Yes. There were a lot of competitions out there for sure and depending on if you were rich or poor you might have nice tack and/or the "right" clothing for horse riding. Obviously a lot of people who didn't have money to wreck their horses in these competitions wouldn't be out there but the wealthy ones would at times go through them like dirty socks unfortunately. There is definitely interesting history in each part of the world in this area as each country would have different ways in which to compare their horses to others. For example, in the "wild west" it would be about cutting and reining so that cattle driving and ranch work would be easier and/or faster. So there were lots of competitions in that regard. Just one of many examples. Over in Mongolia there would be competitions of archery on horseback. Head into England and it would be about catching foxes etc and working with dogs.