▲Tibetan participants perform on horses during a traditional equestrian competition in Hongyuan county, in the north of Sichuan Province.

▲A horse wearing head protection against flies is pictured during the Nation Cup jumping tournament at the World Equestrian Festival CHIO in Aachen.

▲Hundreds of wild mares trot during the Saca de las Yeguas event at El Rocio, in southern Spain's Doñana National Park.

▲A rider strokes the mane of her horse during preparation for the Cavalia show in Brussels.

▲A competitor navigates the Owl Hole jump during the cross country event at the Badminton Horse Trials in Badminton, Gloucestershire.

▲A rider clears a jump during the first qualifying round of a show jumping competition at the Markopoulo equestrian center in Athens.

▲A horse from the Kings Troop, the Royal Horse Artillery, swims in the sea near Blackpool, Lancashire.

▲A cowboy riding a bronco attempts to stay in the saddle during the annual Falkland Stampede in Falkland, British Columbia.

▲People admire hundreds of wild horses which have been rounded up during the Rapa Das Bestas event in Sabucedo, Pontevedra.

▲Two Lipizzaner horses play and get to know each other in the stables of the historic Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

▲A traditional Russian troika—a sledge drawn by three horses—competes on the ice-covered Yenisei River during the annual Ice Derby amateur horse race near the Siberian settlement of Novosyolovo, south of Krasnoyarsk.

▲Britain's Prince William (left) competes for the ball against an equally determined opponent during the Jerudong Trophy polo match at Cirencester Park Polo Club near Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

▲A jockey from Montone parish rides his horse flat out during the famous Palio di Siena horse race in Tuscany.

▲Riders of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna and riders of the Royal Andalusian Riding School in elegant repose before a gala show in Vienna.

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A mounted policeman leads a group of migrants near Dobova, Brežice, in eastern Slovenia.

▲A pack of riders cycles past a woman on a horse during the Tour de France cycling race.

▲Jockeys race across the sand during the traditional horse and trotter race meeting in Duhnen on the German North Sea coast near Cuxhaven.

▲A Palestinian man washes his horse in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea as people swim on a hot day in the northern Gaza Strip.

▲A rider falls with his mount during an equestrian competition at the Army Equestrian School in Lima.

▲Belgian shrimp fishermen ride their horses in the sea in the coastal town of Oostduinkerke, Belgium.

▲A handler swims in the Caribbean Sea with a horse from the Garrison Savannah horse racing venue near Bridgetown.

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A horse stands in a lake in Rio Pardo next to Bom Futuro National Forest, in the district of Porto Velho, Rondonia State. The town of Rio Pardo, a settlement of about 4,000 people in the Amazon rain forest, rises where only jungle stood less than a quarter of a century ago. Loggers first cleared the forest, followed by ranchers and farmers, then small merchants and prospectors. Illegal deforestation in Brazil is commonplace.

▲A traveler washes her horse in Appleby in Westmorland. The horses are washed as part of the annual horse fair, which has taken place since the 1600s.

▲A Mongolian eagle hunter. Hunting with eagles is a traditional form of falconry found throughout the Eurasian Steppe in countries that include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Mongolia.

▲Wild Camargue horses galloping along the beach in Parc Regional de Camargue in Provence. The horses are a sightseeing favorite with tourists from around the world.

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Horsemen scuffle in front of a goal as one side attempts to score during Kyrgyzstan's Kok-boru Presidential Cup event in the capital, Bishkek.

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A rider performs with a horse during the equestrian show 'Cavalia' in Lisbon. 'Cavalia' was created by Normand Latourelle, one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil.

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The horse is one of the most recognized animals in the world. Reared in the wild as well as in domestic environments, these beautiful creatures interact with humans in a wide variety of sports competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits, working activities, and in fields of entertainment.

Browse the gallery and see the horse at work, rest, and play.