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How is horseback riding NOT a sport?

Why do people think horseback riding is a sport?

  • Horseback riding is clearly not a sport. I've tried all I've done was sit on a horse and kick it and pull on reins whoopdedoo. Clearly the horse is doing all the work.

  • Answer:

    You have to take it seriously for it to be a sport. It sounds to me like you took a trail ride or one or two lessons. Certainly, if all you're doing is sitting on the horse while it's walking around, it's not a sport. However, if you were to take advanced lessons where you have to learn to trot and canter and learn to post while trotting and two point at the trot and canter and ride without stirrups, you'd know how much work it is to ride a horse. Or how about jumping or barrel racing or pole bending... you don't think it's a sport to learn to make a horse jump over a 3 foot fence or to stay on a horse as it gallops to the next barrel, then leans over 45 degrees as it turns, etc? It actually takes quite a lot of muscle and balance to have proper equitation merely riding the horse on the flat. You need leg muscle to make the horse go forward, you need stomach and back muscle to hold yourself the right way on the horse, you need arm muscle to stop the horse and to help balance the horse. And how do you think that the nice calm horse that you rode got to that level? Someone had to teach it what to do. You don't think it's a sport to work with a horse that has never had a rider and teach it how to respond to the rider's cues and teach it how to bend around turns and how to side pass and stuff. You don't think that the rider is doing any work when a horse spooks and runs off and the rider is trying to stay on the horse, get it to stop, and calm it down. Or when a horse starts rearing and bucking? What you don't realize is that there's a lot more to the horseback riding world than the small slice that you experienced. To form any opinion of the sport from sitting on a horse for one hour is foolhardy.

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It's called Equestrianism, it refers to the skill of riding or driving horses. This skill includes both use of horses for practical, working purposes as well as recreational activities and competitive sports. By merely sitting on a horse and kicking it and pulling on on reins is not a skill, anyone can achieve that. It's not how the horse controls you but how you control the horse. It's not easy, no matter what discipline you ride. Riding is a real sport, and takes real athletes. Funny thing is the definition of sport is "physical activity engaged in for pleasure," so horseback riding certainly meets that criterion wouldn't you say, also it's a athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, a diversion; recreation, pleasant pastime. Horseback riding can be both relaxing and exciting. An experienced rider can make horseback riding look effortless, but if you've never ridden a horse or have no experience it won't mount to much but a horse that challenges you..! Take the time to learn this skill, only if truly interested, you will be glad you did, it's an amazing sport for sure. :) Good Luck and be sure to have fun..

Sandra S.

So if you kicked the horse and he took off at full speed would you be able to stay on the horse? Would you be able to control where the horse goes? Would you be able to stay on the horse if he jumped a creek? What if he was running at 30 mph under a tree. Would you know what to do? Do you know how to get a horse to go from a walk to a trot to a canter to a full run? It takes lots of practice and experience to know how to control a horse. Would baseball be a sport if you stood at the plate watching the ball come over and you just stood there? Would football be a sport if the players just stood still for one hour? All of these things take conditioning and practice. They are all sports, but if you don't learn them properly, it is not only not a sport, it is no fun. So what is the point in all of it. All requires practice, and learning. Hope that clears it up a bit for you.

Vicki J

Because It requires skill and training to control the horse properly.

Jacob

you obviously did not ride. You just sat there and did nothing therefore obviously the horse did all the work. If you get off a horse with all you muscles aching then you have properly ridden a horse, it is a proper workout and a proper sport and people who say otherwise have no understanding of riding in general, let alone the finer points of it. Its like someone saying, how is table tennis a sport? all you do is stand at a table and hit a ball over a tiny net.

jumper

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