History of Working Equitation

Working Equitation has its origins in the riding traditions of southern European cattle herders: the Spanish Vaqueros, the Portuguese Campinos, the French Gardians and the Italian Butteri. These mounted herders were responsible for large herds of free-roaming, semi-wild cattle. Their tasks included driving and supervising the herds as well as separating individual animals or groups for breeding selection, relocation, marking or medical treatment.

The riding techniques, equipment and traditional styles of dress of these working riders form a rich local cultural heritage that shaped life for centuries in regions such as the French Camargue, the Portuguese Ribatejo and Alentejo, or the Italian Maremma and Campagna Romana.

Modern agriculture leaves little room today, even in southern Europe, for free-roaming cattle herds and their mounted herders. On large cattle farms – especially in Portugal – a few herders still work on horseback. Elsewhere, the traditions of the Doma Vaquera, the Butteri or the Gardians are still kept alive as a sport and/or tourist attraction. But the knowledge, techniques and traditions of the mounted cattle herders are needed less and less and are therefore at risk of gradually being lost.

Working Equitation was established as a sport to popularise these working riding styles once again and preserve them from being forgotten. At the same time, the aim was also to unite existing local competition traditions under a common set of rules and thus create a sport with international appeal.
 
Small, local competitions in Italy grew, in the 1990s, into the beginnings of an “official” Working Equitation movement, which France, Spain and Portugal soon joined. In 1996, riders from these countries competed in the first European Working Equitation Championship in Italy.

The new sport soon attracted international interest – especially, of course, in countries with corresponding traditions. In 2002, the first World Championship was held in Portugal, with teams from Brazil, France, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, Portugal and Spain taking part. In 2004, the World Association for Working Equitation (WAWE) was founded, giving the new equestrian sport a kind of “governing body” and uniform rules worldwide.

In Central and Northern Europe, Working Equitation took root somewhat later. A pioneer in Germany was the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Working Equitation Deutschland, founded in 2008, which established this previously unknown sport as a national tournament discipline.

In 2011, a German team took part in a Working Equitation World Championship for the first time. In 2012, the association Working Equitation Deutschland e. V. was formed, which has since acted as the representative of WAWE in Germany.
 
In 2016, Germany hosted the European Championship for the first time, and in 2018 the World Championship of Working Equitation – both events were held as part of the Pferd International trade fair at the Olympia equestrian facility in Munich. Germany – a country with no tradition of working equitation whatsoever! – quickly developed into serious competition for the major Working Equitation nations: at the World Championships in 2011, 2014 and 2018, the German team finished third, second and finally first in the team ranking.

• 1990s: Beginning of the "official" Working Equitation movement in Italy.

• 1996: First European Working Equitation Championship in Italy.

• 2002: First Working Equitation World Championship in Portugal.

• 2004: Founding of the World Association for Working Equitation (WAWE).

• 2008: Working Equitation established as a tournament discipline in Germany.

• 2011: Germany’s first participation in a World Championship.

• 2012: Founding of Working Equitation Deutschland e. V.

• 2016: European Championship of Working Equitation in Munich.

• 2018: World Championship of Working Equitation in Munich.

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