Tent pegging is a cavalry sport with a long history and is one of 10 equestrian sports disciplines officially recognized by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).
Tent pegging is played all over the world these days and is particularly popular in Australia, India, Israel, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, South Africa, Canada, the USA, and the UK. The Olympic Council of Asia also recognized tent pegging as an official sport in 1982.
The term “tent pegging” is used in a strict sense for a special type of equestrian game having ground targets. Commonly, it is the name for all equestrian games played with pointed weapons on horseback. This game has certain basic rules and categories. These involve a galloping rider using a sword or spear to pierce, pick up, and carry a small target (a piece of wood or tent peg) in the ground. Later on, different categories were added to this sport, such as passing a spearhead through a hanging ring, spearing a dummy, attacking a dummy with a sword or spear, and shooting arrows at a target.
