top of for an easier shot; however, this is only allowed for the first stroke (tee shot or drive) of each hole. To initiate a walk when a horse is trotting, the rider gently applies pressure on the reins. Tees resemble nails with a flattened head and are usually made of wood or plastic. A rider on a trained horse gently squeezes the sides of the animal and releases the pressure on its reins in order to initiate a walk from a stationary position. They also often wear gloves that help grip the club. The walking horse will lift first a hind leg, then the foreleg on the same side, then the remaining hind leg, then the foreleg on the same side. Golfers wear special shoes with exchangeable spikes (or little, plastic claws termed soft spikes) attached to the soles. A walk is a "four-beat" lateral gait in which a horse must have three feet on the ground and only one foot in the air at any time.

Clubs and other equipment are carried in golf bags.
The walk. Sometimes transport is by special golf carts. All horses move naturally with four basic gaits; these are referred to as the walk, the trot, the canter/lope ("canter" in English riding, "lope" in Western), and the gallop. Harder materials, such as Surlyn, usually result in the ball's traveling longer distances, while softer covers, such as Balata, tend to generate higher spin and greater stopping potential. Breeders of miniature horses favor that name because they strive to reproduce horse-like attributes in a much smaller animal, even though their horses undeniably descend from ponies. The method of construction and materials used greatly affect the ball's playing characteristics such as distance, trajectory, spin and feel. Several small breeds are referred to as "horses" or "ponies" interchangeably, including the Icelandic, Fjord, and Caspian types.

The surface usually has a pattern of 300-400 dimples designed to improve the ball's aerodynamics. Many people consider the Shetland pony as the archetypal pony, as its proportions are so different from those of horses. Modern golf balls have a two, three, or four layer design constructed from various synthetic materials. However, a distinct set of characteristic pony traits, developed in northwest Europe and further evolved in the British Isles, make it less clear whether it is more appropriate to use the word "pony" to describe a size or a type. The minimum allowed width of a golf ball is 42.67mm and its mass may not be greater than 45.93g. Thus normal variations can mean that a horse stallion and horse mare can become the parents of an adult pony. Putters are mostly played on the green, but can also be useful when playing from bunkers or for some approach shots. Below the threshold an animal is a pony, while above the threshold it is a horse.

Wedges are played from difficult ground such as sand or the rough and for approach shots to the green. The threshold is 14.2 hh (1.47 m) for an adult. Hybrids are also used by players who have a difficult time getting the ball airborne with long irons. Usually, size alone marks the difference between horses and ponies. A "hybrid" is often used for long shots from difficult rough. By convention, 15.2 hh means 15 hands, 2 inches (1.57 m) in height. A new type of wood known as a "hybrid" combines the straight-hitting characteristics of irons with the easy-to-hit-in-the-air characteristics of higher-lofted woods. Perhaps because of extensive selective breeding, modern adult horses vary widely in size, ranging from miniature horses measuring 5 hands (0.5 m) to draft animals measuring 19 hands (1.8 m) or more.

Woods are played for long shots from the tee or fairway, and occasionally rough, while irons are for precision shots from fairways as well as from the rough. Horse height is measured at the highest point of an animal's withers. Wedges are irons used to play shorter shots. One hand is defined in British law as 101.6 mm, a figure derived from the previous measure of 4 Imperial inches. There are three major types of clubs, known as woods, irons, and putters. The English-speaking world measures the height of horses in hands. A player usually carries several clubs during the game (but no more than fourteen, the limit defined by the rules). Because horses and humans have lived and worked together for thousands of years, an extensive specialized vocabulary has arisen to describe virtually every horse behavioral and anatomical characteristic with a high degree of precision.

However, it is difficult to control the amount of sidespin, and many poor shots result from uncontrolled or excessive spin that makes the ball curve sharply. For instance, if the majority of the herd wants to stop and eat, the whole herd follows suit and stops. Sidespin makes the ball curve to the left or right, a hook or slice respectively for a right-handed player; this effect can be made use of to steer it around obstacles or towards the safe side of a difficult fairway. Recently, researchers have observed that a form of "majority rule" appears to exist among horses. Sidespin occurs when the clubface is not aligned perpendicularly to the plane of swing. An alpha mare dictates the direction in which a family herd travels, while the stallion brings up the rear, "herding" his family. A ball with little backspin will usually roll out for a considerable distance while a ball with much backspin may not roll at all or in some cases even roll backwards. A stallion is not usually successful in acquiring his own mares from other stallions until he reaches 7 or 8 years of age.

The amount of backspin also influences the behavior of a ball when it hits the ground. Once young males reach breeding age and begin to attempt to breed with mares or to challenge the herd stallion, the stallion drives them out of the herd to form "bachelor bands" with other young stallions. A spinning ball deforms the flow of air around it [3] and thereby acts similar to an aeroplane wing; a back-spinning ball therefore experiences an upward force which makes it fly higher and longer than a ball without spin would. These normally consist of a mature stallion, his harem of about one to ten mares, and the mares' offspring. Backspin is imparted in almost every shot due to the golf club's loft (i.e., angle between the clubface and a vertical plane). Horses live in family groups in primarily grassland habitats. A golf ball acquires spin when it is hit. Even domesticated horses startle easily and must, for the safety of riders, undergo careful introductions to strange objects and situations.

