Equestrians are some of the hardest working athletes I know. This sport requires dedication, communication, skill, talent, strength, discipline, and passion to be successful. With the hours and hard work put into our sport, it deserves to be recognized as such. Horseback riding is one of the most perfect combinations of teamwork and grace.
Publicity such as the equestrian Olympics and NCAA team formations are slowly starting to spread the knowledge about horseback riding. Hopefully, one day, equestrians and their partners will be recognized as the athletes in the sport that they live their lives for.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
It's On Collegiate Level Now
The Olympics are not the only equestrian activity struggling to receive recognition. Equestrian teams are rapidly starting to form in middle schools, high schools, and colleges across the country. Larger colleges such as the University of Georgia, Auburn University, the University of South Carolina, and Texas A&M all have NCAA Division 1 ranked teams. The NCAA website calls Women’s Equestrian “one of the most popular emerging sports.” While the formation of these teams is becoming increasingly popular, the sport is overshadowed by the even more popular football teams.
Our school Berry College, which is recently ranked NCAA Division 3, has its own equestrian team of which I am a member. When I first came to Berry, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of recognition our team gets compared to the soccer, baseball, and basketball teams. Though it is highly recognized, many people still don’t even know that we have an equestrian team which is even more surprising.
These people think that we go up to the barn and ride horses around in circles for hours on end. Our team and its athletes follow a designed workout program and have up to four weekly practices. We also travel to competitions against other schools just like the other teams. With fliers, publications, and meet and greets, other students and non-equestrians are slowly beginning to recognize our team as an actual sport and not just a past-time activity.
Our school Berry College, which is recently ranked NCAA Division 3, has its own equestrian team of which I am a member. When I first came to Berry, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of recognition our team gets compared to the soccer, baseball, and basketball teams. Though it is highly recognized, many people still don’t even know that we have an equestrian team which is even more surprising.
These people think that we go up to the barn and ride horses around in circles for hours on end. Our team and its athletes follow a designed workout program and have up to four weekly practices. We also travel to competitions against other schools just like the other teams. With fliers, publications, and meet and greets, other students and non-equestrians are slowly beginning to recognize our team as an actual sport and not just a past-time activity.
We...Are...The...Chammmpionssssss...With Zero Recognition
The equestrian Olympics are featured on television but are often cut short due to “more important” events so many non-equestrians have to ability to watch and learn. There is an e-book on the Berry Library site called "A Who's Who of Sports Champions: Their Stories and Records".
It has the short biography of different sports champions over time and includes a of couple riders that participated in the equestrian part of the Olympics. One of the riders is Bill Steinkraus who rode for six U.S. Olympic Teams and was the captain of 5 of them. He also was the first American to win the gold in individual jumping. This is highly impressive for an Olympic athlete, but due to the lack in recognition of horseback riding, his achievements aren’t as well known.
It has the short biography of different sports champions over time and includes a of couple riders that participated in the equestrian part of the Olympics. One of the riders is Bill Steinkraus who rode for six U.S. Olympic Teams and was the captain of 5 of them. He also was the first American to win the gold in individual jumping. This is highly impressive for an Olympic athlete, but due to the lack in recognition of horseback riding, his achievements aren’t as well known.
Equestrian Olympics
Here is a question: if horseback riding isn’t a sport, then why is it a competition in the Olympics? With massive records being broken and set by other athletes like Michael Phelps, the equestrian portion of the Olympics is often overlooked. Many people are shocked to discover that there is horseback riding in the Olympics.
Here is a question: if horseback riding isn’t a sportThe equestrian portion of the Olympics consists of a type of riding called Three Day Eventing. This section is spread over three days with a different section on each day, dressage the first day, cross country the second day, and jumpers the third day. Dressage is a form of riding where the horse is essentially dancing. The purpose is for the rider to remain completely motionless, but communicate so effectively with the horse that it is not noticeable.
Cross Country is a type of riding that was developed by the military to train their horses in endurance and bravery. This section is a timed course across miles of land with five to six foot jumps and embankments of water. The third and final section is show jumping. The horse and rider complete a series of five to six foot jumps in a given time limit.
