Horse Riding Not A Sport (I disagree and I need everyone to spill on what they think)?

Question

I had an argument with my english teacher that's lasted a few days (it's a funny argument and he's just trying to rev me up) and I've managed to get my horse riding friends from other years involved too and now my friends are ganging up with my teacher.

Anyway he says that the rider gets the medal, the horse does all the work and the rider just sits there and that it's not a sport. I've now chosen to do a feature article on 'Horse Riding IS a Sport' or something along the lines of that and I'd like all your opinions and arguments that it is a sport.

I know this is a topic that gets many riders very involved in debate (which I've been strongly a part of) so yeah, everyone spill on what you think...

Thx!

PS. I KNOW THAT HORSE RIDING IS A SPORT, IT'S MY FAVOURITE SPORT A BIG PART OF MY LIFE (just covering myself incase anyone reads the question a bit wrong).

Answer 1

u r both kinda right. the horse does do alot of the work, but its not like u could just turn them loose in the ring and they would go over the right jumps in the right order. u r telling them wat 2 do the whole time, how fast to go, where to go, etc. horse back riding is most definately a sport, because u have 2 be fit 2 b able 2 do it well. plus in horse shows, there r equitation ( not equestrian) classes that r judged on how the rider handels the horse. pleasure classes r judged on how the horse moves and stuff.  

Answer 2

Riding is in the Olympics, and the Olympics are the Mother of all sports, so yea, i would say its a sport

Answer 3

I horse ride and love it. I agree that it is a sport. Maybe you could say to your teacher...'If you just sat on a horse and didn't do anything then what would the horse do? I'll answer that...nothing. Yes a horse carries the weight of a rider, and yes the horse is the one that jumps the fences etc. but the rider has to control what the horse does and when the horse does it. A horse isn't going to gallop round jumping fences with no rider on it's back, it will most likely put its head down and eat grass. So if you think horse riding is all about the horse doing work, think again. Because horse riding is team work. It's where a horse and rider communicate to achieve a goal, such as complete a dressage course, or clear a showjumping contest.'

Something along those lines should help! I hope i've helped, and i hope you win the debate! Good luck =D

Answer 4

here is an argument you can use.if horse riding is not a sport because they say the rider only sits there and the horse does all the work then why do they call automobile racing a sport when the driver only sits there and the vehicle does all the work.horses still need direction from the cues by the rider and this requires strength and quick thinking by the rider,you might also add that it takes years of training not only for the horse but the rider to be competitive in equine sports.there are a lot of sports that use a vehicle like motocross,bobsledding,luge,jet skiing and several others that not only require strength but finesse but those don't require you to out think your vehicle.

Answer 5

Of couse it is a sport. It is what is called a teamwork sport meaning the horse does mostly everything but you have assistance within the sport.

Ok So poohbear i dare you to get on a horse try posting to the trot, try sitting to the trot, try standing up at every gait, try getting in the right position to jump. Try 3 point position, try kicking a lazy horse.

Also no the horse does not do everything. If a horse did everything we would jsut sit there, so the horse by himself started cantering, jumped every jump on the course in the order. for showjumping hmm do you want me to get started on dressage?

Ok so the horse knows the whole course off by heart, trot into the ring, halts at the right spot, trots on, does diagonals, pivots, flying changes, then canters on goes down the diagonal all over the pivots ect then he walks, goes around the ring once then goes down from c to h. And so on so forth

But i think i made my point so i think im going to be quite now.

You should include these answers in yuor report =) To prove what everyone in the equestrian world thinks.

Goodluck

Answer 6

It is a sport y wudnt it b it takes a lot 2 b able 2 ride 1 and way for physical than some other things considered 'sports' im more pufed afta riding a horse than a game of netball nd i got supa strong legs now lol

Answer 7

I completely disagree. While the horse has a major part of it, and is just as important as the rider, the rider does do work. A lot of it. A horse rider trains just as hard as a gymnast or swimmer does

Answer 8

Invite him out to ride with you. Show him two horses and let him pick whichever one he wants to sit on and let do all the work, you take the other. See how many medals he gets.

Answer 9

It is a sport obviously, I think we can all agree on that. It has EVERY qualification of being a sport just like football, soccer, etc. Its like saying a goalie isnt a goalie cause he doesnt score the goals.  

Answer 10

Tell your teacher to stick with what he knows..."horsebackriding isn't his thing.  He's clueless....ask him what that's like.

Answer 11

Tell him to get on an experienced horse and try dressage and show jumping - if he can't ride i'm sure he'll realise HE has to do a whole lot of work to stay on, and the horse will not go well at all! Hopefully he will be walking like john wayne the next day and you can gloat big time!!1

Answer 12

Riding is a sport and anyone who says different is mad.  For god sakes!  It's in the ******* Olympics!  In a way it's good it looks like the rider is doing nothing; I ride dressage and we are supposed to look like we are doing nothing.  It takes so much time to train a horse and rider to the highest levels, unfortunately not all horses ad riders are capable of doing the high levels.  If your teacher says riding's not a sport, then the other "sports" are not much of sports either then.

