There are many types of animal sporting events, with varying levels of participation from humans. Some are solely between the animals while others use the animals in a lesser role. Most sports involve training, while some can also involve selective breeding. There are some large-scale events that include animals in a variety of sports. A
rodeo can comprise many different sports, ranging from
bull riding to
pole bending. Some of the most well known types of animal racing are
horse racing, dog racing (e.g.
Greyhound racing,
sled dog racing),
pigeon racing, and
camel racing.
Racing Racing is the most popular form of animal-related sport, particularly
horse racing. Some racing events directly involve humans as riders while others see the animals race alone. In some sports the rider is not directly riding the animal, instead being pulled along. Examples of this include
harness racing,
dogsled racing and popular ancient Greece and Roman Empire sport of
chariot racing.
Greyhound racing, a popular form of animal racing, dates back to the 1800s in the United States, after the dogs were brought over from Europe to help control the
hare population. While track racing is the most common, there are other forms of racing.
Pigeon racing, for example, sees
homing pigeons finding their way home from a set distance away.
Kambala, he-buffalo racing in coastal
Karnataka, India is a rural spectator racing conducted every year during winter in about 50 towns/villages. Racing events are a common way to
gamble, with billions spent worldwide every year. This is one reason that some countries or states have made such sports illegal. In
Indonesia, there are some traditional bull races including
karapan sapi,
pacu jawi, ''
, and barapan kebo''.
Flying duck race has been held since 1926 in
West Sumatra.
One-on-one and team events There are some non-racing competitive events involving animals.
Polo is an example, with competitors hitting a
ball with
mallets while on horseback.
Elephant polo dates back to the early 20th century when members of the British aristocracy in
Nepal began playing the sport. In the 14th to 16th centuries
jousting was a popular one-on-one tournament event involving knights on horseback.
Fighting In most countries, the act of causing two or more animals to fight each other, as in
cockfighting and
dog fighting, is seen as cruel and is therefore banned by the law. Some animal fights are lawful in countries around the world, including
cow fighting and
camel wrestling. There are also some forms of lawful sport in which humans fight animals, such as
bullfighting, which has a long history in
Spanish and
Portuguese tradition, and
jallikattu, which has similar tradition in
Tamil Nadu, India. Not all animals are large, however, with
cricket fighting being a popular sport in
Macau and
Hong Kong, although gambling on it is now against the law. There are several other
blood sports in history that were intended as entertainment, many of which involved
baiting by dogs. Many different types of animal have been placed into a pit, sometimes tied to a post, and set upon by dogs. This ranges from
rat-baiting and
badger-baiting to
bear-baiting and
lion-baiting. There are even some tales of
human-baiting. Animals that take part in animal fights are usually specifically bred for strength and stamina.
Killing Hunting began as a crucial component of
hunter-gatherer societies, being an important source of food. The domestication of animals and the development of
agriculture lessened the need for hunts, with food being more readily available. Hunting became a sport for those of the high
social classes. In most parts of
medieval Europe, the upper-class (aristocracy and higher clergy) obtained as privilege the sole rights to hunt in certain areas of a feudal territory. Dangerous hunting, as for lions or wild boars, usually on horseback (or from a
chariot, as in
Pharaonic Egypt and
Mesopotamia) also had function similar to
tournaments and manly sports: an honourable, somewhat competitive pastime to help the aristocracy practice skills of war in times of peace. In
ancient Rome, the "
Venatio" was a form of entertainment that pitted humans against animals in an amphitheater. In modern times, hunting is usually legal as long as the hunter has a license, though there are some unregulated forms in some countries. Animals can be on either side of a hunt, assisting the hunters or being hunted themselves.
Fox hunting has been a controversial issue, particularly in the United Kingdom, regarding its necessity and the cruelty involved (See
Fox hunting legislation).
Fishing Fishing is somewhat different from other sports and is most commonly a pastime or hobby. However, it can also be
a competitive sport.
Pigeon shooting Pigeon shooting was one of the
shooting events of the
1900 Summer Olympics. Competitors in these events had to kill as many live pigeons as possible. Birds were released one at a time from 'traps' in front of the shooters.
Shows of training or breeding competing in a
dog agility event Shows are intended to highlight the excellence of training or
breeding of the animals involved. There is a variety of horse riding sports in this category, including
show jumping and
dressage, both of which are featured at the
Olympic Games. At lower levels,
horse shows offer a wide variety of competition both
riding and driving as well as
In-hand classes that evaluate
equine conformation. Dogs, being easily
domesticated, are one of the most popular animals to have in shows.
Cattle and
sheepdog trials are popular in many countries and are used to show how well a dog can
gather livestock. Other
dog sports of this category include
dog agility events, whereby the dogs must tackle
obstacle courses, and
obedience trials, where they must execute a predefined set of tasks.
Crufts, a British
conformation show for dogs, has grown since it started in 1886. While dogs are the most common show animal,
cat shows are also common. Both of these animals have a wide variety of breeds and compete in categories, comparing each individual to the breed "ideal". Some unusual animals also take part in shows, such as the competitors in
rabbit show jumping and
common chaffinches in
vinkenzetting of the
bird singing contests. ==Popular culture==