For all the people out there who believe that horse-back riding/any sport involving horses is not a sport, I have quite an argument for you. If you really wish to engage me on this subject go ahead, but be aware that I warned you not to.
Horse-back riding and all afilliated activites is/are (a) sport(s). (Is that messy enough for you?) If so here is what I'm attempting to say: Equestrians are Athletes! Most people who disagree: have no knowledge of horses, are afraid of horses, have never seen a horse except for on TV, or think they know everything about horses because they rode a pony at the county fair once and decided that was all the experience they needed to determine that riding horses is not a sport. Well I have a word or two to say to said people about their supposed knowledge on horses and neither word is very nice.
It takes a build-up of certain muscles to be able to control a two-ton animal and keep that animal's respect at the same time. For instance when stopping correctly one does not merely yank on those 'string things attached to the halter' (yeah, their called reins ad they attach to th bit which is attached to the bridle) one must sit down in the saddle and crunch ones abs in order to use one's tailbone to signal the horse to stop, if the horse does not stop then one must gently but firmly apply pressure to the horse's mouth by way of the reins while continuing to crunch abs. Even something as small as stopping the horse is a muscular task.
Another display of strength when riding is portrayed when one is 'going fast' (loping, cantering,
galloping). During this time one must once crunch abs and use leg muscles to collect the horse and safely mmove in to the next gait. Whilst one is loping/cantering one must continue to crunch abs in order to stay upright so as not to fall off the horse and DIE, while also using their legs to keep the horse moving at the correct speed. Moving at high speed on a horse can be very dangerous so before you say "Oh, that's nothing, (compared to another sport i.e. soccer, football, baseball, what-have-you)" why don't you get on my green, speed-crazed mare and try it. If you can successfully canter her in a perfect circle while maintaining her speed, not falling off, not letting her run away with you, and getting her to slow back down, then I might listen to you.
Equestrian sports are the type of sports that build muscle, increase reaction time/mental capabilites, and teach a person how to control almost every muscle in the body which is what I think about every other sport in the worl also does. What most other sports in the world do not have is the imminent danger of serious injurey or death. Equestrian sports are more dangerous than extreme skiing (which is not something every highschool sport could claim), every time an equestrian involves themself in any way with a horse they are risking their life. This is caused by the unpredictability of a horses actions. At any given moment a horse could bolt at, kick, bite, or trample anything in their path. I have almost been killed due to horse-related accidents at least twice in my six years of riding horses, I've been thrown, run away with, knocked down, dragged, stepped on and almost trampled by a two thousand pound animal (for most scenarios) many times and I'm sure there are many more near-death experiences yet to come. Could any highschool jock say the same. I've watched friends almost die, and had a friend put into a coma by a horse, each one of them still participates in and loves the sport. Part of the sport is the thrill and the danger, the other part is the life-long friendship/partnership one makes with the horse they ride. Horse-back riding is one of the most demanding and rewarding sports in the world today.
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