Taste & Sporting Identity: Cultural Hierarchies Within the Sport
Different equestrian disciplines carry different levels of cultural prestige. “High-status” disciplines fall within Olympic context, they typically include:
- dressage
- show jumping
- eventing
Despite requiring equal expertise, other disciplines are often considered culturally lower status within hegemonic Equestrian sporting identity.
An interviewee mentioned “My mum did show jumping, which is seen as the higher-level sport. But my cousin does Western horseback riding. I remember my mum being like, “Why aren’t you doing jumping? [Western is] not real horseback riding.”
This illustrates how hierarchies of taste influence perceptions of legitimacy within the sport.
(Graphic: Shine Victor , 2026)
Additionally, these ideas reinforce a perception that equestrianism can only exist as: exclusive , expensive, socially elite. However, historically sporting identity have existed in nuance across the world, all prioritising varying relationships between gender, the rider, and the horse. These include:
- Mongolian women warriors
- Kazakh horseback riders
- Indigenous horse cultures across the Americas
- African American cowgirls
- Western riding , rodeo traditions, Wranglers
These disciplines emphasise a different riding philosophy. For instance, an interviewee noted “Western [US] horseback riding is all about training the horse, while British discipline is focused on training the rider”.