An article in the Sports & Fitness Magazine provides a history of the equestrian portion of the Olympics
Here is a question: if horseback riding isn’t a sportThe equestrian portion of the Olympics consists of a type of riding called Three Day Eventing. This section is spread over three days with a different section on each day, dressage the first day, cross country the second day, and jumpers the third day. Dressage is a form of riding where the horse is essentially dancing. The purpose is for the rider to remain completely motionless, but communicate so effectively with the horse that it is not noticeable.
Cross Country is a type of riding that was developed by the military to train their horses in endurance and bravery. This section is a timed course across miles of land with five to six foot jumps and embankments of water. The third and final section is show jumping. The horse and rider complete a series of five to six foot jumps in a given time limit. An article in the Sports & Fitness Magazine provides a history of the equestrian portion of the Olympics
Yeah We Get Hurt Too
While the occurrence of injury isn’t what defines a sport, it is a big factor in the description of a sport. Injuries occur frequently in sports such as football, soccer, and baseball, but they also occur during horseback riding. These injuries are often torn muscles, separated shoulders, neck and back injuries, and concussions. The American Medical Equestrian Association published an article in April of 2001 with the statistics of the most common injuries that occur during horseback riding and equestrian events.
While it seems a little redundant to list multiple statistics on injuries related to horseback riding, non-equestrians tend to forget that riders are working with a 1,300 or more pound animal and horses are a lot less predictable than a ball. The Journal of Trauma Management published an article with the hospital admission rates of equestrians compared to other sports in 2008.
While the fact that equestrians are more prone to injury doesn’t make them any more athletic than other athletes, or make horseback riding any more of a sport than football or soccer, these statistics definitely provide reason for people to believe and recognize horseback riding as a sport of the same caliber as the others.
While it seems a little redundant to list multiple statistics on injuries related to horseback riding, non-equestrians tend to forget that riders are working with a 1,300 or more pound animal and horses are a lot less predictable than a ball. The Journal of Trauma Management published an article with the hospital admission rates of equestrians compared to other sports in 2008.
While the fact that equestrians are more prone to injury doesn’t make them any more athletic than other athletes, or make horseback riding any more of a sport than football or soccer, these statistics definitely provide reason for people to believe and recognize horseback riding as a sport of the same caliber as the others.
Consequences
When a horse is about six or seven feet away from the jump they can no longer see the obstacle in front of them. This is because of the placement of their eyes. According to Evelyn B. Hanggi, horses have lateral eye placement, meaning their eyes are located on the sides of their heads.
“This gives them a much larger field of view compared to humans; in fact, when holding their heads level, they possess a nearly spherical field of vision. With vision that extends almost a full horizontal circle, horses have no problem seeing what goes on around them. Blind areas to the horse exist only within a narrow region to the rear as well as a small area perpendicular to the forehead and directly below the nose” (Hanggi). This article on MyHorse.com gives an even more detailed explanation of horse vision
As they get closer to the jump, the fence slowly loses length on each side until the jump disappears altogether. At this point, communication between horse and rider becomes vital because it is up to the rider to signal the horse when to jump. If the rider signals the horse incorrectly, the horse could either take off too early or take off too late, both of which could result in the horse crashing through the jump. This can lead to injury to both horse and rider. This video is an example.
“This gives them a much larger field of view compared to humans; in fact, when holding their heads level, they possess a nearly spherical field of vision. With vision that extends almost a full horizontal circle, horses have no problem seeing what goes on around them. Blind areas to the horse exist only within a narrow region to the rear as well as a small area perpendicular to the forehead and directly below the nose” (Hanggi). This article on MyHorse.com gives an even more detailed explanation of horse vision
As they get closer to the jump, the fence slowly loses length on each side until the jump disappears altogether. At this point, communication between horse and rider becomes vital because it is up to the rider to signal the horse when to jump. If the rider signals the horse incorrectly, the horse could either take off too early or take off too late, both of which could result in the horse crashing through the jump. This can lead to injury to both horse and rider. This video is an example.
Oh..It Involves Communication?
During many sports, the teammates have to communicate back and forth to make sure everything runs smoothly during their game or competition. This is done through yelling to each other or relaying plays from the coach’s direction. In horseback riding, we have our own "plays" or ways of communication with our teammate and in this case the teammate is the horse. A slight complication would be if the team spoke different languages, or if the team couldn't speak at all.
