Is horseback riding a sport?

Do you think horseback riding is a sport?

Yes, it's harder than it looks.	73.1%	[ 19 ]
No. It's easy.	15.4%	[ 4 ]
Other. ___________. (Comment)	11.5%	[ 3 ]
Total Votes:			[ 26 ]

[Prokill12]

Yes it is.

[OCGuardians]

Demonique Rawr

I wouldn't consider it as a sport. I would consider it simply as ANIMAL ABUSE. Ugh, I hate horse back riding. They are using animals to sport, and sometimes they get very hurt in accidents.

That does not mean that riding is abuse. I own and ride. My horses never use bits, shoes, and I never use spurs, whips or compete. There ARE the idiots who abuse horses while riding, but riding horses is not abuse... There's just the idiots of the planets who abuse the gift.

[OCGuardians]

xunbroken_paranoiax

The defintion of sport in a contempary world has become so disoerted basicly anything athletic is considered a sport. But if the Olympic delegation have adminostratored horse racing a sport, then its a sport. Various forms of competitive horse racing can be dated back more than a thousand years ago, thats an ilustrious acolade no main stream sport will have. Consering popular sports have only been around for around a hundred year period., they dont come close to the prestgious history horse racing can boast.

But horse riding while jousting, now thats what I call entertaining and a mans sport!

Racing is horse abuse... And you're forgetting Show Jumping, Dressage, Reining, Cross country, Medieval horseback games, polo..... You're missin' a lot. I don't compete with my horses, but riding itself is very amazing. The idea of two different species working together as one. That's a gift.

[Elpico]

People are quick to forget that as a rider, you need to have a decent amount of strength depending on your discipline of choice. For example, I primarily ride my horses in pursuit of Dressage. In Dressage (especially in the higher levels) you generally do not see many unfit riders (I don't mean that in a sense of weight either. That's all relative.), which makes sense as they often ride very large warmblood horses with equally large movements. If your core muscles cannot handle repeated trot-lengthings/larger movements, you're likely to get bounced right out of your tack! Same goes for your legs - I can't expect a 1200+ lb. animal to move if I just touch them with my leg, there has to be pressure applied and inadequate muscling is just going to leave you exhausted and your horse sloppy looking. This is one of the reasons many, if not most, serious horse trainers and competitors seem to double as gym rats and health nuts!

When your involved in this sport, you have so much to lose at any moment. You not only have to worry about your own health and conditioning, you have to take care of a laundry list of your horses needs as well (Unless you have the money to pay other people to do all that for you, either way is well and good). Horses, like people, can get sick or injured on a moments notice, even when everything is "according to plan".

How is this unlike any other sport?
Conditioning. Training. Time. Money. Coaches. Teammates. Etc.
It's ignorant to straight out say "NOT A SPORT" when behind the scenes there is much more to it.

I like to look at Equestrian sports as a team sport all-around, even when the individual competitions are considered. There is always a pair - Horse AND rider. Realistically you can't have one without the other.


Side Note:

I wouldn't go so far as to consider racing as a whole abuse on the horses.
However, while I disagree with the idea of racing an under-developed animal, you have to consider the owners and the trainers who truly without a doubt LOVE their horses; Because without those horses, there likely won't be groceries for the household.
That being said, I don't personally consider racing a sport, just glorified gambling.


(P.S. Horse Racing isn't an official Olympic sport. Show Jumping, 3-day Eventing, Dressage are recognized Olympic horse events. The World Equestrian Games [WEG] recognizes more disciplines. Racing is sort of it's own world.)



Just my 2cents. wink

[OCGuardians]

Elpico

People are quick to forget that as a rider, you need to have a decent amount of strength depending on your discipline of choice. For example, I primarily ride my horses in pursuit of Dressage. In Dressage (especially in the higher levels) you generally do not see many unfit riders (I don't mean that in a sense of weight either. That's all relative.), which makes sense as they often ride very large warmblood horses with equally large movements. If your core muscles cannot handle repeated trot-lengthings/larger movements, you're likely to get bounced right out of your tack! Same goes for your legs - I can't expect a 1200+ lb. animal to move if I just touch them with my leg, there has to be pressure applied and inadequate muscling is just going to leave you exhausted and your horse sloppy looking. This is one of the reasons many, if not most, serious horse trainers and competitors seem to double as gym rats and health nuts!

When your involved in this sport, you have so much to lose at any moment. You not only have to worry about your own health and conditioning, you have to take care of a laundry list of your horses needs as well (Unless you have the money to pay other people to do all that for you, either way is well and good). Horses, like people, can get sick or injured on a moments notice, even when everything is "according to plan".

