Guest post by Lindsay.
Kent Farrington. Picture Credit: NoelleFloyd.com
A few months ago, before teaching a lesson, I heard a a six year old boy teasing his sister, “Riding isn’t a sport- the horse does all the work!” I very calmly corrected him, in defense of his sister and myself. His mother responded, “He’s only teasing his sister.”
For over 20 years, I have been defending my SPORT. I have been teased, not only by my own brothers, but by gym teachers and other “sports” or “athletic” people. Many people classify riding as a hobby, where the horse does “all of the work” and the rider is “just along for the ride.”
I guess, for some people riding can be a hobby. I have never looked at my sport that way, but for argument’s sake, I will try. There are plenty of people in the horse world that are much more casual than I am. (A nice way of saying that I am incredibly intense.) Even at show barns, there are people that breeze in once or twice a month, putter around grooming, and perhaps take a lesson if the weather is nice. For those people, riding is just one of the many things that they do. I have met many people that just want to enjoy time with their horse, do some work in their lesson or on the trail, and get a little better each time they ride. (I would like to be very clear- if this is the type of rider that you are, the more power to you. I know you truly enjoy your rides and your horses and I do love seeing you around the barn. As a super intense person, I need to learn from you and remember that I am in the horse world because I enjoy it and it is fun- sometimes, I forget that.)
Georgina Bloomberg.
Some people prefer horsemanship to riding. (I cannot stress the importance of horsemanship!) They prefer to come see their horse everyday, groom, care for, and pamper their animal. I do know people who LOVE and prefer ground work with their horses. There are also people that prefer to be spectators; they love to audit clinics, watch horse shows, or even hang around the barn and watch lessons.
Okay, so for some people, this might just be a hobby. (Maybe.)
On the other hand, there are many people that treat riding as a sport. I am one of those people. The horse, for me, certainly does not “do all the work” – quite the opposite, in fact. I am an athlete. At 1/10 (or less) of the weight of the horse, it is up to my body to control this animal that will eventually become my partner, my teammate.
Lillie Keenan. Picture Credit: The Chronicle of The Horse.
For those that don’t think riding is a sport, I ask: how does a horse know what to do when you ride it? Magic? As some one who has been the first person on a few horses, I can tell you, it is not magic. It’s strength and skill. It is knowing where exactly to put you left calf muscle, while knowing what to do with your right pinky. It is having control over every single muscle in your body and knowing what to without watching your body work. (We all know what happens if you look down!)
The statement I often hear is, “Okay, well riding is a physical activity, but what about competition? You can’t have a sport without competition!” I am no stranger to “typical” sports. My family boasts college and semi pro athletes in baseball and football, my grandfather is even a Major League Baseball Scout. I have been involved in “typical” competition from a young age. Horse shows are more competitive than any other sport I have played or watched. Our athletes put tremendous mental pressure on themselves and their competitors. Riders and horses push themselves to their physical limits. Blood, sweat and tears? You will certainly find all of those at a horse show. Under a seemingly cool and calm demeanor, you find men and women that expect nothing less than a perfect performance from their horse and rider team.
So, what is left to prove? Riding’s physical difficulty? Take a lesson with me, and of course your upper thigh will hurt, but your abs will hurt for days. Try to lift up a horse, set him on his haunch, keep him straight – only using your legs, and then squeeze the dickens out of him to try to get him over a jump. Ask professional equestrians about their injuries; the list will be too long for most people to remember.
I rode collegiately and getting players from other sports at our school to view us as “legitimate” athletes was so frustrating. Like you said, you just have to smile and know it in your own heart!
so true happens ever day
I’ve been an equestrian for the past eight years, and I’ve gotten non-equestrian statements such as “The horses like to jump those fences. They do it by themselves,” “I don’t wanna do our presentation about horseback riding; that’s not even a sport,” “Soccer has more injuries than horseback riding,” “He was just a horse; why are you so sad? Mom has had actual friends and family die,” “Horses can’t be your friend,” “Horseback riding is easy,” and “She tried to convince me that horseback riding is a sport,” a gem which I wasn’t supposed to hear, from one of the jocks at my school to a new student, and after which the new guy had the nerve to laugh. Depending on what the comment is, I might just ignore or I might say something. Honestly, though, some of the “athletes” at my school like to laugh at the fact that I say that riding is a sport, but I can tell just by looking at their posture that they have never truly ridden a horse.
