Encyclopedia
The participation of
animals in sport may directly or indirectly involve people and are a specific form of working animals. Many animals, at least in more commercial sports, are highly
trained. Two of the most common animals in sport are
horses and
dogs.
Some organisations are dedicated to prevent cruelty to animals, with supporters claiming that the use of animals in sporting events can be distressing for them. This is particularly relevant to
blood sports involving animals.
Types of animal sporting events
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.
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 dogsled racing and popular
ancient Greek and
Roman sport of
chariot racing.
Greyhound racing, one of the more popular forms of animal racing, dates back to the 1800s in the
United States, with the dogs 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.
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.
One-on-one and team events
There are some non-racing competitive events involving animals.
Polo is one of the most popular examples, 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 counties the act of two or more animals fighting each other, such as
cockfighting, is seen as cruel and is therefore illegal. Some legal animal fights take place around the world, including
cow fighting and camel wrestling. There are also some legal forms of sport where humans fight animals, such as
bullfighting which has a long history in
Spanish and
Portuguese tradition. Not all animals are large, however, with
cricket fighting being a popular sport in
Macau and
Hong Kong .
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 modern fights are usually specifically bred for strength and stamina.
Hunting
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 and hunting turned into a sport for those of a higher
social class. In most parts of
medieval Europe, the upper-class obtained as proud privilege the sole rights to hunt in certain areas of a feudal territory.
Dangerous hunting, as for lions or wild boars, usually on horseback 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.
Fishing is somewhat different to other hunting and is most commonly a pastime or hobby. However, it can also be
a competitive sport.
Fox hunting has been a controversial issue, particularly in the
United Kingdom, regarding the its necessity and the cruetly involved. Pigeon shooting was one of the
shooting events of the
1900 Summer Olympics.
Shows of training or breeding
Shows are intended to highlight the excellence of training or breeding of the animals involved. There are a variety of horse riding sports in this category, including
show jumping and
dressage, both of which feature at the
Olympic Games.
Dogs, being easily
domesticated, are one of the most popular animals to have in shows. Sheepdog trials have been popular in many countries and are used to show how well a
dog can
herd sheep. 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
conformation show for dogs, has grown to be a massive event 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, most popular in
Scandinavia.
Popular culture
Films and television series about animals in sport can be realistic or very fictional, involving animals in an activity that they cannot really perform.
Seabiscuit is a fairly accurate portrayal of the famous American
horse of the same name, while
, a film about a
hockey-playing
chimpanzee, is somewhat less realistic.
The 1980
animated film
Animalympics is a spoof of the Olympic Games and features
anthropomorphicised animals. In the combination live action and
animation film
Bedknobs and Broomsticks, animated animals play a game of
football.
From 1976 to 1999, the BBC broadcast
One Man and His Dog, a television series about sheepdog trials. They also commissioned three series of
Pets Win Prizes, a
game show with contestants' pets having to perform in various tasks.
Man vs. Beast is an American television show that pitches humans againt animals in a variety of unusual challenges, including
competitive eating between world champion
Takeru Kobayashi and a
Brown Bear.
See also
External links
