Connecting Horse Riding Competitions and Eating Disorders

Equestrian Sports Can Apply an Extra Push Toward Disordered Eating

Horse riding competitions are steeped in tradition and full of beauty, stateliness and ceremony. Standards are demanding for riders and horses alike. In some areas of equestrian sports, the strict requirements and the drive to excel can be enticing to those susceptible to eating disorders.

These kinds of stressors also exist in other sports, the business world, academics, and even family systems: In some ways, they're not new. But certain competitions take things a step further, emphasizing physical appearance of the rider and creating even more pressure to engage in disordered eating.

Parallels Between Horse Riding Competitions and Eating Disorders

Sports like equestrian competitions naturally attract those with tendencies toward perfectionism. Broadly speaking, there are requirements for each horse's grooming, equipment, size, demeanor, and athletic ability. Riders' dress must conform to strict requirements. And unlike other sports, judging often begins as soon as the horse and rider enter the arena and don't end until they leave.

The emphasis is on control and staying composed. Riders must show that they are undisturbed even with judges watching how they sit their horses and how they hold their hands. Without lots of training to make it second nature, it would be impossible to remember every requirement at once.

To draw a parallel, consider the dynamics of anorexia nervosa. A person with anorexia often feels huge pressure, whether they come from school, family, relationships or traumas. But the reaction of someone with anorexia is to maintain an outward demeanor that says nothing is wrong (even when the person's body is frighteningly thin). Anything short of perfection admits weakness, which would invite someone to help. And that feels too risky.

Equestrian competitions are thus natural risk factors for those with eating disorders. So it's disturbing to find that some events extend the requirements to riders' physical appearance.

Hunter Seat Equitation's Demanding Requirements

As do all forms of equestrian sport, hunter seat equitation requires that horsemanship and appearance conform to exacting judging criteria. A review of the manual for judging the sport is puzzling. Certainly, this is due in part to my general lack of knowledge of the equestrian world. But I was taken aback by some of the instructions I found for judges:

When evaluating a rider’s skill a judge must make an effort not to be overly influenced by the body shape or attractiveness of the contestant. Some riders have a build that is more appealing on a horse. A lovely overall appearance cannot and should not be discounted but a judge should also emphasize technical ability. - Hunter Seat Equitation Manual, p. 5

One might commend the manual for warning against placing too much emphasis on rider appearance. And I might be able to get behind the idea of pursuing a "lovely overall appearance" in such an event. But saying that a judge should not be overly influenced by the rider's "body shape or attractiveness" implies that some influence is okay. This may simply be a tradition of the sport that everyone understands and accepts. However, it implies that if two riders perform equally well, judging could come down to subjective rider appearance. And that is likely to include weight.

This isn't an outdated rule to which no one pays attention. As recently as 2005, U.S. Equestrian Federation judge Andrea Meek confirmed that a thinner rider is often scored higher because of his or her "cleaner line."

There's more:

What you want to determine is which rider comes closest to an ideal in comparison to the other contestants in the class. - Equitation Manual, p. 5

This ideal certainly includes more than physical appearance of the rider, but since appearance is a part of judging, riders are set up to pursue an ideal based on thinness. And given the instant feedback of judged competitions, a person vulnerable to developing an eating disorder could find the stress too much to bear without taking extreme measures to modify or maintain body shape.

Horse Competitions' Standards of Appearance Compared to Other Activities

The pressure on physical appearance seems similar to that in gymnastics, figure skating, or ballet. In these activities, the unhealthy emphasis on the body's appearance mixes with the genuine advantages of being more nimble. In equitation, though, it's hard to imagine a significant advantage in technical ability simply from being thinner. And if there were, it would be possible for the rider to figure out ways to overcome the disadvantage.

Whose Appearance Is Really Important?

One more comment from the equitation manual seems telling. The opening paragraph explains why the manual was written, and it includes helpful information about how governing bodies will update it and why standards are necessary for the integrity of the sport. Right in the middle of this technical information is a sentence that seems to come out of nowhere: "Our system of equitation, 'Hunter Seat Equitation,' is the envy of the world."

If envy is the goal, rather than excellence, this sport pursues a poor standard. But given the level of envy that judging on physical appearance can create among riders, it may be an emotion that the document's authors know very well. Perhaps they're just as concerned about how they appear to outsiders.