Rapahela Marie R.

Ko Teh Grade 8

November 25, 2013 IRE Introduction Draft

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ESSAY INTRODUCTION

Every sport comes with its own brand of difficulties, which, when not surmounted, become dangers. In equestrian sports however, there are more difficulties as riders must depend not on another human, but an animal. Those who participate in equestrian sports are made up of a team of two, the rider and the horse. When these teams are seen performing graceful movements, pounding along a track or jumping over high hurdles it inspires a sense of awe in those watching. The horses and riders that are being watched however, are probably the best of the best. These people could have trained themselves and their horses for years just to reach the level at which they can compete in the competitions that would draw the most crowds. No matter how hard the riders train through, nothing completely prevents the fatal accidents that are a constant possibility whenever they sit atop their mounts. Professional equestrians may seem calm and confident as they ride their horses, but it took years of patience and training to overcome the difficulties found in ordinary horse-back riding, let alone the sport that they happen to specialize in. Even then, these people are not free of the dangers of this sport. In America, of the 30 million who ride horses around 2,300 are hospitalized annually. The number of people who have been injured just by riding a horse is hard to comprehend, and as such, shows how difficult it is to compete in the more specific branches of equestrian sports. The 2,300 people mentioned probably could not fully address the challenges of the sport, but the rest of the 30 million may be training themselves so as to better address these difficulties. A small percentage of those have succeeded and have competed all over the world. These people and their horses demonstrate that though there are many difficulties in this sport, it is possible to overcome them.