Even the best professional golfers sometimes succumb to this pressure, such as getting the "yips" and being unable to make short putts, or having collapses of their full swing. Their eyes are located on the sides of their heads, providing a wide field of view while grazing (slightly less than 180 degrees to each side, overlapped in front and leaving a blind spot in the rear). Knowledge of this creates a great deal of psychological pressure on the golfer; this pressure exists at all levels of play. They have a natural tendency to flee from danger, though they will fight if cornered. This means that there is never anyone to blame but oneself for a bad result, and in most competitive formats there are no teammates to directly help one out. In nature, horses function as prey animals. Golfers play against the course, not each other directly, and hit a stationary object, not one put into motion by an opponent. Examples of extinct horse genera include: Propalaeotherium, Mesohippus, Miohippus, Orohippus, Pliohippus, Anchitherium, Merychippus, Parahippus, Hipparion and Hippidion.

Besides the physical part, the mental aspect of the golf swing is very difficult. The genus Equus, to which all living equids belong, evolved a few million years ago. Much has developed around how hard the golf swing is to learn and execute, and how one must be persistent to keep at it. Horse evolution was characterized by a reduction in the number of toes, from 5 per foot, to 3 per foot, to only 1 toe per foot. One can also purchase or use a new golf simulator that can cost upwards of $50,000. In the course of roughly a million years, horses evolved from leaf-eating forest-dwellers into fast grass-eating inhabitants of the Great Plains. It is usually considered impossible to acquire a stable and successful swing without professional instruction and even highly skilled golfers may continue to take golf lessons for many years. One of the first true horse species was the tiny Hyracotherium, also known as eohippus, "the dawn horse".

It is not uncommon for beginners to spend several months practising the very basics before playing their first ball on a course. Horses are believed by scientists to have first evolved in what is now North America. The full golf swing is an unnatural, highly complex motion and notoriously difficult to learn. At one time there were twelve families of odd-toed ungulates, though today only three survive; tapirs and rhinoceroses are the closest living relatives of the modern horse. It is difficult to obtain the same consistency and power with this arrangement as is possible with conventional technique. Perissodactyls were the dominant group of large terrestrial browsing animals until the Miocene (about 20 million years ago), when even-toed ungulates, with stomachs better adapted to grass digestion, began to outcompete them. A golfer who plays right-handed, but holds the club left-hand-below-right is said to be "cack-handed". Horses and other equids are odd-toed ungulates of the order Perissodactyla, a relatively ancient group of browsing and grazing animals that first arose less than 10 million years after the dinosaurs became extinct.

Today, more manufacturers provide left-handed versions of their club lines, and the clubs are more readily purchased from mail-order and Internet catalogues. All equids are part of the family Equidae, which dates back more than 50 million years. In the past, this may have been due to the difficulty of finding left-handed golf clubs. Main article: Evolution of the Horse. Relatively few golfers play left-handed (i.e., swing back to the left and forward to the right), with even players who are strongly left-handed in their daily life preferring the right-handed golf swing. Full species list:. At the end of the swing, the weight has shifted almost entirely to the left foot, the body is fully turned to the left and the hands are above the left shoulder with the club hanging down over the players' back. This will probably remain a novelty hybrid as these individuals tend to inherit some of the nervous, difficult nature of their zebra parent.

After the ball is hit, the follow-through stage consists of a continued rotation to the left. Recently breeders have begun crossing various species of zebra with mares or female asses to produce "zebra mules"—zorses and zonkeys (also called zedonks). The downswing is roughly a backswing reversed. A hinny is the less common hybrid of a female ass and a stallion. At the end of the backswing the hands are above the right shoulder, with the club pointing more or less in the intended direction of ball flight. A mule is a hybrid of a male ass and a mare and is infertile. The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting of a shifting of the player's body weight to the right side, a turning of the pelvis and shoulders, lifting of the arms and flexing of the elbows and wrists. The Donkey, Burro or Domestic Ass, Equus asinus, like the horse, has many breeds.

The club is held with both hands (right below left), the clubhead resting on the ground behind the ball, hips and knees somewhat flexed, and the arms hanging from the shoulders. Other members of the horse family include zebras, donkeys, and hemionids. At address, the player stands with the left shoulder and hip pointing in the intended direction of ball flight, with the ball before the feet. The Icelandic horse has a four-beat gait called the "tölt", which equates to the rack exhibited by several American gaited breeds. For a right-handed golfer, it consists of a backswing to the right, a downswing to the left (in which the ball is hit), and a follow through. Introduced by the Vikings into Iceland, Icelandic horses did not subsequently undergo the intensive selective breeding that took place in the rest of Europe from the Middle Ages onwards, and consequently bear a closer resemblance to pre-Medieval breeds. A full swing is a complex rotation of the body aimed at accelerating the club head to a great speed. The Icelandic horse (pony-sized but called a horse) provides an opportunity to compare contemporary and historical breed appearances and behaviour.

