# We finally have proof!



## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

ponyboy said:


> ... that riding is a sport.


Did anyone ever disagree? Sure, riding is a sport. So are bowling and golf


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I burn calories just watching cross-country!!!!!
Takes a lot of energy to "ride" the course with a horse and rider team. It's exhausting, I tell ya.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

jamesqf said:


> Did anyone ever disagree?


Only a ton of people! I hear "horseback riding isn't a sport" all the time! Apparently the horse does all the work - didn't you know?


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

ponyboy said:


> ... that riding is a sport.
> 
> Doug Payne has posted a helmet cam video in which he's wearing a heart monitor, and it shows his heart working at about 88% capacity throughout. I don't know a lot about sports but I bet that's more than most people would expect. Okay, so not everyone rides cross-country courses, but still… It's too bad we don't know his weight or we could calculate the number of calories burned.
> 
> I wonder how other equestrian sports would compare?


While I don't know anyone who disputes that some equestrian activities are sports I hardly think that the criteria used here makes something a "sport". If the heart rate is all criteria you're using then there are farming chores that would qualify as a sport (e.g. spend 10 hours trying to keep up with the baler while loading hay after the first layer is on the trailer). Your heart, as well as the rest of your body, will be working at a greater capacity than something doing a cross country course :lol:.


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

ponyboy said:


> Apparently the horse does all the work - didn't you know?


Yes, I do know  And while riding a cross-country race may be serious exercise, I have to say that I haven't found moderate trail riding to be anything of the sort. Yes, there are a few specific muscle groups that need to be strengthened, but otherwise? Well, most rides I will get off and jog/trot with the horse, just to get the circulation going.


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

Everyone here is pretty well aware of the physical exertions both parties undergo, this is an interesting vid though. Cool idea.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

Neat! All my non-horsey friends definitely assume the horse does all the work, lol. We equestrians know otherwise!


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

its lbs not miles said:


> While I don't know anyone who disputes that some equestrian activities are sports I hardly think that the criteria used here makes something a "sport".


How do you get confused between chores and sports? The differences are obvious!


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

ponyboy said:


> How do you get confused between chores and sports? The differences are obvious!


I think the problem is that some people are equating "sport" with getting a good cardiovascular workout. Not the same at all: some sports, like golf or bowling, won't raise your heart rate at all, while lots of chores will. For instance, I get a much better workout cutting firewood than I do riding. Or take biking: if I take the dogs and go ride in the mountains for an afternoon, that's a sport, but if I ride the same bike to work or the store, getting the same amount of exercise, it's a chore.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

ponyboy said:


> How do you get confused between chores and sports? The differences are obvious!


:lol::lol:No confusion at all. Just like having your heart beat at 88% of capacity does not make riding a horse a sport.:lol::lol: No more so that doing a chore that increases your heart beat is a sport.
I think you are confused about what constitutes a "sport". If I go for a 30 mile ride in 5 or 6 hours I've given my horse a real good workout and if it's warm enough might even work up a sweat, but that doesn't make it a sport.
You came out saying 
"
*We finally have proof!*
... that riding is a sport. 

Doug Payne has posted a helmet cam video in which he's wearing a heart monitor, and it shows his heart working at about 88% capacity throughout. I don't know a lot about sports but I bet that's more than most people would expect."

Well, I hate to say it, but the only thing you have proof of there is that Dog Payne (whoever he is) had an elevated heart rate while riding cross country. Now....tell me how much of that was from "work" and how much from adrenaline? Riding a horse is not, in and of itself, a sport.
The rate of a heart beat means absolutely nothing with regards to something be a sport.
NASCAR is a sport (whether I think so or not), but that doesn't make driving my car a sport.
Shooting can be a sport, but qualifying with the M16A1 rifle is not (even though your shooting for score in both cases)

So actually, in point of fact, I'm not sure what you have proof of beyond that the gentleman's heart was beating at a certain rate, but you've presented no proof that riding a horse is a sport. People have always said that the horse does all the work (and from a point of view it does). That doesn't preclude certain competitive horseback riding activities from being a sport. A 10 mile Competitive Trail Ride on an easy trail will likely meet the definition of a sport while going on a 25 mile trail ride with friends over a very difficult trail is not going to be a sport (regardless of how much more you exert yourself or how fast your heart is beating :lol


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

Riding your horse walk/jog on the flat is not a lot of work. Good for some general toning, but that's about it. Riding faster, especially over uneven terrain, is exhausting. I've been out for a gallop(many times) and know your heart rate and breathing go up drastically at faster speeds.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

The dictionary definition of a sport from dictionary.com:
sport[ spawrt, spohrt ]
noun


1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.
2. a particular form of this, especially in the out of doors.
3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.