There are different ways to communicate with each teammate. With horses, every single horse has a different method of communication from the rider whether it is because of preference or simply from the way the horse was trained. For example, with my horse John-John, you ask him to move forward by squeezing with your calves, sitting back, and pulling back slightly back on the reins. With my other horse, Sassie, you squeeze with your calves, lean forward, and loosen the reins, nearly the opposite directions from John-John. Therefore, every time you get a new teammate, your "plays" or forms of communication will change. This typically doesn't happen with other sports. Every team will come up with its own set of plays but they don't normally change with every practice or game.
The “plays” are constantly changing in horseback riding due to the switching combinations of riders and horses. If a “play” is communicated incorrectly during a sport such as football, the main consequence is that the game would be lost or the other team would score a touchdown. While jumping a horse, if there is an incorrect signal from the rider, the consequence could be deadly.
There are different ways to communicate with each teammate. With horses, every single horse has a different method of communication from the rider whether it is because of preference or simply from the way the horse was trained. For example, with my horse John-John, you ask him to move forward by squeezing with your calves, sitting back, and pulling back slightly back on the reins. With my other horse, Sassie, you squeeze with your calves, lean forward, and loosen the reins, nearly the opposite directions from John-John. Therefore, every time you get a new teammate, your "plays" or forms of communication will change. This typically doesn't happen with other sports. Every team will come up with its own set of plays but they don't normally change with every practice or game.
The “plays” are constantly changing in horseback riding due to the switching combinations of riders and horses. If a “play” is communicated incorrectly during a sport such as football, the main consequence is that the game would be lost or the other team would score a touchdown. While jumping a horse, if there is an incorrect signal from the rider, the consequence could be deadly.
There's More to It Than Racing?
After I get back from a show each weekend, the most common question I am asked is: “So how did your race go?” Due to the widely broadcasted event called the Kentucky Derby, non-equestrians seem to think that racing is the only form of horseback riding. While the term “horseback riding” is the main generalization of the sport, there are a number of different forms of riding that make up the whole activity.
Along with racing, the other commonly known type of riding is polo, not the clothing brand, but the game Prince William is often featured playing. These two are the most popular, but there are other divisions such as English, western, eventing, gymnastics, dressage, cross country, and many more. I participate in English, which consists of jumping and equitation, both judged on the form, cooperation, and most importantly, the skills of both the rider and horse. While there are many types of riding and riders, each participant requires a different amount of skill to become successful in their sport.
These skills may appear to be random or unimportant in daily life but they are highly valuable to each equestrian. These skills vary through many different aspects of the riding. For example, jumpers need to have great depth perception in order to judge the distance between themselves and the fence, while western riders require the balance to stay upright while racing around a barrel. Without these vitally important skills, each equestrian would be unsuccessful in their riding. Each type of riding is different and requires its own amount of skill, though the one requirement that they all have in common is the need for communication.
It Began With A Birthday
Everybody is born with a passion in their hearts. I was born with a love for horses and everything equine. My parents surprised my friends and I with pony rides for my sixth birthday and that’s when my love became my passion. Naturally, I began begging for riding lessons, which they granted me about the time I was ten. Horseback riding quickly took over nearly every aspect of my life. Weekday afternoons were spent with riding lessons and weekends were consumed by traveling to competitions or just hanging out at the barn.
After devoting nearly my whole life thus far to being an equestrian, it’s insulting to take note of the lack of recognition that the sport receives in our society. Half of the reason is that people don’t understand all the effort equestrians put into our sport. The other half is under the impression that horseback riding consists of riding ponies around in circles while looking pretty.
Horseback riding is a different kind of sport due its unique requirements and forms of competition, but it is still a sport nonetheless. Sports consist of: skill, strength, communication, teamwork, determination, and hard work, all of which is demanded of the equestrian sport. Due to these requirements, horseback riding should be recognized more as a sport, and not as a hobby between girls and their ponies.
After devoting nearly my whole life thus far to being an equestrian, it’s insulting to take note of the lack of recognition that the sport receives in our society. Half of the reason is that people don’t understand all the effort equestrians put into our sport. The other half is under the impression that horseback riding consists of riding ponies around in circles while looking pretty.
Horseback riding is a different kind of sport due its unique requirements and forms of competition, but it is still a sport nonetheless. Sports consist of: skill, strength, communication, teamwork, determination, and hard work, all of which is demanded of the equestrian sport. Due to these requirements, horseback riding should be recognized more as a sport, and not as a hobby between girls and their ponies.
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