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Photo of Ivory Pal by Cheri Prill Tennessee Walking Horse Issue August 2010

THE SPORT OF THE NEXT CENTURY!

Horse-Ball is a cross between rugby and basketball played on Horseback. I usually bring you different horse sport sports we can do with our horses. This is one that looked like it could be a lot of fun, but I could not find anyone that had shown any interest in it. I have taken this directly off of the site to see if there is anyone playing this in the USA? Horse-Ball is a young sport born in France 20 years ago. Now there are National Leagues in many countries and a European Horse-Ball championship, but non in the USA.

Horse-ball is an exciting new sport for all horse and pony riders. It is a National league in several other European countries. It is an all action sport which at the top level is played mainly at canter or gallop, with fast exciting passes and tackles.

What do you need to play Horse-Ball?

Horse back riding because if you want to play at a good level, you must be at one with your horse. You need to train for it, you must be at the best level because your horse will play with you during the 20 minutes. At top level the game is played mostly at canter or gallop, with quick ball passing and dramatic shooting and tackling. Horse-Ball makes a really great show because the horses gallop very quickly during a large part of the time.

- Basket ball because you need to exchange the ball 3 times with a different player from your team to have the right to shoot. Basket ball also because you have to shoot in a circle. The difference is that the circle, the goal is vertical.

- Rugby or American football because you have the right to make contacts. The contact must be under an angle of 45°, this rule permits you for example, to push another player out of the field. You have to catch the ball, so if you want you can push him, although only if he has the ball of course.

The game is played on a field of 60 to 70 meters long and 25 to 30 meters large. You have 4 players on the field by teams. So 8 horses on the field... It's enough to make a lot of dust fly! The ball is a junior size football with a harness to which are attached six handles for picking up and throwing the ball. The belly strap passes under the horse linking the stirrups to enable pickups and tackles to be made.

A fast and exciting team sport

Horse-ball is a fast and exciting team sport played on horseback. It was invented in France at the end of the 1970s. At that time the French Equestrian Federation (FFE) was exploring possibilities to bring a new dynamism in the riding schools, looking for an activity inexpensive and easy to organize in any riding school.

An excellent riding school discipline

For the rider, Horse-ball is proving to be an excellent riding school discipline for all ages, it teaches the rider balance and the use of seat and legs without reliance on the rein. The equestrian sport is one which historically attracts girls, with Horse-ball, more boys are now coming into riding in order to play the sport and continuing to ride, where before they would have given up at after a few lessons.

Team spirit

In a society which is constantly striving to work together in the world, where business now has to send their employees on costly 'team building days', this team sport builds relationships and encourages an understanding of team spirit that stays with it's participants through-out their lives.

Any horse or pony is suitable for horse-ball

Any horse or pony is suitable for Horse-ball, at a novice level, most are 'general purpose' and also do showing, jumping and dressage. At International level, some prefer the Thoroughbred for it's speed, some prefer the Native breeds for their short, compact bodies, but all have one thing in common - they require a high standard of basic dressage in order to comply with the agility, muscle structure and obedience demanded by the game.

Try Horse-Ball and have fun!