The full golf swing itself is used in tee and fairway shots. Feral horses may provide useful insights into the behavior of ancestral wild horses. Putts and short chips are ideally played without much movement of the body, but most other golf shots are played using variants of the full golf swing. Isolated feral populations are often named for their geographic location; in Namiba feral animals known as Namib Desert Horses live in the desert, while the Sable Island Horses are resident on Sable Island, Canada. Types of approach shots are:. Several populations of feral horses exist, including those in the West of the United States and Canada (often called "mustangs") and in parts of Australia ("brumbies") and New Zealand ("Kaimanawa horses"). An approach shot is played into the green from outside the green, usually over an intermediate or short distance. Wild animals, whose ancestors have never undergone domestication, are distinct from feral animals, who had domesticated ancestors but now live in the wild.

As a point of safety for other players, and those further down the fairway, or anywhere you might hit the ball, yelling "Fore!" is considered a warning to beware of the ball so as to not be hit when it comes their way. [1]. Poor shots include the hook, in which the ball curves to the left (for a right-handed player), and a slice, in which the ball curves to the right (for a right-handed player; the reverse are true for left-handers). Small wild breeding populations of this animal exist in Mongolia. Furthermore, the absolute effect of a deviation will increase with a longer shot compared with a short one. Mongolians know it as the taki, while the Kirghiz people call it a kirtag. Many of these troubles are aggravated with the "longer" clubs and higher speed of swing. Przewalski's Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), a rare Asian species, is the only true wild horse alive today.

There are several possible causes of poor shots, such as poor alignment of the club, wrong direction of swing, and off-center hits where the clubhead rotates around the ball at impact. Thanks to the efforts of the brothers Lutz Heck (director of the Berlin zoo) and Heinz Heck (director of Tierpark Munich Hellabrunn), the resulting Wild Polish Horse or Konik more closely resembles the tarpan than any other living horse. Therefore, a skilled golfer must assess the quality of his or her shots in a particular situation in order to judge whether the possible benefits of aggressive play are worth the risks. Its genetic line is lost, but its phenotype has been recreated by a "breeding back" process, in which living domesticated horses with primitive features were repeatedly interbred. Obviously, a longer shot may result in a better score if it helps reduce the total number of strokes for a given hole, but the benefit may be more than outweighed by additional strokes or penalties if a ball is lost, out of bounds, or comes to rest on difficult ground. The tarpan, Equus ferus ferus, became extinct in 1880. Every shot is a compromise between length and precision, as long shots are generally less precise than short ones. For example, the Forest Horse (Equus ferus silvaticus, also called the Diluvial Horse) is thought to have evolved into Equus ferus germanicus, and may have contributed to the development of the heavy horses of northern Europe, such as the Ardennais.

Many golf shots make the ball travel through the air (carry) and roll out for some more distance (roll). Wild species continued to survive into historic times. To hit the ball, the club is swung at the motionless ball on the ground (or wherever it has come to rest) from a side stance. Competing theories exist as to the time and place of initial domestication. In the United States design varies widely, with courses such as the entirely artificial Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, where a course complete with waterfalls was created in the desert, and on the other end of the spectrum, Rustic Canyon outside of Los Angeles, which was created with a minimal amount of earth moving resulting in an affordable daily green fee and a more natural golfing experience. The earliest evidence for the domestication of the horse comes from Central Asia and dates to approximately 4,000 BCE. While no two courses are alike, many can be classified into one of the following broad categories:. .

Essentially, everybody who has ever taught or played golf for money (or even accepted a trophy of more than a modest monetary value) is not considered an amateur and must not participate in amateur competitions. Until the middle of the 20th century, armies used horses extensively in warfare; soldiers still refer to the groups of machines that have replaced horses on the battlefield as "cavalry" units, and sometimes preserve traditional horse-oriented names for military units (Lord Strathcona's Horse). There are strict regulations regarding the amateur status of golfers [2]. Though isolated domestication may have occurred as early as 4500 BC, clear evidence of widespread use by humans dates to no earlier than 2000 BC, as evidenced by the Sintashta chariot burials, thus firmly establishing the domestication of the horse. They cover matters such as safety, fairness, easiness and pace of play, and players' obligation to contribute to the care of the course. In some human cultures, horses are also widely used as a source of food. The etiquette of golf, although not formally equivalent to the rules, are included in the publications on golf rules and are considered binding for every player. Most notably, horses can be ridden by a person perched on a saddle attached to the animal, and are also widely harnessed to pull objects like wheeled vehicles or plows.

The Decisions on the Rules of Golf are based on formal case decisions by the R&A and USGA and are published regularly. Horses have long been one of the most economically important domesticated animals, and have played an important role in the transport of people and cargo for thousands of years. Some rules state that:. The horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. As declared on the back cover of the official rule book: "play the ball as it lies", "play the course as you find it", and "if you can't do either, do what is fair". Bull.Zool.Nomencl., 60:81-84. The underlying principle of the rules is fairness. Usage of 17 specific names based on wild species which are pre-dated by or contemporary with those based on domestic animals (Lepidoptera, Osteichthyes, Mammalia): conserved.

