HorseBck Riding IS a Sport!

Horseback riding is an activity that many people, including myself, enjoy. It is an amazing experience that gets you out in nature and allows you to create bonds with animals. But is horseback riding a sport? I strongly disagree. I will start this round by offering a few definitions of exactly what a sport is. (1) An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature. (2)Physical activity engaged in for pleasure. (3)Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. What do all of these definitions have in common? The word "physical". Debater123 claims that horseback riding is in fact a physical sport. What is physical about sitting on a saddle and occasionally moving your arms? Debater123 contends that the fact that the horse literally weighs a ton is enough for horseback riding to be considered physical. If we agree with this logic, then driving a car down the road, steering a fishing boat, and harvesting a field with a combine would have to be considered sports as well. They all fit Debater123's definition of a sport. To participate in these "sports", one must simply steer something that weighs more than a ton. I will concede that equine activities are in the summer olympics. However, the events in the equine activities are as follows (4): Dressage (an intricate ballet of steps), Jumping (making the horse lea over obstacles) and Eventing (a combination of the two with a cross country event). The only time horseback riding is alluded to is in the eventing category. Even then, that is one part of one of the events that make equestrian activities an Olympic sport. It is only the combination of these activities that make equine activities a sport. For example, in baseball, batting is one of the key components of the sport. But batting in and of itself is not a sport. Horseback riding is similarly only one of the components in equine activities. This example backs up my contention with undeniable proof that horseback riding is not a sport. Debater123 also stated that because horseback riding requires the presence of mind to remember safety requirements, it is a sport. You know what else requires the memorization of safety requirements? Driving down the road to Wal-Mart. But is driving to Wal-Mart a sport? Obviously, the answer is no. This qualification could be applied to thousands of activities and does not qualify something as a sport. The last contention I will cover is the fact that it is hard to stay on a horse. I would not agree with this, because the stirrups provide balance and stabilization. But I will momentarily disregard this so I can rebut this claim. There are many other activities that require the participant to stay on the object that are not sports. Jumping on a trampoline requires this. So does an exercise bike, moonwalk, and any type of slide. Horseback riding simply cannot be a sport based on this qualification. In conclusion, I have effectively rebutted all of Debater123's claims about horseback riding. The qualifications laid out by Debater123 apply to too many activities to be considered trustworthy and valid. I would like to extend my thanks to Debater123 for debating me, and to those who have taken the time to follow this round. Sources: (1)www.dictionary.com (2)www.merriamwebster.com (3)www.thefreedictionary.com (4)www.olympics.com