Happy 1903.... I mean 2009!

The following old message was written in the New York Times on 31th of December in 1902, and is again actual.

Nowadays everywhere around the world people are playing pushball with their horses, like they did in New York on the Christmas Ride in Durland Riding Academy.

Each country has his own variation of this ancient sport. The amount of discovered equine pushball related countries are growing: Czech, Germany, Holland/Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine, USA.

The link is showing the original article of the NYT, click there for it on "View full article":

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E00E6DF1F3DEE32A25752C3A9649D946397D6CF

My own version is "pushball behind horseback": walking with double longe behind my Norwegian Fjordhorse. ;-))

I wish you all the best and let the international pushball network grow!

Pushball v.s. Horseball

Both equine team games will be played with a ball.

The main difference is:
A large Pushball will be kicked by the horse itself. And a Horseball is an small ball with leather handles, which will be catched by the rider. And a high basket, like basket ball, as an goal.

This year there will be a Premium in the Netherlands: Hélène de Fremery arranged that both equine games will give a show togehter on one day. On an international Driving Contest! It will be the World Championships Four-In-Hand on the Estate Heerlijkheid Mariënwaerdt of Family Van Verschuer in Beesd (NL): on Sunday 7th of September 2008. Watch http://www.wkvierspannen.nl/ (also English version).

Horseball picture is made by http://www.luifoto.nl/: Riding School Nieuw Eldorado (Soest,NL) against Horseball Team Brembos (Roosendaal, NL). Watch http://www.horseball.nl/ and http://www.horseball.com/

Pushball picture shows debutants on the '20th Frisian Horses Day' in Hoofddorp (NL): first experience with the huge leather ball from Pushball Club Rotterdam.

Horses and the large ball, the only equine teamsport with the horse pushing the large ball by itself

International names of this old horse game: pushball on horseback, pushball a cheval (F), horse soccer, equine soccer, equine pushball, paardenvoetbal (NL), horse football, hoofball

Equine pushball fascinates Pacific Slope (New York Times, April 21, 1907) http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=2&res=9407EFDB163EE233A25752C2A9629C946697D6CF&oref=slogin&oref=slogin_r=2&res=9407EFDB163EE233A25752C2A9629C946697D6CF&oref=slogin&oref=slogin_r=2&res=9407EFDB163EE233A25752C2A9629C946697D6CF&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Horse soccer (USA)
http://www.horsesoccer.com/

Equine soccer
http://www.naturalhorsetalk.com/documents/PlayEquineSoccer.pdf

Hoofball
http://science.blogdig.net/archives/articles/June2006/03/Hoofball.html
Source of this article is: http://4beatgait.blogspot.com/ => see hoofball junior!

Paardenvoetbal - Horsefootball (Europe, NL)
Movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCFLOMeGaf4

(Other sorts of) pushball around the world

Pushball (on foot)
The oldest pushball game is pushball (on foot) (USA, 1891) with a large amount of people on a big square playing a 6 feet large ball above their head.

See the blog of Thorn Pricks with "Who Rembers Pushball?" with the whole history of pushball in general.
http://thornpricks.blogspot.com/2006/11/who-remembers-pushball.html

Pushball Rush Rules (since 1914)
http://www.lib.rpi.edu/Archives/traditions/rushes/push_ball.html

Still in the USA Army the soldiers are training with (strategic) pushball (on foot). And also an University competition of pushball (on foot) still exists in the USA at this moment.
I found pictures in Life magazine (1941) of the US Army playing this game in the Second World War(see the pictures in a next article on this blog).

This added movie is made in 1933 in Chicago, it gives a good impression in playing pushball (on foot).
Chicago, IL: Exclusive pictures of a hectic pushball game in which the Freshmen of Loyola University defeat the Sophomores in a wild battle for a prize beer keg, after many players suffer bumps and bruises.
This item is part of the collection: Universal Newsreels
Production Company: Universal Studios
Audio/Visual: silent, b&w
Creative Commons license: Public Domain

See the movie on this site:
http://www.archive.org/details/1933-11-15_Loyola_Students_Compete_For_Keg

Thai elephant soccer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLF9oxx1DKs

Moto Polo: Polo on four wheels => "car pushball" http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/05/page/8/

Famous Dutch freestyle trainer Emiel Voest with double longe and pushball

Emiel Voest learned me this method of double longe 6 years ago. After a while it was my idea to create a variation on pushball on horsback, you may call it "pushball behind horseback" (if this word exist in English).
Emiel learned my Norwegian fjord horse Ingalill working with the ball and the double longe. See the picture is a result, even we both can turn corners with this horse.

This horse is a daughter of the mare Ose on the picture of 1982, with the ball in the center. Ingalill is in the training of the other horses and pony's the so called "Mirror Horse" (as Monty Roberts should say): the behaviour of this experienced pushball horse is an example (mirror) for the debutant animals who are reallly exited by watching this large (pony size) yellow ball. These learning animals have trusted and watched my patient horse: this proces was a succes for about 55 pony's and horses in 4 years time!

Picture is made by Ben Schellekens on 6. of April 2008 in Rotterdam (NL)

Pushball in Offental, Germany (1982)

The first time a Dutch Fjord Horse Team was invited for a real pushball game: Germany - Holland. They have scored against the Germans! And that for a first play against a team of the German Competition. It was fun. Look how fanatical the horse kicks the large leather ball!
Now we play pushball again in the Netherlands and with an other leather ball for the Warmblood horses (1,30 meter high ball, like the one of the British Lancers a century ago).

Picture from: the Dutch Fjord Horses Studbook

Interview WTIP Radio (USA) Horse Soccer 082207

http://www.wtip.org/news/?p=169