National Help A Horse Day 2024 is on Friday, April 26, 2024: Horse people: Is Cross Country, Steeplechase and National Hunt essentially the same thing?

Friday, April 26, 2024 is National Help A Horse Day 2024. National Horse Protection Day - Join the fight to save homeless ... National Horse Protection Day

No. Steeplechase and National Hunt races are true races over fences, and they are conducted the way all other major stakes races are. The horses run at tracks or over established courses of fences, and are subject to all the rules which govern flat races. Horses competing in steeplechase or National Hunt races get ridden by professional jockeys, who in turn are governed by the racing stewards at the tracks they race at.The term "cross country" comes from the sport of EVENTING, which is a whole different sport than racing. Eventing gets its name because it is a triathlon for horses and riders. Events are conducted in 3 phases over a 3 day period. The first phase, held on the first day, is the dressage phase. The word dressage comes to us from an old French verb that means "training". The purpose of dressage is to demonstrate that a horse is supple, obedient, and mannerly despite being very fit and ready to run and jump over long distances. Horses are ridden in a 20X60 meter ( all distances and speeds in eventing are always measured in meters or meters per minute, not feet) arena in a prescribed set of movements at varying gaits and speeds, and are given a score for each movement. At the conclusion of the test, the scores are added together and the sum is subtracted from the total number of points possible for that test, and the result is expressed as a percentage score. The goal in eventing dressage is to have the lowest score possible, because that indicates the rider has made the fewest number of mistakes. Day two of a 3 Day event is formally called Speed and Endurance Day, but is informally known to most people as "Cross Country"Day because of what the horses and riders are asked to do. In this phase, the horses are ridden individually around a course of obstacles.Courses for this part of the competition are often several miles in length, depending on the level a rider is competing at, and feature a wide variety of jumps and obstacles. Tables, drop jumps, ditches, banks, verticals, corner jumps, water hazards, chicken coops, popcorn jumps, and paneled stone walls are just a few examples of the different types of obstacles seen on an event course. The purpose of this phase is to test the speed and stamina of both horse and rider, and also the pair's ability to work as a team to solve problems and answer technical questions.

ALL riders must complete the course within the prescribed time limit, and there are penalties for exceeding it. Refusals, run outs, and falls of either horse or rider are also penalized- and if a horse or rider appears to be injured in any way following a fall, they are not permitted to finish or continue. Helmets and body protectors are required attire for riders in this phase, as are protective boots and wraps for the horses. ALL riders must wear a watch with a second hand and an armband with their medical card. "Cross country" is the part of eventing which is considered to be the most dangerous, because the fences involved are designed to be solid and permanent- and some of them are rather unforgiving to a tired or unfit horse. Eventing is one of the only sports in the Olympics in which there is an ever present possibility of a FATAL ACCIDENT involving horse, rider, or both, and most people who go into the sport understand this very well. It's not possible to make the sport totally safe without taking something away from it- a fact which few people in the non-riding general public really understand. That has worked against the sport, unfortunately- and there have been calls for its elimination from the Olympics in recent decades. But if it were removed from the games, the whole horse industry would suffer grieviously, whether here in the States, in the UK, or anywhere else. Day 3 of an event begins in the morning with a MANDATORY vet inspection of all horses which competed the previous day. Horses must pass this inspection and be certified before they are permitted to compete in the show jumping phase during the afternoon. The show jumping test is pretty straightforward- horses are ridden over a course of obstacles in the main arena within a prescribed time limit. The purpose of the phase is to demonstrate that horses are still sound and able to work despite having faced a severe test the previous day. Show jumping obstacles are made with flexible breakaway rails which are designed to come apart if a horse hits or runs into them. That makes them safer than the cross country obstacles, but it also means they are more flimsy and prone to being knocked out of place by a careless horse. As was the case on the previous day, there are penalties for runouts, refusals, knocking down rails, or for exceeding the time limit. There are no jump offs in eventing- each horse and rider only get one round in show jumping. At the conclusion of this phase, whichever pair has the lowest overall score in all 3 phases wins the event.

National History Day!!!?

Below are a few ideas with one link to additional information. Each idea involves an "Innovation"; each has an interesting "historical" context; and each has resulted in changes that have had a significant impact upon History. Additionally, these ideas are not difficult to research, and each can be the subject of an exhibit.

__The Innovation: The AUTOMOBILE: "In terms of the lives of average people, there is little doubt that the automobile is the most revolutionary invention in the history of transportation since the wheel. The basic premise of the automobile is simple; choose a wheeled vehicle from the many types typically pulled by horses or oxen, add a motor and create a self-propelled, personal transportation vehicle." [I checked the "Sample Topics To Consider" at the National History Day internet site and was surprised that the automobile was not a "sample topic."]