riding

/ˈraɪdɪŋ/

/ˈraɪdɪŋ/

Other forms: ridings

Use the word riding for the sport of maneuvering a horse while sitting on its back. So when your friend invites you to go riding, you'd better be prepared to climb up into a saddle.

You can also call this sport horseback riding, or if you want to get really fancy, equestrianism. Riding involves, of course, staying perched on the back of a horse while it trots, canters, or gallops along. There are a lot of additional variations on riding, including horse racing, rodeo events, and dressage, which involves dance-like movements that are judged on how athletic and graceful the horse is and how relaxed the rider appears.

Definitions of riding

1. noun

   the sport of siting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
   synonyms: equitation, horseback riding

   types:

   equestrian sport

   a sport that tests horsemanship

   pony-trekking

   a sport in which people ride across country on ponies

   dressage

   maneuvers of a horse in response to body signals by the rider

   showjumping, stadium jumping

   riding horses in competitions over set courses to demonstrate skill in jumping over obstacles

   cross-country jumping, cross-country riding

   riding horses across country over obstructions to demonstrate horsemanship

   three-day event

   an equestrian competition; the first day is dressage; the second is cross-country jumping; the third is stadium jumping

   type of:

   athletics, sport

   an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
2. noun

   travel by being carried on horseback
   synonyms: horseback riding

   types:

   bronco busting

   breaking a bronco to saddle

   endurance riding

   riding for long hours over long distances

   pack riding

   riding with a pack

   trail riding

   riding along a roughly blazed path

   type of:

   travel, traveling, travelling

   the act of going from one place to another