Because the rules of golf continue to evolve, amended versions of the rule book are usually published and made effective in a four-year cycle. Opinion 2027 (Case 3010). By agreement with the R&A, USGA jurisdiction on the enforcement and interpretation of the rules is limited to the United States and Mexico. 2003. The rules of golf [1] are internationally standardised and are jointly governed by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A), which was founded 1754 and the United States Golf Association (USGA). International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Professional golfers typically score several strokes below par for a round. Equistar Publications, Ltd., 1996.

Handicap systems are not used in professional golf. Hakola, B.S., R.N., C.M.I. Handicaps are administrated by golf clubs or national golf associations. and Susan E. It can be used to calculate a so-called "net" score from the number of strokes actually played, thus allowing players of different proficiency to play against each other on equal terms. Riegal, D.V.M. A handicap is a numerical measure of an amateur golfer's ability. Illustrated Atlas of Clinical Equine Anatomy and Common Disorders of the Horse, by Ronald J.

The play then alternates as in a foursome. (By members of the faculty and staff, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine.) Harper Collins, 1996. The player who did not shoot the best first shot plays the second shot. Book of Horses: A Complete Medical Reference Guide for Horses and Foals, edited by Mordecai Siegal. In a greensome both players tee off, and then pick the best shot as in a scramble. Gymkhana. Every player then plays his second shot from that spot, and the procedure is repeated until the hole is finished. Steeplechase.

In a scramble, or ambrose, each player in a team tees off on each hole, and the players decide which shot was best. Vaulting (gymnastics and dance on horseback). There are also popular unofficial variations on team play. Campdrafting. Four-balls can be played as match play or stroke play. Polocrosse. A four-ball (Rules 30 and 31) is also played between two teams of two players each, but every player plays his own ball and the lower score on each hole is counted. 3-Day Eventing- a competition where you are judged on your total score from a day of dressage, stadium jumping and cross country.

Foursomes can be played as match play or stroke play. The common clothes worn are usually brighter colors and less conservative. On the second hole, B will tee off (regardless who played the last putt on the first hole), then A plays the second shot, and so on. Cross Country Jumping, a jumping course that contains logs, and natural obstacles mostly. For example, if players A and B form a team, A tees off on the first hole, B will play the second shot, A the third, and so on until the hole is finished. Show Jumping. A foursome (defined in Rule 29) is played between two teams of two players each, in which each team has only one ball and players alternate playing it. Dressage.

"Official" forms of play are, among others, foursome and four-ball games. Rodeo. There are many variations of these basic principles, some of which are explicitly described in the "Rules of Golf" and are therefore regarded "official". Reining. The two basic forms of playing golf are match play and stroke play. Rapa das bestas. dollars for communal courses in many countries up to that of several hundred dollars for elite private clubs.. Polo, a team game played on horseback, involves riders using a long-handled mallet to drive a ball on the ground into the opposing team's goal while the opposing team defends their goal.

The green fee may vary from the equivalent of a few U.S. Hunter paces are usually a few miles long. There are two different fees: the range fee, which is for the driving range; and the green fee, which allows play on the golf course itself. Hunter paces are usually held in a series. If one wishes to play on a golf course, one has to pay a certain fee. Hunter Pacing, a sport where a trained rider rides a trail at speeds based on its condition and then people compete to ride closest to that perfect time. Penalty strokes are not actually strokes but penalty points that are added to the score for violations of rules or for making use of relief procedures in certain situations. Jousting.

In stroke play (see below), the score consists of the number of strokes played plus any penalty strokes incurred. Horse show. Each player acts as marker for one other player in the group, that is, he or she records the score on a score card. Horse hacking. When all players of a group have completed the hole, the player or team with the best score on that hole has the honor, that is, the right to play first on the next tee. Fox hunting. In some team events, a player who is farthest from the hole may ask his or her partner who may be closer to the hole to play first. Charreada, the highest form of Mexican horsemanship based on a mixture of Spanish and Native traditions.

In all modes of play, when individual players have all brought a ball into play, the player whose ball is the farthest from the hole is next to play. Cavalry (sport). Each player plays a ball from the tee to the hole, except that in the mode of play called foursomes, two teams of two players compete, and the members of each team alternate shots using only one ball, until the ball is holed out. Bullfighting (rejoneo). Players walk (or in some countries, often drive in motorized electric carts) over the course, either singly or in groups of two, three, or four, sometimes accompanied by caddies who carry and manage the players' equipment and give them advice. It consists of bareback bronc riding and of saddle bronc riding. The aim of holing the ball in as few strokes as possible may be impeded by various obstructions, such as bunkers and water hazards. Bronc riding (riding a bucking "wild" horse for a timed duration) counts as a separate event, not considered part of Western riding as such.

