Image Making constructs ideas of taste -> Taste shapes sporting identity -> Sporting identity shapes who participates (And the cycle repeats)
We encounter sporting identities through visual media. Particularly, in early stages of our life through games, toys, and increasingly digital environments. They all shape early perceptions of:
- Who belongs in a sport?
- What bodies appear normal within that space?
- What aspirations feel possible?
(Graphic and text, Isaac 2026)
Confidence can come from codes rendered outside of the arena. Competitive Rider, Lily Klein French notes: “From what I have seen, confidence plays a big role in who continues into the more competitive side of the sport.”
When mainstream public image equestrian sporting identities only present: limited skin tones, Eurocentricity , gender codes, it influences who feels comfortable to not only participate but exceed in the sport.
While in reality, Equestrian sporting identity has always been diverse, it’s only a recent phenomenon that codes of class, race, and gender have come about due to colonial legacies, industrialism, and changes in economy.
Organisations such as Ebony Horse Club demonstrate how access to horses can expand participation among young people from urban communities.