Horseball was invented by Captain Clave of the French Army, a show jumping world champion. It is based on Pato, the Argentine national sport. The game was designed to improve partnerships between horses and riders, that could be played on a standard equestrian arena, and would be fun to play. It was developed by a French group under the presidency of Jean Paul Depons, a riding instructor and rugby player from Bordeaux. This group established the rules of horseball in France.
In the late 1970s, the French Equestrian Federation (FFE) accepted horseball as a discipline and it soon became popular in France. Horseball spread internationally in the early 1990's. In 1992 the International Commission of Horseball was estabished, with France, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Portugal as members. The first European Cup was held in Paris in December 1992, at the Salon De Cheval.[2]
Rules of play
Horseball is an equestrian sport that is like a combination of rugby and basketball, played on horseback. It is a fast-paced team game, with the objective of scoring goals. Each team has four players, and two substitutes. Teams must make at least three passes between different players before scoring. Players can be substituted at any break of play. The ball is a football held in a harness with six handles, so that it can be picked up. Players may hold the ball for less than 10 seconds, and must pass the ball when making an attack. If the ball falls to the ground, players may only pick it up without changing pace, or dismounting. This is called "ramassage". Players score by throwing the ball through a goal. This is a 1-metre diameter vertical hoop at the end of the pitch, suspended 3.5 metres from the ground and hung 1-metre into the pitch. The game is usually played on a rectangular pitch, with dimensions of 65 meters by 25 meters. Games last 20 minutes, in two 10-minute halves, and with a 3-minute half-time break when the teams change ends. The team that scores the most goals win.[2]
International competitions
The FIHB organize several international competitions: the European Championship, the World Championship, and the clubs FIHB Champions League.[2] The annual European Senior Championship is the older international tournament, the first was in 1992 in Paris. This is a mixed-sex teams tournament. The European Ladies Championship was first held in 2003 in Abano Terme 2003 (Italy). The European Under-16 Championship is the youth tournament with mixed-sex teams, the first in 2004 in Lamotte-Beuvron 2004 (France). The World Championships for senior mixed teams were first held at Ponte de Lima in 2008. The teams that played in the championship were Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain. France won, Spain got Silver, and Portugal Bronze. World championships are held every four years, with the next competition due to be held in Argentina in 2025.[3]
The club level competition organized by the International Horseball Federation is the FIHB Champions League. This competition began in 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden, between the top clubs from each of the four highest ranked European nations. In 2007, it was won by Chambly Horse-Ball France), Sporting Clube de Portugal CEJC got Silver and Caramel from Belgium got Bronze. The 2024 competition was held in Le Mans, and involved the top clubs from eight nations.[4]
Casualties
In February 2017, Ruddy Dayton fell from his horse and was crushed during a competition in Saint-Nazaire, France.[5] He was knocked unconscious, spent a week in a coma and suffered traumatic brain damage from the accident.[6]
A 34-year-old rider died in May 2019 after a fall during a horseball competition in Rosières-aux-Salines, France.[7]
In April 2022, Victoria Percy died after falling off her horse while playing in a horseball league competition in Warwickshire, UK.[8]