How is this unlike any other sport?
Conditioning. Training. Time. Money. Coaches. Teammates. Etc.
It's ignorant to straight out say "NOT A SPORT" when behind the scenes there is much more to it.

I like to look at Equestrian sports as a team sport all-around, even when the individual competitions are considered. There is always a pair - Horse AND rider. Realistically you can't have one without the other.


Side Note:

I wouldn't go so far as to consider racing as a whole abuse on the horses.
However, while I disagree with the idea of racing an under-developed animal, you have to consider the owners and the trainers who truly without a doubt LOVE their horses; Because without those horses, there likely won't be groceries for the household.
That being said, I don't personally consider racing a sport, just glorified gambling.


(P.S. Horse Racing isn't an official Olympic sport. Show Jumping, 3-day Eventing, Dressage are recognized Olympic horse events. The World Equestrian Games [WEG] recognizes more disciplines. Racing is sort of it's own world.)



Just my 2cents. wink

Uhm, thanks for the comment? My two cents:

Dressage = Abuse - Rolkur, over straining/extending the natural movements of horses, breeds do not matter they are all the same species - equine. Favored bits for dressage can snap a horse's jaw easily, as with any sport using the same bits.

Jumping - high speeds and tight turns don't mix, again, bits are a hazard as are the terrains used and equipment.

Cross Country - More natural to the horse, bits are a problem.

Racing - Horses drugged, beaten to run for money; thrown away(slaughter, abandonment) when not useable anymore. = ABUSE

I'm a owner who supports natural horse riding, (aka no bits - I wouldn't want a device made purposely to cause me pain for obedience in my mouth. No shoes, it does not allow to hoof to flex, hence circulation loss.) I've done my research, and witnessed my proof. Truely listen to your horse and they'll be happier to please you.

"I can't expect a 1200+ lb. animal to move if I just touch them with my leg, there has to be pressure applied and inadequate muscling is just going to leave you exhausted and your horse sloppy looking."

I don't need pressure, mine move off the slightest touch because I've proved that I'm the herd leader they can trust and work with equally. Again, try going natural, it's worth it, and it's cheaper. And painless.

[Elpico]

OCGuardians

Uhm, thanks for the comment? My two cents:

Dressage = Abuse - Rolkur, over straining/extending the natural movements of horses, breeds do not matter they are all the same species - equine. Favored bits for dressage can snap a horse's jaw easily, as with any sport using the same bits.

Jumping - high speeds and tight turns don't mix, again, bits are a hazard as are the terrains used and equipment.

Cross Country - More natural to the horse, bits are a problem.

Racing - Horses drugged, beaten to run for money; thrown away(slaughter, abandonment) when not useable anymore. = ABUSE

I'm a owner who supports natural horse riding, (aka no bits - I wouldn't want a device made purposely to cause me pain for obedience in my mouth. No shoes, it does not allow to hoof to flex, hence circulation loss.) I've done my research, and witnessed my proof. Truely listen to your horse and they'll be happier to please you.

"I can't expect a 1200+ lb. animal to move if I just touch them with my leg, there has to be pressure applied and inadequate muscling is just going to leave you exhausted and your horse sloppy looking."

I don't need pressure, mine move off the slightest touch because I've proved that I'm the herd leader they can trust and work with equally. Again, try going natural, it's worth it, and it's cheaper. And painless.

Its unfortunate your post sounds rather condescending when all I was aiming to do is support your notion of it being a sport. But to each his own I suppose. (It also seems to be the nature of the industry as well. Sigh.)

Of all the horses I have worked with, none have shown displeasure in the Dressage work. Perhaps I should have specified, I deal more with the Classical end of Dressage.
Rollkur has no place in a setting where people are correctly providing their horses with the fundamentals. Besides, you only see Rollkur in the upper levels (Olympics, WEG, FEI, etc.). Dressage IS one of the most natural forms of structured riding. Xenophon, the father of horsemanship also developed much of what we now consider our Dressage.
Dressage pretty plainly translates to training.
**Breeds DO matter when we are talking about conformational soundness for any desired activity.**

You cannot lump the negative things many mainstream competitors do into being the whole of a discipline. Not everyone treats their horses in a poor way just because they compete or specialize.
It's very ignorant to assume such disciplines as a whole are detrimental to the equine's over-all health.
This is why many people see Natural Horsemanship as a bunch of froofroo nonsense - people who adamantly practice it generally are the first to scream 'abuse' at any given competitive equestrian.

I will not argue in terms of barefooted-ness (All of mine have always been without shoes), aside from the few Quarter Horses with shrimpy, soft feet that fall apart once they touch anything other than grass, I'm an advocator of natural hoof health. In extreme cases, I'd rather see Epona hoofwear used, or boots such as the Cavallos.

