Increasing Inclusion
Why some equine sports lack inclusion by economic, gender or cultural diversity.
Why do equestrian sports lack inclusivity and diversity?
During the last century, Pat Kelly’s father was a jockey of some renown. riding for mostly white horse owners, he grew a reputation for his ability to connect with horses and developed his skills as an equestrian. since then, high-profile african american jockeys have become scarce compared to their hispanic and white counterparts, and all equestrian sports are being challenged to become more inclusive. but the process is complex and connected to economics and gender, as well as to race.
“I’ve been riding since I was a little girl, and then and now, black and brown people have always been the ones to have the most intimate relationships with the horses— grooms and handlers and sometimes trainers,” says Kelly, a Cowgirl Hall of Famer and the founder of Ebony Horsewomen, Inc., a Hartford, Connecticut-based non-profit that encourages young African-Americans to participate in the equine industry. “But the number of people of color and women competing in upper-level equestrian sports or working as trainers has traditionally been something else,” she adds.
However, traditions are being challenged. According to Kelly, the young women and men on Ebony Horsewomen’s equestrian team not only concentrate on their riding skills, but they’re also mindful about how race and gender can affect their success in the show ring and even compromise their ability to achieve high-point status.
“It used to be that some people attending some shows would clutch their pearls when our teams would show up to compete,” Kelly says. “But that’s beginning to change.”
THE ECONOMIC FACTOR
These days, she says it’s economics, not race, that is more likely to play a significant role in diversity within equestrian sports.
According to the 2017 Economic Impact Study of the U.S. horse industry by the American Horse Council Foundation (AHCF), approximately 34 percent of horse owners have a household income of less than $50,000, and 28 percent have an annual income of over $100,000. The bulk of horse owners have an income between $25,000 to $75,000, at 46 percent.
Additionally, the Great Recession of 2008 took a bite out of the industry, especially in the number of those owning horses and whether and how often they participate in shows, especially at the higher levels.
The industry’s middle class took the hardest hit, says Kelly.
“Showing is expensive; so are lessons, and I see fewer [middle class] kids at shows.”
When they do show, Kelly says that regardless of race, less-affluent competitors frequently assume that they’ll place poorly. That’s generally because more affluent riders from higher-profile equestrian centers take part in shows more often and are better