Once the ball is on the green (an area of finely cut grass) the ball is usually putted (hit along the ground) into the hole. In team roping, one horse and rider lassos a running steer's horns, while another horse and rider lassos the steer's two hind legs. A hole of golf consists of hitting a ball from a tee on the teeing ground (a marked area designated for the first shot of a hole), and, once the ball comes to rest, striking it again, and repeating this process until the ball at last comes to rest in the cup. In calf roping, the rider has to catch a running calf by the neck with a lasso, stop the animal in its tracks, rapidy dismount the horse and immobilize the calf by tying three of its legs together. On a nine-hole course, a standard round consists of two successive nine-hole rounds. Roping: also banned in Europe. A round typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. While riding, the rider jumps off his horse onto a steer and 'wrestles' it to the ground.

Every game of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. Steer wrestling: Europe does not allow this activity because of animal welfare concerns, but it occurs in the United States of America, usually at rodeo events. If it is a high rated course and you get two strokes as a bonus, you can even play an 81 and still have played your handicap 7. Halter class is particularly popular with younger riders who do not yet have the skill or confidence to partake in other forms. So, if you have a handicap of 7, you should be able to play a 79 in a tournament. Clothing of the handler and the halters tend to be more flashy in this discipline. For example if a course is very high rated, you will get, depending on your handicap, one or two strokes as a bonus. In regular halter class, judges will put emphasis on the performance and build of the horse when awarding points, in 'showmanship at halter' the performance of the handler and horse are both judged equally.

This rating determines how many strokes you get on top because of the difficulties. The horse is taken through a short pattern where the horse and handler must demonstrate control during walk, jog and turns. Each course is measured out and has its own course rating. The standard position of the handler is on the left side with the shoulder near the horse's eye. A golf school is often associated with a course or club. Halter class: here the horse is shown with only a halter and without a rider, but with a handler controlling the horse from the ground using a leadrope. There may even be a practice course (which is often easier to play or shorter than other golf courses). In pole bending, horse and rider gallop the length of a line of six upright poles, turn sharply and weave through the poles, turn again and weave back, and gallop back to the start.

Often there is a practice range, usually with practice greens, bunkers, and a driving area (where long shots can be practiced). In a barrel race, horse and rider gallop around a cloverleaf pattern of barrels, making agile turns without knocking the barrels over. At most golf courses there are additional facilities that are not part of the course itself. Barrel racing and pole bending: the timed speed/agility events of rodeo. The total par of an 18-hole course is usually around 72. The horses have to move sideways, make 90 degree turns while moving backwards, a fence has to be opened and/or closed while mounted, and more such maneuvers relevant to everyday ranch or trail riding tasks are demonstrated. Many 18-hole courses have approximately four par-three, ten par-four, and four par-five holes. Speed is not important, but total control of the horse is.

The expert golfer is expected to reach the green in two strokes under par (in regulation) and then use two putts to get the ball into the hole. Trail class: in this event, the rider has to maneuver the horse through an obstacle course in a ring. Par is the theoretical number of strokes that an expert golfer should require for playing the ball into any given hole. The catch: the riders cannot close the gate to the pen till they have corralled all the cattle (and only the intended cattle) inside. Typical lengths for par three holes range from 100 to 224 m, for par four holes from 225 to 434 m, and for par five holes 435 m and greater. Team penning: a popular timed event in which a team of 3 riders must select 3 to 5 marked steers out of a herd and drive them into a small pen. The par of a hole is primarily but not exclusively determined by the distance from tee to green. A jury awards points to the cutter.

Every hole is classified by its par. The calf then tries to return to its herdmates; the rider loosens the reins and leaves it entirely to the horse to keep the calf separated, a job the best horses do with relish, savvy, and style. Special rules determine how a golfer may proceed when his or her ball is very close to certain man-made objects on the course (obstructions) or resting upon ground in abnormal condition. The horse and rider select and separate a calf out of a small group. The borders of a course are marked as such, and beyond them is out of bounds, that is, ground from which a ball must not be played. Cutting: more than any other, this event highlights the "cow sense" prized in stock breeds such as the Quarter horse. This flag and pole combination is often called "the pin". Reining - considered by some the "dressage" of the western riding world, reining requires horse and rider to perform a precise pattern consisting of canter circles, rapid "spins" (a particularly athletic turn on the haunches), and the sliding stop (executed from a full gallop).

The cup usually has a flag on a pole positioned in it so that it may be seen from some distance, but not necessarily from the tee. The horse must remain under control, with the rider directing minimal force through the reins and otherwise using minimal interference. Its position on the green is not static and may be changed from day to day. Western pleasure - the rider must show the horse in walk, jog (a slow, controlled trot), trot and lope (a slow, controlled canter). The cup is always found within the green, and must have a diameter of 108 mm and a depth of at least 100 mm. Equitation classes occur in the Huntseat, Saddleseat, and Western disciplines. The direction of growth of individual blades of grass often affects the roll of a golf ball and is called the grain. Equitation refers to those classes where judges assess the rider, not the performance of the horse.

