Strides for Success

Tag: diversity

  • Not Feeling Like a Typical Equestrian?

    Not Feeling Like a Typical Equestrian?

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    What does the typical equestrian look like? Apparently not like a lot of the typical equestrians that I know!  Let me explain; recently I asked riders to let me know what challenges they were having in their riding, in the hopes I could potentially help.  And I received so many replies from riders all over the world. Great right?

    Except for the line of text that so many of those emails contained…  “I’m not a typical equestrian”. And because of this, the rider feeling unworthy of having their question answered… 

    Now, there were of course different versions of this; “I’m not your average rider” or “I’m much older than other riders”.  And it was the tone of all of these similar statements that really got my attention.  To me, it seemed as though because they didn’t see themselves as a ‘typical equestrian’, their question was not worthy of being answered.  Why is it that so many riders feel like this?

    Not a Typical Equestrian…

    I think many riders simply feel like they don’t ‘belong’. Or that they’re not ‘horsey enough’, as though there was some standard measure for this.   Perhaps of who we continue to see represent a typical equestrian in advertizing.

    If I take myself, for example, I’m definitely over 28.  I am not extremely wealthy. And I certainly don’t board at an exclusive barn! My ‘Riding Outfit Of The Day’ is not always colour-coded, never mind matching or complimenting the colours my horse is wearing! And, quite honestly, I don’t spend an hour each morning getting my make-up on, my hair set, and my outfit ‘just right’ to go and do what has to be done at the yard with the horses…

    For the most part, I clean a good deal of my own stables and tack – which is something many equestrians I know do as well  (and I know quite a few…)  

    Equestrian’s I Know Are…

    And I think that there is an issue.  The ‘typical equestrians’ that we are being fed so much of in mainstream media do NONE of these things.  They don’t mix and make their horses feed, they don’t ‘hay’ their horse.  Honestly, have you ever seen an equestrian ‘influencer’ covered in horse sh*t or hay? No, not ever! This brings me to my final point, they rarely ever seem to muck out, skip out, or clean up…  In fact, it’s only done if they are promoting a special gizmo or gadget for that day… #ad :)

    I think the feeling of being unworthy to take up ‘equestrian space’ with their questions, thoughts, and opinions that so many riders feel is due to ‘us’ still not being represented in print and online. 

    Why don’t we see more vertically challenged (like myself) equestrians? Or riders with multicolored, grey, braided, brassy blonde (darn sun!), dark, or curly hair…?  There are the equestrians that I know and love who have generous waists and thighs and are proud of their bodies.  Many have strong hands with maybe a callous or 5 (hands up here again!).  Skin that is many shades darker than pale lily-white. Or skin that maybe once was lily-white, but has seen a lot of sun.  Most of it while either on the back of a horse or fixing a fence…

    But let’s ask the question; what is an equestrian?  It’s a person who enjoys building a relationship with a horse, or lot’s of horses – period. 

    Whether that’s on the ground or in the saddle if you love the idea of going deeper with your horse, congratulations!  You’re an equestrian :)

    Your Questions & Thoughts are Valid

    I would love to see a change in riders regarding how ‘worthy’ their questions, thoughts, and opinions are.  It seems to me that there are so many riders out there that are choosing to stay quiet.  And they do this because they don’t feel like their schedules, riding style, or lifestyle ‘matches’ what a typical equestrian ‘should’ look like.

    If you love horses and you’re interested in improving the clarity of the communication between you and your horse (or horses in general), your questions, thoughts, and opinions are needed in the equestrian world.

    It’s through diversity of thought, different (sometimes difficult) conversations, and a level of open-mindedness that equestrian sports and lifestyles can grow and expand. 

    So if right now you don’t feel comfortable ‘taking up space’ inside of those conversations, you have important mindset work to begin doing for both yourself, your horse, and all of the legions of other not-so-typical equestrians who have not even begun their journey yet.

    Start ‘Feeling’ Like a Typical Equestrian

    I think the key to making lasting change for all riders is to recognize and celebrate that if you are interested in horses and want to develop your relationship with a horse… You’re a typical equestrian! And because I know this is you, congratulations! I say this tongue-in-cheek because we both know that, deep down, you already are fully aware of this. So own it.

    Equestrians care about the relationship between themselves and their horse. They look for ways to better that bond and develop their skills. Even if they are in mismatched clothes and smell like a manure pile!

    The key is the desire to improve how you show up for you and your horse. Having that desire and then taking actions that align with that desire is the key to ‘being’ an equestrian.  And the good news is that there countless ways you can do this…

          • Educate yourself more about your riding
          • Understand more about your horse and how he does things
          • Be intentional with each interaction
          • Set some ‘do-able’ goals and a plan to work towards them
          • Realize that you and your horse are a team – meaning training is 50:50

    Immerse Yourself in ‘Being’ an Equestrian

    So, you are now 100% certain that you are a bonafide equestrian.  However, ‘knowing’ something and ‘being’ something are often two different things. And this is where I encourage you to start your immersion into how you can begin feeling more like a ‘typical equestrian’.

