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Rat agility is a sport for pet rats using scaled-down versions of the obstacles used for dog agility events. [1] The sport originated in Sweden and can trace its origin back to table runs in the 1980s, where the owner on one side of the table had to get the rat from the other side to move across the table in the shortest time possible. Rat agility became an official competition in 2000. [2]
Rat agility is performed in two classes. Class A is for beginners (either the rat or the driver or both) and is divided in two parts, an obstacle track and summoning. Class B is for the more experienced pair. It consists of a more difficult obstacle course and instead of summoning, the rat has to perform a trick.
One of the typical obstacles you may find on a course is the jumping fence, a vertical barrier the rat crawls over (it rarely jumps over them despite the name). The A-fence or ramp is a simple up and down obstacle. The slalom fence or weaving poles consists of a series of vertical sticks the rat has to navigate through. A balance fence is a narrow strip or some kind of suspended walkway. Rats don't like the ground to move so they need to trust the driver to be able to pass it. Another obstacle is the tunnel, the problem is to prevent the rat from taking a break in the middle of the tunnel. The seesaw also plays on the trust in the driver. The rat needs to dare to walk over it. It is also important that the rat doesn't turn and run back when it flips over. The up-and-down-fence is similar to the slalom fence, but vertical instead of horizontal. The rat has to go up and down over and under the sticks. Although some other versions also exist, but these are the most common.
In the sport it is the communication between the rat and the owner that is important, as you are not allowed to touch the rat and have to rely on visual and auditory signals. Rats are suitable for agility as they like a challenge and it's a great way to activate and bond with your pet. [3]
Slalom is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline, involving skiing between poles or gates. These are spaced more closely than those in giant slalom, super giant slalom and downhill, necessitating quicker and shorter turns. Internationally, the sport is contested at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, and at the Olympic Winter Games.
The Ibizan Hound is a lean, agile dog of the hound family. There are two hair types of the breed: smooth and wire. The more commonly seen type is the smooth. Some consider there to be a third type, long, but the longhair is most likely a variation of the wire.
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows are limited exclusively to jumpers. Sometimes jumper classes are offered in conjunction with other English-style events. Sometimes, show jumping is but one division of a very large, all-breed competition that includes a very wide variety of disciplines. Jumping classes may be governed by various national horse show sanctioning organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation or the British Showjumping Association. International competitions are governed by the rules of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.
Water skiing is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires sufficient area on a stretch of water, one or two skis, a tow boat with tow rope, two or three people, and a personal flotation device. In addition, the skier must have adequate upper and lower body strength, muscular endurance, and good balance.
Eventing is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test that required mastery of several types of riding. The competition may be run as a one-day event (ODE), where all three events are completed in one day or a three-day event (3DE), which is more commonly now run over four days, with dressage on the first two days, followed by cross-country the next day and then show jumping in reverse order on the final day. Eventing was previously known as Combined Training, and the name persists in many smaller organizations. The term "Combined Training" is sometimes confused with the term "Combined Test", which refers to a combination of just two of the phases, most commonly dressage and show jumping.
The fancy rat is the domesticated form of Rattus norvegicus, the brown rat, and the most common species of rat kept as a pet. The name fancy rat derives from the use of the adjective fancy for a hobby, also seen in "animal fancy", a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet or domestic animals. The offspring of wild-caught specimens, having become docile after having been bred for many generations, fall under the fancy type.
Downhill is a form of alpine skiing competition. Whereas the other alpine skiing events emphasize turning and technique, downhill emphasizes "the six components of technique, courage, speed, risk, physical condition and judgement", according to the FIS "International Ski Competition Rules (ICR)". Speeds of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) are common in international competition. Athletes must have an aerodynamically efficient tuck position to minimize drag and increase speed.
Cross country equestrian jumping forms one of the three phases of the sport of eventing; it may also be a competition in its own right, known as hunter trials or simply "cross-country", although these tend to be lower-level, local competitions.
The Miniature Fox Terrier is a small, fine, lightweight working terrier developed as a hunting dog and vermin router. It is known colloquially in its native Australia as the “Mini Foxie”.
An assault course is a trail that combines running and exercising. It was more popular in the 1970s than it is now. It is often used in military training. The prime use is to evaluate progress and weaknesses of the individual or the team involved. The term Assault Course can be replaced by Obstacle Course, which some view as more accurate. Confidence Courses is another term used. There are also specific Urban Obstacle Courses and Night Obstacles Courses. An Obstacle Course Race (OCR) is a civilian sporting and fitness challenge event which combines obstacles and cross country running.
Rabbit show jumping, also known as rabbit agility or rabbit hopping, is an animal sport where the animals are led through a course by their owners, modelled after horse show jumping. It is typically conducted in a closed, indoor arena, with obstacles scaled to suit the rabbits. Competitions have been held in the United States and several European countries. As rabbits are common domestic pets, some owners train their pet rabbits for this sport.
The Hunter division is a branch of horse show competition that is judged on the horse's performance, soundness and when indicated, conformation, suitability or manners. A "show hunter" is a horse that competes in this division.
Hunt seat is a style of forward seat riding commonly found in North American horse shows. Along with dressage, it is one of the two classic forms of English riding. The hunt seat is based on the tradition of fox hunting. Hunt seat competition in North America includes both flat and over fences for show hunters, which judge the horse's movement and form, and equitation classes, which judge the rider's ability both on the flat and over fences. The term hunt seat may also refer to any form of forward seat riding, including the kind seen in show jumping and eventing.
A steeplechase is a distance horse race in which competitors are required to jump diverse fence and ditch obstacles. Steeplechasing is primarily conducted in Ireland, Great Britain, Canada, United States, Australia, and France. The name is derived from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside.
The 1846 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, later to become known as the Grand National Steeplechase, was the eighth official annual running of a handicap steeplechase. It took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on 4 March 1846 and attracted a then-record field of 22 entrants. It was won by the unconsidered outsider Pioneer.
Various obstacles are found in competitive sports involving horse jumping. These include show jumping, hunter, and the cross-country phase of the equestrian discipline of eventing. The size and type of obstacles vary depending on the course and the level of the horse and rider, but all horses must successfully negotiate these obstacles in order to complete a competition. Fences used in hunter and eventing are generally made to look relatively rustic and natural.
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. The handler's controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and coordination of the handler.
Cat agility is a sport in which trained cats are lured through timed obstacle courses by their handlers.
Equine agility or horse agility is a sport similar to dog agility but using horses. Horses are asked to navigate an obstacle course with guidance from a human handler on the ground. At lower levels, the horse may be guided with a lead rope but at higher levels the horse works without a lead and in some cases, without a halter. There also are competition levels where horses compete in the "wild" — outside of an enclosed arena, and competitions where horses are not judged live but rather via video sent in by their handlers. Any equine of any size may compete in agility, including miniature horses, donkeys, mules and draft horses.