"To putt" means to play a stroke, usually but not always on the green, wherein the ball does not leave the ground. Riders also commonly show Arabians and Morgans saddleseat in the United States. The grass of the putting green (or more commonly the "green") is cut very short so that a ball can roll easily over distances of several metres or yards. Saddleseat (also known as Park or English Pleasure riding), a uniquely American discipline, developed to show to best advantage the extravagantly animated movement of high-stepping gaited breeds such as the American Saddlebred and the Tennessee Walker. Unlike a water hazard, a sand trap offers no option for removing one's ball other than by playing it out (except in a very few extraordinary circumstances). A winning show hunter has very good conformation, a smooth jumping style (with tightly-folded front legs), a good length of stride, and an appealing manner. As in a water hazard, a ball in a sand trap must be played without previously touching the sand with one's club. Hunter classes in various divisions and fence heights demonstrate the horse's ability to jump smoothly and safely.

Bunkers (or sand traps) are hazards from which the ball is more difficult to play than from grass. For equitation, see below. Exactly where a ball may be dropped outside a hazard is governed by strict rules. In the modern show ring hunters show "on the flat" at the walk, trot, and canter, and "over fences". If a ball in a hazard cannot be found, it may be replaced by dropping another ball outside the hazard, again with one stroke penalty. Huntseat riding as a show discipline derived from English foxhunting and from the natural desire for people to prove that the superiority of their mount. If it cannot be played from the hazard for any reason, it may be removed by hand and dropped outside the hazard with one stroke penalty. In the last-named, the horses jump over fixed obstacles, unlike show jumping, where the majority of the obstacles will fall down or apart if hit by the horse.

A ball in any type of hazard may be played as it lies without penalty. "roads and tracks") and the "cross-country" jumping phase. For example, in a hazard, a player must not touch the ground with his club prior to playing a ball, not even for a practice swing. Eventing, combined training, horse trials, "the Military," or "the complete test" as its French name translates, puts together the obedience of dressage with the athletic ability of show jumping, the fitness demands of a long endurance phase (a.k.a. Special rules apply to playing balls that come to rest in a hazard, which make it undesirable to play a ball into one. At the Grand Prix level fences may reach a height of as much as 6 feet. Many holes include hazards, which may be of two types: water hazards (lakes, rivers, etc.) and bunkers. Show jumping comprises a timed event judged on the ability of the horse and rider to jump over a series of obstacles, in a given order and with the fewest refusals or knockdowns of portions of the obstacles.

Skilled players require fewer strokes to hit the ball into the cup. One dressage master has defined it as "returning the freedom of the horse while carrying the rider.". When a player strokes the ball and it then comes to rest in the cup, he has completed play on that hole. Competitive dressage has the goal of showing the horse carrying out, on request, the natural movements that it performs without thinking while running loose. After a player first hits, or "strokes," the ball, he continues to do so from the fairway (where the grass is cut so low that most balls can be easily played) or from the rough (grass cut much longer than fairway grass, or which may be uncut) until the ball comes to rest in the cup. Dressage ("training" in French) involves the progressive training of the horse to a high level of impulsion, collection, and obedience. (The "nineteenth hole" is the colloquial term for the bar at a club house). The humans alternately run and ride.

Most golf courses consist of 9 or 18 holes. Ride and Tie involves three equal partners: two humans and one horse. The course consists of a series of "holes." A "hole" means both the hole in the ground into which the ball is played (also called the "cup"), as well as the total distance from the tee (a pre-determined area from where a ball is first hit) to the green (the area surrounding the actual hole in the ground). Ride and Tie (in North America, organized by Ride and Tie Association). Golf is played on a tract of land designated as "the course". Note especially the Tevis Cup. . Races begin at 20 miles and peak at 100 miles.

Although often viewed as an elite pastime, golf is increasingly popular and continues to attract ever more players around the world. Endurance races take place over a given, measured distance and the horses have an even start. Golf has been played on Musselburgh Links since 1672. The American Endurance Ride Conference organizes the sport in North America. The oldest known course in the world is The Old Links at Musselburgh. Endurance riding, a sport in which the Arabian dominates at the top level, has become very popular in the United States and in Europe. Golf originated in Scotland and has been played for several centuries in the British Isles. Harness Racing in Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

It is defined in the Rules of Golf as "playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules.". The United States Trotting Association organizes harness Racing in the United States (although the horses may also pace). Golf (gowf in Scots) is a game where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. Arabian Horse Racing. Women's British Open. Appaloosa Horse Racing. LPGA Championship. Quarter Horse Racing--mostly in the United States, and sanctioned there by the American Quarter Horse Association.

Women's Open. Thoroughbred National Hunt racing or steeplechasing in the UK. U.S. Thoroughbred flat racing; (under the aegis of the Jockey Club in the United Kingdom and the Jockey Club of North America). Kraft Nabisco Championship. Whorls, coloquially known as "cow licks" - are divergent or convergent patches of hair found anywhere on the body but mostly on the head, neck and just in front of the stifles. PGA Championship. Stocking (white marking that extends as high as the knee or hock).

The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open). Sock (white marking that does not extend as high as the knee or hock). Open. Ermine marks (black marks on the white just above the hoof). U.S. White Face (sometimes called Bald Face). The Masters. Blaze (broad white stripe down the middle of the face).

