The major subdivisions of the English riding genre are:

• Hunt seat: The overall term used to describe forward seat riding, used both on the flat and over fences. This is the style most commonly associated with the term "English" riding.
• Dressage: A term meaning training, a form of both training and competition on the flat that emphasizes natural training of the horse to perform calmly and quietly in complete obedience to the rider. A recognized Olympic competition.
• Show hunter: Competition over fences where the horse's form, style and way of going is paramount
• Show jumping: Competition over fences where scoring is entirely objective, based on time and on the number of obstacles cleared without knockdowns. A recognized Olympic competition.
• Eventing: Competition that combines Dressage, cross-country jumping and show jumping, usually held over a three-day period. A recognized Olympic competition.
• Classical dressage: Dressage as practiced in historic times, with principles and goals similar to competitive dressage, but with different breeds of horses used, additional (and more difficult) haute ecole ("high school") skills developed, and seen today primarily in exhibition, rather than in competition.
• Saddle seat: A discipline created in the United States to exhibit flashy, high-stepping breeds of horses.
• English pleasure: classes on the flat (not to jump) where horses are evaluated on manners and way of going. Seen in both hunt seat and saddle seat disciplines.
• In addition, most of these disciplines feature an equitation division that judges riders on their form and style.

Western horse show competition
Competition for western riders at horse shows and rodeos include in the following events:

• Western pleasure - the rider must show the horse together with other horses in an arena at a walk, jog (a slow, controlled trot), and lope (a slow, controlled canter). In some breed competitions, a judge may ask for a hand gallop, and (rarely) an extended trot.

The horse must remain under control on a loose rein, with low head carriage, the rider directing the horse with nearly invisible aids and minimal interference.

• Reining - considered by some the "dressage" of the western riding world, with FEI-recognized status as a new international discipline at the World Equestrian Games, reining requires horse and rider to perform a precise pattern consisting of circles at a lope and gallop with flying changes of lead, rapid "spins" (a turn in one spot on the haunches), "rollbacks" (a rapid turn immediately followed by a gallop in the opposite direction) and the crowd-pleasing sliding stop (executed from a full gallop).
• Cutting - this event highlights the "cow sense" prized in stock horses. The horse and rider select and separate a cow (or steer) out of small herd of 10-20 animals. The cow inevitably tries to return to its herdmates; the rider loosens the reins and leaves it entirely to the horse to keep the cow from returning to the herd, a job the best horses do with relish, savvy, and style. Depending on the level of competition, one to three judges award points to each competitor.
• Team penning: a timed event in which a team of 3 riders must select 3 to 5 marked steers out of a herd and drive them into a small pen. The catch: riders cannot close the gate to the pen till they have corralled all the cattle (and only the intended cattle) inside. The fastest team wins, and teams exceeding a given time limit are disqualified.