A training centre is an equestrian centre where horses are trained for competition. There are many different disciplines in which horses compete. These include the Olympic disciplines: dressage, show jumping, eventing, etc. The world disciplines include the 3 Olympic disciplines as well as driving, endurance, reining, vaulting and para-equestrian dressage. 3 team sports are played with horses: horse-ball, pony-game and polo. Equestrian sports include all horse racing at the gallop, trot or amble. Trotting events are conducted either harnessed or mounted. Gallop races are run on flat ground or with obstacles. Horse racing is a highly developed activity in France and generates very significant potential earnings. The job of trainer therefore requires real skills in the disciplines chosen by the horse owners. Indeed, the owners entrust their horses to him so that he can make them the best athletes possible. He takes care of them and trains them for equestrian competitions that take place throughout the year.
The training centre usually includes the following facilities :
- Lunging ring (sometimes called a corral or roundpen): a circular area for lunging or riding small ponies.
- Riding arena: a covered, enclosed or semi-enclosed area of varying size with a soft ground surface (often sand), used for work and training, particularly in show jumping or cross-country riding, through the presence of fixed obstacles.
- Quarry: an uncovered area with a soft ground surface (often sand) that is enclosed and of variable size, used as a working and training area.
- Gallop track: not very common in equestrian centres, the gallop track is a long path of sand, earth or grass, which allows a horse to be trained in resistance or endurance work.
- Cross-country course: a course made up of fixed cross-country obstacles, one of the three events in eventing.
