h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I saw a thing on telly not long back where they explained the history of Dressage.

They claimed it was how knights trained their horse to dance about on the battlefield - which kind of makes sense really. I guess a horse with a knight on board would need to dance away from swords, lances, disembowled corpses etc. during such activities.

Golly though - take away the armour, battle axes, blood and gore and it really is a different spectacle huh?

Gave just a *little* bit more respect for it still though.

The Palio, held twice a year in Siena, Italy
Or
Afghan polo teams of 40 plus riders and no rules

Yes Orcas very true
The basics ware steer with your heels and long sharp spurs to pierce the heavy drapes the horses were covered with.
The Capriole was the only true offensive movement, that is where the horse was trained to jump into the air and kick back with both hind legs.

Knights chargers are not like today's thoroughbred riding horsed.
They are still plenty around, the shire-horses there are many heavy horses breads all are descended from the redundant chargers that gunpowder made redundant.

Tennis.

PP.

'Snap' when played by 5-year-olds…

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Some interesting suggestions, thanks.

That Afghan one probably captures the Colosseum spirit best, but it doesn't seem particularly modern.


'Gladius' is a Roman sword, of course, but today we only use swords in fencing, which again isn't very modern.


Taekwondo might be a good modern combat alternative - it's certainly dangerous.


But there's also a tactical element to gladiatorial combat - they carried different weapons for one thing. It's for that reason I find cricket gladiatorial. The bowler pits his wits against the batsman - both carry different weapons.

That Afghan one is disgusting!

I certainly wouldn't consider it a 'sport' and I'm not endorsing it, but I'm surprised no-one's mentioned bull fighting, camel wrestling and other sports that aren't really that different from bear baiting or cockfighting which are still legal in some countries.

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Bull fighting is the first "sport" that came to my mind. And when I saw the "goat dragging", I figured that was representative of such. Bull fighting is an obvious suggestion and does belong in this category.


I wouldn't also include such abhorrences as dog fighting or cock fighting as those do not feature a "gladiator", a human fighting the animals. But I feel about the same about them as I do bull fighting.

Define "modern."

" there are many heavy horses breads" [Bobstafford]

I guess putting horses into bread would make it pretty heavy.

Thanks for the entertaining typo.

If it's gladiatorial for a man to fight animals, then lion-taming would pass muster, wouldn't it?

How about karate?

I was defining 'gladiatorial' as being the sort of entertainment that would have been seen in a Roman arena, which would include blood sports of animals fighting other animals.

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I'm trying to picture the Roman's of the Flavian Amphitheatre reaction to a couple of teams of guys rocking up with a bat, ball and some stumps and proceeding to take 5 days over the game...

I think I'd have been in on chucking a couple of lions in to mix it up a bit

Don't get me wrong, I love cricket, but I can't see it as being a big hit with the Romans

Fencing has been mentioned. Definitely gladiatorial, as the name implies.

Otherwise, boxing.

Fencing has been mentioned.
Definitely gladiatorial, as the name implies.

Especially if you enclose someones else land!

How about rodeo sports like riding a bucking bronco? It's the modern equivalent, damage-wise, of hunting mastodons in the last ice age.

G'day. I reckon it would have to be the crocks mate, but the redditors would upvote the drop-bear every time.

Captain Hook being chased by a hungry croc?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGkdcpTY1QI

Chito and the friendly croc.

http://youtu.be/18gxw3V7cPs