You're lucky to have light, responsive horses. Many aren't and it's not always the current owner's fault. Majority of horses have some form of baggage.

I'm also going to go out on a limb here and assume you either a) have your horses on your home property or b) live very close by.
Many people who enjoy the sport simply do not have the time or the resources to practice NH in it's truest form. Besides, a lot of people don't actually own horses (in my area at least), majority are lease-based for competition seasons, leaving the rider powerless in the terms of the horse's training and shoe work.
I commend you for being one of the few who pursues this fully, I'm sure your horses thank you daily. Just try to appreciate the fact that not everyone outside of your NH bubble is evil and abusive to their horses.

[OCGuardians]

Elpico

OCGuardians

Uhm, thanks for the comment? My two cents:

Dressage = Abuse - Rolkur, over straining/extending the natural movements of horses, breeds do not matter they are all the same species - equine. Favored bits for dressage can snap a horse's jaw easily, as with any sport using the same bits.

Jumping - high speeds and tight turns don't mix, again, bits are a hazard as are the terrains used and equipment.

Cross Country - More natural to the horse, bits are a problem.

Racing - Horses drugged, beaten to run for money; thrown away(slaughter, abandonment) when not useable anymore. = ABUSE

I'm a owner who supports natural horse riding, (aka no bits - I wouldn't want a device made purposely to cause me pain for obedience in my mouth. No shoes, it does not allow to hoof to flex, hence circulation loss.) I've done my research, and witnessed my proof. Truely listen to your horse and they'll be happier to please you.

"I can't expect a 1200+ lb. animal to move if I just touch them with my leg, there has to be pressure applied and inadequate muscling is just going to leave you exhausted and your horse sloppy looking."

I don't need pressure, mine move off the slightest touch because I've proved that I'm the herd leader they can trust and work with equally. Again, try going natural, it's worth it, and it's cheaper. And painless.

Its unfortunate your post sounds rather condescending when all I was aiming to do is support your notion of it being a sport. But to each his own I suppose. (It also seems to be the nature of the industry as well. Sigh.)

Of all the horses I have worked with, none have shown displeasure in the Dressage work. Perhaps I should have specified, I deal more with the Classical end of Dressage.
Rollkur has no place in a setting where people are correctly providing their horses with the fundamentals. Besides, you only see Rollkur in the upper levels (Olympics, WEG, FEI, etc.). Dressage IS one of the most natural forms of structured riding. Xenophon, the father of horsemanship also developed much of what we now consider our Dressage.
Dressage pretty plainly translates to training.
**Breeds DO matter when we are talking about conformational soundness for any desired activity.**

You cannot lump the negative things many mainstream competitors do into being the whole of a discipline. Not everyone treats their horses in a poor way just because they compete or specialize.
It's very ignorant to assume such disciplines as a whole are detrimental to the equine's over-all health.
This is why many people see Natural Horsemanship as a bunch of froofroo nonsense - people who adamantly practice it generally are the first to scream 'abuse' at any given competitive equestrian.

I will not argue in terms of barefooted-ness (All of mine have always been without shoes), aside from the few Quarter Horses with shrimpy, soft feet that fall apart once they touch anything other than grass, I'm an advocator of natural hoof health. In extreme cases, I'd rather see Epona hoofwear used, or boots such as the Cavallos.

You're lucky to have light, responsive horses. Many aren't and it's not always the current owner's fault. Majority of horses have some form of baggage.

I'm also going to go out on a limb here and assume you either a) have your horses on your home property or b) live very close by.
Many people who enjoy the sport simply do not have the time or the resources to practice NH in it's truest form. Besides, a lot of people don't actually own horses (in my area at least), majority are lease-based for competition seasons, leaving the rider powerless in the terms of the horse's training and shoe work.
I commend you for being one of the few who pursues this fully, I'm sure your horses thank you daily. Just try to appreciate the fact that not everyone outside of your NH bubble is evil and abusive to their horses.

Did I speak ill of those who truly care about their horses? No. And I'll stay in my bubble thanks. What does it matter if you own or lease? I own a few, and I ride at my school. While I'm responsible for the animal, I respect it. Then there's the idiots who are taught wrong, like those who grew up using bits and refuse to see the pain they're actually causing a horse.

Did I mention I've owned abused horses and a few BLM mustangs? Respect them, and they'll respect you. All of them, even the mustangs, responded to light touch. People who don't have the time to fully listen to and understand the language of the true horse, rider bond, shouldn't have horses.

[iget0hoes]

not really. the only hard part about it is trying to stay on the horse