Answer 13

I think it is a sport! Get your teacher to see how long he can sit on a horse during a sitting trot. Then see if he can sit in a hard chair the next day...

Answer 14

yes it is a sport and it is a very hard one to. because if you aren't balanced with your horse you could make him fall or make your self fall. and most people don't know how hard it is to ride. it takes a lot of stamina ans strength. but tell your teacher this if it wasn't a sport why is it in the olympics than. well it is hard to put up an argument about this i know so many people that think it isn't a sport. and it is soooo hard to not say anything. but some times that is the best ting you can do.

Answer 15

Yes, horseback riding IS a sport. I can't stand people who say that horseback riding isn't a sport, it gets me so mad! We don't just sit there and hold on, like a lot of people think. It's a team effort!

In my opinion, it's more physical than a lot of other "sports" out there. I think a good way to make him realize he was wrong is to take him to your lessons, or if you have a horse make him ride your horse, for a couple of hours, and when he dismounts he will be so sore he will barely be able to walk! Hahahaha! :3

Good luck!

Answer 16

Research the doctors who put heart monitors on the riders and calculate every breath and heart beat. It's right up there with cross country skiing because it involves so many major muscle groups.

Don't go with "it's hard and causes blisters". It is also the only olympic sport where men and women compete against each other equally.

Never debate without good sources with people more educated than you. It only proves who the fool is.

Answer 17

ok for a starter

the meaning for sport is/are:

1.an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

2.Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. ...

you  need physical strength to ride a horse and u compete on horses in a competition naturally. there are rules and regulations and all that.

who ever says horse riding ain't a sport is a liar a liar i say lol.

and they don't know c**p how hard it is to ride a horse. and that's why u never see a fat horse rider in competitions.  

Answer 18

Yes it is a sport. If it wasn't a sport, why is it in the Olympics?

Horse-Riding is a very popular sport all over the world.

The rider doesn't just sit there, he/she gives the commands and keeps control of the horse.  Your teacher must think that the horse does evrything by himself.  He is wrong.

Good Luck with the assignment.

Answer 19

horse back riding is a sport. thats why it is in the olympics. and its not the horse that does everything. its the riders giving cues telling them what to do and how to do it. it is the riders responsibility to cue the horse while making it look like the rider is doing nothing. and on top of that it is people who train these horses. theyre not born knowing how to do everything perfectly. sometimes the rider trains the horse other times a trainer trains the horse. but either way it is the person teaching and working with the horse that "does everything by itself while the rider does nothing".

and besides how many people out there can get on a horses back the first time and jump 4 foot with only legs as saftey? not many

Answer 20

Wow...

So have some horse friends pitch in for a 2 hr lesson, lets see if he can get through the next day or even the week without being in complete pain while he is standing or sitting! You never see a rider that is unfit and really good... Lets see him get on a 15.1HH horse from the ground... Or how about controlling every part of your body by doing different things at the same time? Like keeping the horse going forward(kicking)even better if the horse is lazy! lol, keeping your toes up and heels down, keeping your hands in the right position, head up, good posture, and giving the right ques! Not to mention Diagnols, collection, extenstion, leads and even posting!

A good way to prove your point is just to get him on a horse for a hour or two!

Answer 21

Your teacher is right, horse riding IS NOT a sport. The horse does all the work and all the running. The rider however does no physical training yet he gets all the credit. Wat makes a sport a sport is the physical endurance the player has to endure in order to defeat other competition. Some guy giving a few whips to the horse and treating the poor creature as if it was a piece of equipment doesnt deserve to call it a sport.

Answer 22

haha i'd like to see him have a 2 hour lesson get off and not be tired!

The problem is horse riders are taught to MAKE it look simple, we train to make our horses look as easy to ride as possible, to a narrow minded inexperienced person this looks like we ARE just sat there. It's not our fault we're good at our SPORT!  

Answer 23

of course horse ridings a sport!! it would be weird if it wasnt!! hehe and the horse does do all the work but does it for his rider to get praise and love!!

i know it might not make sense but thats just me!!

Answer 24

Yes, it is a sport, I do it too and if maybe you could tell your teacher to ride a horse for two hours (with cantering and trotting) then he would understand... I haven't ridden for a long time and just last week I was bush riding and the day after that my legs hurt so much, i could hardly walk...so I think not only the horse does the work!!!

Answer 25

It's a sport in fact its not just a sport its an olympic sport!

Answer 26

Anyone who says its not a sport is an idiot... I usually try to keep my attitude neutral on this site, however this I really cannot. Id like to see anyone who says riding is not a sport go try to jump a 3ft course with no stirrups, h**l even a 2 ft course... guarantee they would not have the physical capability or endurance to do so... riders use different muscles than other athletes, so to say that we dont train for anything is so wrong. riding takes a great deal of mental endurance too! The horse may do hard work, but the rider is the one giving him the proper cues to make him do it!

Answer 27

Oh yes it is a sport. Get your teacher to try eight laps of the arena in rising trot without stirrups, its what my trainer makes me do.

Plus it takes strength, balance, co-ordination, dedication, natural talent, and years and years of training.