Horseback Riding is a Sport, and so much more!

So many people have been telling me that horseback riding is not a sport. Well, those people couldn't be more wrong. Horseback riding is a sport and so much more. According to Google a sport is: An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others. You might say it takes no skill, muscle, and that there is no team involved, even in competitions. However, it takes a lot of skill. Try going from a simple walk to a canter with no trotting in between. As for muscle? Come on, your goal is to get a 1500 lb animal who is 10 times bigger than you and has a mind and soul of its own. And as for the team, although you may not think about it, the horse and the rider are team mates who can only communicate with each other through silence. A lot of people who admit that it's a sport, say it's an "only-girls'" sport. Actually there are more men in the world who ride than women. Also, men are better built for riding. Now, I'm not saying that men are always BETTER at it than women. Obviously, everyone knows that the only way to get better at something is by doing it often. What I am saying is that men a physically more built for it. I've had someone tell me that it's the rider's fault if he/she falls. This is an invalid statement. Again, horses are animals bigger, and stronger than humans with minds of their own. You can never have 100% control over a horse. It could choose to buck, rear, stand on its hind legs, or throw you off at any given moment. Also, all riders fall at some point in their life. Horses also can spook at just about anything. Another thing I've heard is that, "okay it's a sport but it's easy... all you do is sit there". Those people, either a) have never ridden and have seen how effortless riders make it look b) ride but are beginners or c) have only been on a horse at one of those carnival rides where you sit there and a leader takes you around. To be honest that carnival ride is not actual riding. Riders make it look effortless, but in reality it takes tons of effort, and beginners will soon learn how difficult it is once they become more advanced, that is if they keep riding. Horseback riding is very dangerous. One mistake could mean you'll never see the sun again. I have heard many stories of people getting, seriously injured, paralyzed, or even killed, and some injuries occur on ground. One story is about how one woman fell off and was paralyzed for the rest of her life. My instructor was bitten by a horse. Some stories I've seen first-hand. One day I was riding with my group and two horses got into a little fit, and one of the horses stood up, and, from fear, the rider, also my friend, lost his grip on the reins and slipped off. His skull went in by a centimeter. One centimeter may not sound like a lot but when it comes to bones denting, that's a lot. It was enough to have him unconscious for the rest of the day, and to send him to the hospital. THANK GOD he's okay now, but that could have been different. But THANK GOD! (Sorry for such a long start, I just feel strongly about this topic) Sources: Personal Experience My instructors, both at my regular lessons and at my camp People who know about the topic