    My first suggestion for you is to spend a little intentional time each day learning, or doing something ‘equestrian related’.  Read a book or listen to a podcast – I highly recommend the Daily Strides Podcast for Equestrians ;).   Brush your horse’s tail or clean some of your tack – both while listening to a podcast ;).

    Do what feels good for you and really become intentional about yourself and your feelings. By immersing yourself more and more each day in ‘horsey things’ you are going to begin to feel more ‘horsey’.  It is a simple truth.

          1. Sign up for the 2024 all-new Equestrian Fitness Challenge (it’s based on walking not workouts)
          2. Request to join the Daily Strides Podcast Online Community and join in the chats
          3. Do one thing every day that grows your knowledge as an equestrian
          4. Spend 15 minutes every day doing something ‘horse’ related

    Trust me, after a couple of weeks of surrounding yourself with intentional ‘horsey’ input, you will begin to feel like what we already know to be true; that you are a 100% typical equestrian.

    And then, practice voicing your questions, your opinions, your thoughts, and getting involved in our sport.  Your input is greatly needed and might just change the trajectory of someone else’s ‘horsey’ journey.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Equestrian Fitness Challenge ’24

    Let’s walk together for 21 days and have a chat about how you can do much more than you think you can as a rider and an equestrian… I am so excited to bring you along on this journey for the 100% FREE 2024 Equestrian Fitness Challenge
    There will be a daily walk, a 10 minute daily yoga practice, and lots of tips, ideas, exercises, and ways to improve so that you can show up as the best version of you – for you and your horse.
    Sign up today and let’s transform your riding – one stride at a time! 100% FREE 2024 Equestrian Fitness Challenge

    More Help for Riders:-

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    Get Going in Your Riding:-

    Daily Strides Premium is back! You can use the first and original audio horse riding lessons to improve your riding, train your horse, keep things interesting, and have fun… Even if you don’t have a trainer or coach

  • What Does an Equestrian Look Like? Diversity in Our Sport

    What Does an Equestrian Look Like? Diversity in Our Sport

    What does an equestrian look like? Diversity in equestrian sport

    If you enjoy spending time with a horse or two, then the answer to this question is you. You are what an equestrian looks like. And yet, so many riders do not feel this way – or are made not to feel this way. This is wrong. And I think that it is time our sport, as a whole, begins to get a little more intentional about changing the perception of what an equestrian looks like…

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    Both you and I have a voice. I think it is important to begin using our voice right now to help our sport diversify. To change the status quo of what an ‘equestrian’ looks like.

    As I write this, early June 2020, it has been a difficult few weeks. So much hurt has been and is being felt by so many people all over the world. It is still being felt right now. And, importantly, it was being felt before now for so many equestrians. It is just that now, it is being spoken about.

    This hurt has been and still is, the predominant feeling for so many equestrians. The simple truth is that riders are being treated differently based on how they look.

    Equestrian sport has the ability to change. It has done it before. And yet, there is so much still to be done. Now is the time to begin doing this work.

    Feeling Uncomfortable

    I realize that I am writing this from a privileged background. Maybe I do not fit the ‘stereotype’ of what an equestrian looks like exactly, however, I am also not a million miles from it either. I have the privilege of seeing riders who look a little like me and who I can identify with every single time I open an equestrian book, go on social media, land on a website, and everything in between. Most riders look a little like me. I can see myself in them.

    It makes me incredibly uncomfortable to realize that most of the visuals that Strides for Success has published, up to this point, have only served to reinforce this stereotype.

    And that this is true because of my own laziness in actually doing something about it. My willingness to accept what was ‘there’, rather than find ways to diversify. However, going forward, I want to change this and I am committed to changing this.  I am truly sorry.

    I also realize that what I am feeling right now is not even a patch on the bum of what other people are feeling. What other riders have been feeling since they began riding. The riders who do not see themselves represented in the mainstream media. Riders who feel uncomfortable and different because there are very few, if any, people who look like them in the magazines and other media.

    Diversity with Horses

    The equestrian sport has gone through a transformation in the past 20 to 30 years. There was a time, I remember it, where horses were judged. They were either ‘useful’ or they weren’t. Useful usually meant that they had certain characteristics; usually breeding, type, or talents.

    Now, all horses are, rightly so, valued for being themselves. Their individual and unique ability are celebrated.

    The special gift each horse is blessed with has always been there. However, now our sport has grown to hold space for all horses. Even those who are not deemed ‘valuable’ from a monetary perspective. A horse no longer has to be a superstar to be celebrated. He just has to be himself; and horses are great at doing that.