At our academy where we are starting new riders in horse riding lessons we add another level of fitness. We use a version of ‘Ride and Tie’. This is when you have a team of 2 riders and one horse. The riders hop scotch each other with one riding ahead and then ‘tying’ the horse while the runner catches up to the horse and then rides past the now runner.
Its a nice activity for young riders who have been sitting in school all day to get out and get moving.
Agree with what you say and with the other comments posted. Riding IS a sport. Some people just need to see that.
You are all wrong. Keep kidding yourselves and keep enjoying your hobby. Jog on!
Ok so riding takes flexibility, agility, high pain tolerance, determination and more. An you have probably never even been on a horse before. You probably play football or some other pointless sport like that. And let me remind you the equestrian is in the Olympics and football isn’t. So…… THINK AGAIN!!!!
Both equestrian and football were introduced for the second (modern) Olympics in 1900. Although the ancient olympic games (one-day event) started hundreds of years prior. This included an equestrian discipline, in the form of chariot racing.
Going a bit off topic here, but using the definition of sport that others have quoted on here “an activity involving physical exertion and skill” how is shooting an Olympic sport? I’m not questioning the skill, but exertion?
I’d like to see you try to jump a horse six feet.
I’d like to see you try to jump a horse six feet without falling off.
ok your right horse back riding isn’t a sport it’s more then that it’s a passion you idiot
I’d like to see you carry, guide and keep my horses rythym using just your two legs. Oh and good luck keeping him in frame
I hate when people try to tell me that equestrianism isn’t a sport.The definition of sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill”.So basiclly if you sweat at your riding lessons or whatever else you do,riding is a sport. Go Equestrians!!!!
I take horseback riding as a sport because well, like in football or soccer there are competitions.Well like in those sports in horseback riding there are also competitions. So i take horseback riding as a sport.
Some people think that horses do all the work well,thats not true.Riders need to know how to controll the animal because they can always act up. Riders also need to know the position when going throw the jump which is called a two point.
Oh I hate it when people say that the horse does all the work! I am learning to play polo, which people can sort of understand is a sport, as there is a clear team and a ball and goalposts. But they think it’s easy to control a 500 kg animal, whilst keeping focus on the ball, hitting the ball and on top of it all not get crushed and bumped off the horse by your opponent. So when they come round saying that golf or table tennis is a sport and equestrian disciplines aren’t, well yeah I pretty much want to smack them in the face. I generally just invite them to come have a try and let me know what they think after 😉
Dear Diana,
I know how one feel when some ignorant people make adverse comments on horse and rider.
Do not think what people think about Rider and Horse. My son and daughter both enjoyed riding as a adventure, sports.
It is not possible for common people to afford this extremely expensive hobby and the risk involved which may cost one life!!!
From time immemorial horses had long association with battles, sports,hunting,transportation, In present day it is also associated with military, police and ruling class and common people. They are used in competitive sports including, but not limited to, dressage, endurance riding, eventing, reining, show jumping, tent pegging, vaulting, polo, horse racing, driving, and rodeo.
Horses are also used for therapeutic purposes, both in specialized paraequestrian competition as well as non-competitive riding to improve human health and emotional development.
Keep enjoying your riding
Regards,
Rajendra Singh,
Bangalore(India)
Horseriding may be a “sport”, but riders are no athletes by any stretch of the imagination. Kinda like bowling, yes it’s a sport, that’s it.
Oh ok sure. I’ll just have you try and get on my ottb and jump a 4 ft fence, fall, stand up, and get right back on again; without a second though.
How is Horseback riding even vaguely similar to bowling? That is like comparing hopscotch to skydiving. I just want to know how you are so sure that the riders are not athletes? If it is a sport, then obviously the person doing it is an athlete.
Also, I was just wondering what sports do you do? I would love to hate on your sport.
Thank you for adding another website for me to sent people to after they criticize my sport. I’ll either do that or tell them to hop on a moody mare and ride it while it’s in season around a course like I have to. It’s so annoying when people call riding not a sport while my body’s aching from a whole lesson with no stirrups.