Tent-Pegging: The other equestrian sport

When the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games came to the United States, American horse enthusiasts became well-versed in the eight equestrian disciplines that were included there. But did you know that the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) recognizes two other horse sports as regional disciplines? Although they haven’t quite gained the international following of the more mainstream disciplines, horseball and tent-pegging are recognized and governed by the FEI and have a wide following in some parts of the world.

In tent-pegging competition, riders charge at a full gallop across a straight course 130-200 meters long holding a lance or sword. The weapon is used to pick up wooden or cardboard pegs stuck in the ground. The pegs are placed 1 meter or 2.5 meters apart, depending on the specific event. Riders must cross the course at a designated speed with half a penalty point taken for each second over the allotted time.

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Riders earn six points for each peg carried at least 10 meters when using cardboard or 15 meters when using wood. Removing a peg, but not carrying it the full distance earns four points. Striking a peg on the face but not dislodging it from the ground is worth two points.

There are several variations on the sport to add different challenges for riders. Variations include rings and peg, where riders must spear two rings before a single peg, and lemons and peg where sword-wielding riders slice hanging fruits before taking a peg.

Like many equestrian disciplines, tent-pegging traces its origins to warfare. The most commonly-accepted history of the sport finds its beginnings with cavalry soldiers who fought troops mounted on elephants in India in the Middle Ages. The soldiers found that the only way to incapacitate the armored elephants was to spear them in the toe, and tent-pegging was established as a training method for this battle tactic. The name of the sport comes from a less-likely origin story where cavalry riders would raid enemy camps before dawn, galloping through and removing the tent pegs with their spears.

Today, tent-pegging is most popular in India and Pakistan, but has spread to Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and around Asia and the Middle East. The sport hasn’t quite caught on in North America, although Team Canada had fairly recent success, winning the 2007 and 2008 International Championships in Oman and India, respectively.

To learn more about tent-pegging, visit ustpf.org.

Tomorrow: A look at horseball.

12 years ago

Leslie Potter

Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky. Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.

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View Comments

Aimee says:

March 14, 2012 at 2:10 am

Congratulations Team Canada!
PKL says:

March 14, 2012 at 6:51 am

This game sounds alot like one of the games our club would play, where we would spear a ring placed at different heights, and areas. It was fun and need skills.
Ellen says:

March 14, 2012 at 8:23 am

Hmm, sounds interesting. Although I don't think I would want to go galloping about carrying a sword!
Galadriel says:

March 14, 2012 at 11:57 pm

Wow, that looks like fun!
Muhammad says:

July 13, 2012 at 9:30 pm

I am 20. And i mastered tent pegging when i was 16, in my high school in Pakistan. Now i'm in USA. And unfortunately nobody plays it here. I wish i had somebody to play it with here.
brad gurney says:

December 12, 2012 at 3:51 am

possibly the best sport to be tried by myself
after looking at several sports this is one of the most exciting things i have tried
with out being fully committed this allows me to train a horse within a period of time that is achievable for most people
and maintain it with a small effort
i have heard it called ballet on horse back
or my favourite would be high speed dressage
Dr. Asim S. Malik (Awan) says:

September 10, 2013 at 9:59 am

Hello Mohammad and other,
My name is Dr. Asim S. Malik and I have read most of the comments and glad to know that many others in the US who know about the sport and want to establish it.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am seriously working toward registering' "Tent Pegging" as a sport in the USA. As per my knowledge until 2004 this sport was recognized in the US but after 2004 I don't see any activity regarding this sport.
Well, if you all who are interested, please email me back to me and let us put up a plan to move forward and register this event as a equestrian sport in the US once again. Any thoughts?
My email is Asim.Malik@qlty-plus.com
Sarpartap singh says:

December 2, 2013 at 11:47 pm

An International Tentpegging federation has been recently formed at Muscat by about 22 countries
those keen to know more about the sport and the organisation can contact at ssarpartap@yahoo.com
Ali says:

December 14, 2013 at 3:20 pm

The white horse in frame at 0:08 is called Ben Hur. He was my horse when I was at Aitchison College, Lahore - the premier institute for Tent Pegging in the region.
Today, we're trying to start tent-pegging in Houston, TX. You can view a picture of Ben Hur in 2001, at:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=627652887297053&set=a.627654833963525&type=3&theater
Dr. Asim S. Malik (Awan) says:

December 21, 2013 at 5:30 pm

Hello Ali from Houston, TX
It is pleasure to know that you are trying to establish a tent pegging team out of Houston, TX. My name is Dr. Asim S. Malik; I am from Tulsa, OK. I am also trying to establish a tent pegging team and a non-profit tent pegging federation under the name; United States Tent Pegging Federation. I have already secured the name in OK and in process for registering. Please contact me via email: Asim.Malik@qlty-plus.com. Thanks