No, it's not. I'm not saying it doesn't take skill or concentration, I'm just saying that all you do is sit on a horse while it does all the work.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

if you've paid $30 for an hour trail ride plodding around on an old dude horse in a string of mindless dude horses, then yes. horseback riding's not a sport. but if you're working every day to train not only yourself, but a 1500 lb animal to cooperate and harness natural ability, then how is it not a sport? for example, i'm training my horse to collect himself, respond to slight movements of my leg (different spots on a horse's body respond to different leg motions), body, and hands, while simultaneously training myself to ask him to perform correctly. let's throw in a few four and a half foot fences, a timer, and an environment where pretty much anything can happen... not a sport? you try it.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'm not saying it is the easiest thing in the world that requires little to no effort on the persons part and I'm certain I could never do it. All I'm saying is that all the rider has to do is control the horse (which I'm certain is no easy task) while they are sitting down. The horse on the other hand has to run around a field with slopes and jump obstacles and they have to this while carrying a person on their backs. I'm sure it takes practice and time but the person is doing very little physical effort, and that is why I do not consider it a sport.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

i agree- the horse does a lot more work then the rider. however, that being said, the rider is working very hard as well. i ride six days a week, and i'm usually fairly sweaty at the end of each ride, and i'm in good shape. it's a lot of core work, and the whole point of riding is to make it look easy (at least in the discipline i do). if you go out on a rent-a-horse thing where you slouch in a saddle and shamble around a forest, it's not work. but if you really work at things and have the proper position on the horse, it's a major workout.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Have you ever actually ridden a horse? I can run almost two miles and barely break a sweat, but when I am seriously training, either myself or an inexperienced horse, I am dripping with sweat at times. Heck, half the time in the winter I end up riding in just a t-shirt and am still sweaty. We make it look easy. That doesn't mean it is.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I highly doubt you can run 2 miles without breaking a sweat. I do agree riding a horse is a shitload of work though.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Seriously, two miles is not all that far.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Riding, when paired with the proper prep work, (brushing the horse, tacking up, cleaning the tack) uses every muscle of your body. No other sport does that. You make it sound like rider's just sit on the horse like its an easy chair. The only thing that is keeping you from hurtling to the ground at 30 mph is the strength of your thighs and core muscles.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

haha! "sitting down" made me laugh. You have to continuously carry your weight over the horse's center of gravity, which means sitting forward on your pelvis, not leaning back on your butt. This exercises muscles in your torso and thighs, especially. And depending on your environment (slopes, hills, obstacles, what-have-you), you have to learn how to adjust your center of gravity with the horse's, and quickly; a horse can gallop anywhere between 30-45 mph. Otherwise, you'll eat dirt!

by Anonymous 12 years ago

For the horse it is.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

"riding is the art of keeping a horse between you and the ground."

by Anonymous 12 years ago

seems more like a hobby...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

If horseriding isn't a sport, then why is it in the Olympics?!

by Anonymous 12 years ago