    I point this out because this change in how equestrian sport as a whole views horses is a pretty recent one. The sport can change. However, it is our responsibility as the riders and the equestrians to initiate the change in our own beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors.

    This change occurred because we, the equestrians, began celebrating all horses. We changed the sport and we have the power to do this again right now.

    Diversity with Disciplines

    Another big change that has occurred over a similar time frame has been how riders interact with, experiment with, and embrace different disciplines and methods. Thankfully, long gone are the days where there were set ‘tracks’ riders must follow if they truly want to be a ‘certain type’ of rider.

    We now get to mix and match different methods and disciplines in order to create a training program that both horse and rider love and enjoy.

    Natural horsemanship working alongside higher-level dressage. The principles of dressage used as important training for showjumping. Trail work is seen as beneficial for all horse’s development, both mental, emotional, and physical. Driving works side by side with riding. Lunging and groundwork benefit all horses and riders as well.

    Fun and enjoyment are now seen as essential requirements for horses and their riders.

    And there are so many different methods and ways, riders really can create the perfect fit for their unique situation and horse. Again, in order for this to have happened in the equestrian sport as a whole, the change had to first begin with the riders.

    I say this to demonstrate again how our actions have dictated how the sport has evolved. So it is important to realize that our actions will determine how it continues to grow and change in the future.

    Diversity with Equestrians and Riders

    So, we can see that our sport has the ability to evolve. It can change. And yet, there is one glaringly obvious area where things have not changed. Where our sport is stuck. Diversity of riders. What equestrians look like. And, because of this, what the ‘yard’ looks like.

    I have never, ever, walked into a yard and felt like I was in a magazine. I am sure that those yards do exist. However, I have never been in one or seen one. Equestrians come in all shapes and sizes. They come from all sorts of different backgrounds and cultures. And have a whole myriad of different beliefs and traditions.

    And yet, most media will represent all of these wonderful, unique, and different riders with a single stereotype. A stereotype that, let’s be honest here, most riders look nothing like and most yards couldn’t be further from.

    The young (under 25), white, thin models, that are styled to give the impression of extreme affluence, used to represent us look, for the most part, nothing like you and me. And the expensive, well-bred, and perfect horses at yards that have dozens of ground staff have yet to really compare to a single ‘day to day’ yard or barn I’ve been at. Again, I am not saying that these don’t exist.

    What I am trying to get across here is that these traditional stereotypes fail to represent the diversity of riders and their horses within our sport as a whole.

    Privilege

    As equestrians and riders, we need to begin taking action to change this perception of our sport. I feel uncomfortable writing this because, up to this point Strides for Success, unintentionally but never the less, has helped contribute to it. I have not personally done enough to change this. And I realize now that this is due to my privilege in never having to feel too uncomfortable with regards to ‘fitting in’.

    I am ashamed that I have never really considered this before and I am committed to changing this about both myself, personally, and Strides for Success.

    And change, at this level, begins with having difficult conversations. It is feeling the uncomfortable feelings and not trying to mask them over. My feeling uncomfortable is not even a drop in the ocean of what I imagine riders who do not feel represented or celebrated in our sport must feel.

    My recent realizations can never compare with their day to day reality.

    And this is why I want to be part of the change that our sport MUST go through in order to diversify and expand going forward.

    Celebrating Diversity in Riders

    An equestrian is someone who enjoys interacting with horses. Whether that be on the ground, at the end of a lunge line, or in the saddle. Being an equestrian has absolutely NOTHING to do with how a person looks. Nothing.

    Being an equestrian has everything to do with how it feels when these beautiful creatures allow us to interact and be in their space. No judgment.

    It is also a privilege, which our horses bestow on us, that ALL people can experience if they want to. Not something that is reserved for the special few. Gosh, what a pile of rubbish.  And yet, open most equestrian publications or go on social media and follow an equestrian hashtag…  It looks like a special sport reserved for a special few people who look a certain way.

    Okay, I will go back to teaching people to ride horses now! However, I hope that this will make you think a little about our sport. And about how your unique contribution can help it to grow and evolve again so that all riders are included in the day to day happenings of it.

    It is only when all riders are represented in the day to day, that all riders will feel comfortable participating in the day to day.

    We have massive work to do. We MUST begin taking action. One of those actions is that all riders are represented in the day to day media and publications that our sport publishes. Not just the big publications and I am not shaming or judging them here. But for us. The equestrians. The riders on the ground. We can begin changing our conversations.

    It starts with us. You and I are equestrians. And I believe that our sport needs our input right now.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources:-

        • Life as a Black Equestrian by Camille S.
        • If you have an article or blog post that you feel would further this conversation, please reach out with the links and we can, if it is suitable, include it here