Home / Equestrian sports / Tent pegging
Traditional and historic
Tent pegging is an old cavalry game: at full gallop, the rider uses a lance or a sword to pick up a small wooden peg and carry it away.
| Group | Traditional and historic |
|---|---|
| Also called | tentpegging, neza bazi, equestrian skill-at-arms |
| Olympic | no |
| Governing body | International Tent Pegging Federation (ITPF) |
| Where it is popular | Tent pegging is especially popular in India, Pakistan, Oman, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. In Pakistan it is called neza bazi. |
Under international federation rules, the run from start to finish is 80 metres, and the peg stands 70 metres from the start. Individual riders have 6.4 seconds per run, and the pegs are first 6 and then 4 centimetres wide. A peg carried for 10 metres earns 6 points, a peg pulled out of the ground earns 4, and a simple hit earns 2. There are individual, pairs and team events with four riders per team.
The sport needs a fast, straight-running and calm horse that is big and strong enough to carry a rider with a lance. All horses are checked by vets before the competition.
Riders compete with a lance 2.2 to 2.75 m long or a sword. A safety helmet is required, and a turban may be worn over it.
The top event is the Tent Pegging World Cup: the first was held in Oman in 2014 and the second in South Africa in 2023. The first international championship took place in Hyderabad, India, in 1985.
International events are open to riders from age 16, but people start earlier at clubs that offer tent pegging. First comes a confident canter and gallop, and lance work is learned gradually, with a helmet and a coach.
According to one theory, the game began in medieval India as a tactic against war elephants. In 2004, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) recognised tent pegging as an official discipline.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, asianef.org