Chips are made with a less lofted club than the "pitch" shot or "lob" shot in order to produce the desired flatter trajectory. Stripe (narrow white stripe down the middle of the face). Chip: a low approach shot where the ball makes a shallow flight and then rolls out on the green. Snip (a white patch on the muzzle). It is usually played with a sand wedge or a lob wedge. Star (a white patch between the eyes). It is used when a player must play over an obstacle to the green. These horses have normal eye colour, and they stay white for life.

Flop: an even higher approach shot that stops shortly after it hits the ground. Rarely there are true white horses born and are documented to have a dominant white gene (see Gray (horse) for a discussion of these). Pitches are usually done with a wedge. All white, may be the result of overlapping pinto, appaloosa, or sabino markings. Pitch: a high approach shot that makes the ball fly high and roll very little, stopping more or less where it hits the ground. White - Any non-albino white horse is called a gray, even though they appear white. The ball rolls on the ground, never becoming air-borne. Tobiano - a genetic trait among horses which produces a characteristic white pattern in the coat.

On the green, a putter is used to 'putt' the ball. Splash - a genetically controlled horse coat variation. It resembles a pitch and is played with a "sand wedge." The sand wedge is designed with a wider base allowing the club to skid in the sand. Sorrel - a light brown coat with a flaxen mane and tail. A bunker shot is played when the ball is in a bunker (sand trap). This color occurs while the horse is "graying out.". Irons or wedges are also often used when playing from the rough. Rose gray: a gray horse with a pinkish tinge to its coat.

If precision is more important than length (typically, when playing on narrow fairways or approaching a green), irons are usually played from the fairway. Roans also have solid colored heads that do not lighten. However, a tee may not be used once the ball has been brought into play; therefore, playing from the fairway may be more difficult depending on how the ball lies. Roans are distinguishable from greys because roans typically do not change colour in their lifetimes, unlike gray that gradually gets lighter as a horse ages. A fairway shot is similar to a drive when done with a fairway wood. Roan can happen on any body color; for example, there are palomino roans and dun roans. Ideally, tee shots on long holes have a rather shallow flight and long roll of the ball, while tee shots on short holes are flighted higher and are expected to stop quickly. Red roans are chesnut and white hairs, blue roans are black/bay with white hairs.

It is often made with a driver (i.e., a 1-wood) off a tee for long holes, or with an iron on shorter holes. Roan - a color pattern that causes white hairs to be sprinkled over the horse's body color. A tee shot is the first shot played from a teeing ground. Perlino - Exactly like a cremello but a bay horse with two dilute genes. Can be played in Arctic or subarctic regions during winter. Often cited as being a color "within three shades of a newly minted coin", palominos actually come in all shades from extremely light, to deep chocolate. Snow courses: another rather recent invention; golf being played on snow, typically with an orange colored or another brightly colored ball. Palomino-chestnut horse that has one cream dilute gene that turns the horse to a golden, yellow, or tan shade with a flaxen (white) mane and tail.

Sand courses: instead of a heavily irrigated 'green', the players play on sand. Today, Paint horses are the world's fifth most popular breed. Nevertheless, many players enjoy the unique experience of playing golf in the desert. Paint - In 1962, the American Paint Horse Association began to recognize pinto horses with known Quarter Horse and/or Thoroughbred bloodlines as a separate breed. A desert course also violates the widely accepted principle of golf course architecture that an aesthetically pleasing course should require minimal alteration of the existing landscape. Specific patterns such as tobiano, overo, and tovero refer to the orientation of white on the body. Desert courses require heavy irrigation for maintenance of the turf, leading to concerns about the ecological consequences of excessive water consumption. Piebald is black and white, while Skewbald is white and brown.

Desert courses: a rather recent invention, popular in Australia, parts of the USA and in the Middle East. Pinto - a multi-colored horse with large patches of brown, white, and/or black and white. Examples include Woodhall Spa in England and Gleneagles in Scotland. It is often a grayish/silver colored horse with dark dun factors. Heathland – a more open, less-manicured inland course often featuring gorse and heather and typically less wooded than “parkland” courses. Grulla- A black horse with a dun gene. Parkland courses: typical inland courses, often resembling traditional British parks, with lawn-like fairways and many trees. Some gray horses that are very light must wear sunscreen.

Andrews, are built on "land reclaimed from the sea," land that was once underwater. If you would define the horse as white it is still grey unless it is albino. Traditional links courses, such as The Old Course at St. Gray horses can be born any color, and eventually most will turn gray or white with age. Located in coastal areas, on sandy soil, often amid dunes, with few artificial water hazards and few if any trees. Gray - A horse with black skin and clear hairs. Links courses: the most traditional type of golf course, of which some century-old examples have survived in the British isles. Fleabitten gray - refers to usually red hairs flecked in the coat of a gray horse.

a ball may only be replaced by another if it is destroyed, lost, or unplayable, and a penalty is incurred in the latter cases. Dun - Yellowish brown with a dorsal stripe along the back and occasionally zebra stripings on the legs. the condition of the ground or other parts of the course may not be altered to gain an advantage, except in some cases defined in the rules. Dapple gray: a gray colored horse with rings, or dapples, scattered throughout. a player must not accept assistance in making a stroke (Rule 14-2). There are no true albino horses. every player is entitled and obliged to play the ball from the position where it has come to rest after a stroke, unless a rule allows or demands otherwise (Rule 13-1). Often called pseudo albinos, they have blue eyes.

