Pleasure riding
Pleasure riding is a form of equestrianism that encompasses many forms of recreational riding for personal enjoyment, absent elements of competition. In horse show competition, a wide variety of classes are labeled pleasure classes with judging standards based on the concept that horses or ponies exhibited should be well-mannered and thus a “pleasure” to ride.
Pleasure riding is called hacking in
Pleasure riding
Many horses are suitable for pleasure riding, including grade horses and other animals of ordinary quality and good disposition. Such horses are sometimes called "hacks," particularly in areas where pleasure riding is known as hacking.
Statistics provided by the
The prevalence of pleasure riding and its economic impact also dispels the misperception that horse ownership is only for the wealthy. The 2005 AHC study also found that approximately 34% of horse owners have an annual household income of less than $50,000, 46% have an income of between $25,000 to $75,000, and 28% have an income of over $100,000.[1]
Horse showing ranks second in the AHC study of horse activities, with 2.7 million horses involved.[1] Even in competition, the term "pleasure" or "hack" is also applied to a number of horse show classes where the performance of the animals are judged on their manners, performance and way of going, originally to determine a horse's suitability to be a pleasure riding mount.
See also
- Trail riding
- Western pleasure
- English pleasure
- Show hack
- Pleasure driving
- Leisure horses
- Bicycle touring
- Motorcycle touring
References
- ^ a b c "National Economic Impact of the U.S. Horse Industry" American Horse Council Archived 2010-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ p.4 Tretcher, David, et al. "Wisconsin State Horse Council General Population Survey and Horse Owners' Survey Report"
- ^ Equine Boarding Operations in Northern Virginia, 2008 Survey Results