Another variant of stroke play, the Modified Stableford method, awards points on each hole in relation to par and then adds the points over a round; for more details on this method, see the article on The INTERNATIONAL, a tournament that uses Modified Stableford scoring. Cremello - A chestnut horse with two dilute genes that washes out almost all colour. A variant of stroke play is Stableford scoring, where a number of points (two for the target score) are given for each hole, and the fewer shots taken, the more points obtained, so the aim is to have as many points as possible. Chestnut- A reddish body color with no black. In stroke play, every player (or team) counts the number of shots taken for the whole round or tournament to produce the total score, and the player with the lowest score wins. Buckskin- A bay horse with a gene that 'dilutes' the coat colour to a yellow, cream, or gold while keeping the black points (mane, tail, ears, legs). In some cases, a match may be continued past the predetermined number of holes until one side takes a one-hole lead, and thereupon immediately wins by one hole. Brown - A bay without any black points.

At any given point, if the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining, the match is said to be "dormie", and is continued until the leader increases the lead by one hole, thereby winning the match, or until the match ends in a tie. Usually for a horse to be considered black it must be completely black with no brown at all, only white markings. For example, if one party already has a lead of six holes, and only five holes remain to be played on the course, the match is over. As their foal coat begins to shed out, their black color will show through,but jet black foals are born jet black. In the case that one team or player has taken a lead that cannot be overcome in the number of holes remaining to be played, the match is deemed to be won by the party in the lead, and the remainder of the holes are not played. Black foals are usually born a mousy grey color. The game is won by the party that wins more holes than the other. Jet black is a blue-black shade that is fadeproof.

The party with the lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is "halved" (drawn). Ordinary black horses will fade to a rusty brownish color if the horse is exposed to sunlight on a regular basis. In match play, two players (or two teams) play every hole as a separate contest against each other. Black- There are two types of black, fading black and jet black. Three types - Dark bay, blood bay, light bay and just bay. Bay- From light brown to very dark brown with black mane and tail with black points.

A true Appaloosa is actually a breed, not a color. There are different patterns: blanket- white blanket that typically starts around or behind withers with dark spots mostly over the hips, snowflake - solid with white spots over hips, and leopard - which is white with dark spots over all the coat. Appaloosa - a breed of horse with spots, any color mixed with white. yearling - male or female horse one to two years old.

weanling - a young horse that has just been weaned from their mother (usually 6 months or a little older). stallion - adult, male horse that is able to produce offspring. shelt or shelty - a Shetland pony. School Horse/Pony- A horse owned by a riding academy.

pony - equine 14.2 hh or less (58 inches, 1.47 metres). The word being derived from the latin for 'light horse'. palfrey - a smooth gaited type, a riding horse, often used incorrectly to mean a woman's horse, but in fact, was ridden by knights and ladies and instead refers to the light build of the riding horses body. nag - A rude term used to describe old horses, 'ugly' horses (but beauty is only skin deep) or skinny, sickly horses.

According to BLM, though, a mustang is an unclaimed, unbranded, free-roaming horse. mustang - a feral horse found in the western plains of North America. mare - adult female horse. jenny - a female donkey.

horse - adult equine of either sex over 14.2 hh (58 inches, 1.47 m). 10 cm). One hand is equal to 4 inches (appox. Hand - a unit of measuring used frequently to measure a horses height.

hackney - a specific breed of flashy, elegant driving pony. I'm going out on a hack.". eg. Generally used only by English-style riders.

Not a trail ride or schooling ride. hack - A horseback ride taken for the purpose of pleasure, either for horse or rider. green - a term used to describe an inexperienced horse. god dog - how the Apaches referred to horses.

gelding - a castrated male horse of any age. garron - small and disdained horse. foal - infant horse of either sex. filly - female horse from birth till the age of 4.

draught horse - heavy, muscular beast of burden. destrier - a heavy, strong medieval war horse not to be confused with a charger or palfrey. colt - an unaltered male horse from birth till the age of 4. cob - any horse of a short-legged, stout variety, with short legs, and a compact body, neck and back.

Charger - a medieval war horse of lighter build not to be confused with a destrier. Brumby - a wild or untrained Australian horse. Bronco - a wild, untamed horse, typically used in reference to the American mustang. Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi).

Plains Zebra (Equus quagga). Hartmann's Mountain Zebra (Equus hartmannae). Cape Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra). Kiang (Equus kiang).

Onager (Equus hemionus). Wild Ass (Equus africanus). Domesticated Donkey (Equus asinus). Przewalski's Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii).

Tarpan (Equus ferus ferus) (extinct). Wild Horse (Equus ferus)