So by the definition of the word, it's a sport. Physical in nature, competitive, outdoors, etc.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EmilyJoy (Dec 30, 2011)

Maybe it should have been said like this, "We finally have proof that horse riding is an exercise!(and good for your health providing you don't fall off).


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

SEAmom said:


> The dictionary definition of a sport from dictionary.com:
> sport[ spawrt, spohrt ]
> noun
> 
> ...


That definition won't hold up in any of the Sport Federations. At least not item 3 and item 2 won't get too far either.

Let's try something closer to what the real world sees a sport has from a internationally recognized English Dictionary.


Oxford says: (as a noun since that's how it's being used here)
an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment


But I like Webster's since it gives the key requirements that most organizations will look at to accept something as a sport.

"a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific* set of rules* and compete against each other"

I doubt you'll get any sporting venue or organization to buy off on "3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime." as what's needed for something to be a sport unless that diversion; recreation or pleasant pastime is a competition with rules.. Even shooting marbles is a sport, but it meets the three primary requirements
There is a physical activity.
There are rules.
It is a competition.

Simply riding a horse around, regardless of what you might be doing or how challenging it might be, is not a competition with rules you must follow. Any more than jogging to the gym or driving a car to the store or building a fire in the fireplace. However, building a fire can, by definition be a "sport" if you set rules for how it's to be done and have two or more people compete (it's not likely to become a recognized sport, but it would still meet the basic requirements) 
If someone knows of a recognized sport that does not have rules and involve some form of competition I'd love to hear about.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Just to be clear.
Cross country jumping competition is a sport.
Dressage competition is a sport.
Barrel racing is a sport.
Endurance racing is a sport.
Competitive trail riding is a sport.
Penning is a sport.
(and the list goes on......)

Riding your horse around the pasture is NOT a sport.
Riding your horse for a camping trip is NOT a sport.
Spending the day riding a 20 mile trail (with or without friends) is NOT a sport.
(and the list goes on.....)

So the statement that riding a horse is a sport is not true. You have to be competing and there has to be rules.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

its lbs not miles said:


> That definition won't hold up in any of the Sport Federations. At least not item 3 and item 2 won't get too far either.
> 
> Let's try something closer to what the real world sees a sport has from a internationally recognized English Dictionary.
> 
> ...


I compete, so it's a sport. The OP was competing. It's a sport. That was defined clearly in all examples of definitions presented. If you have issue with the definition of a word, take it up with the source of the definition. Beyond that, I was specifically referring to the original video posted.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

SEAmom said:


> I compete, so it's a sport. The OP was competing. It's a sport. That was defined clearly in all examples of definitions presented. If you have issue with the definition of a word, take it up with the source of the definition. Beyond that, I was specifically referring to the original video posted.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


No the OP stated 
"*We finally have proof!
*... that riding is a sport."
And went on to say that the proof that is was a sport is because this gentleman's heart beat was at "about 88% capacity throughout" the course of his activity.

1. Showing an elevated heart rate during any activity does not make that activity a sport.
2. Riding a horse is NOT a sport. If it is then walking my dog is a sport. Competing on in a set event that has rules is a sport. Your heart rate could be at perfectly normal rate when you're competing it would still be a sport. In fact there are a great many sports that are not physically demanding or require much physical energy. There are even what is known as "mind sports". What all sports have in common are competition and rules. Simply riding a horse doesn't have that.

As for finding something on the internet that meets a meaning you like. You can find pretty much anything to fit what you want if you look around the internet :lol:
I can find pages on the internet that will tell you all about the "Congressional Medal of Honor"....even though there is no such thing. It's the "Medal of Honor" (Congress isn't part of it.....although there is the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which is a society created by Congress....but it's not the name of the medal.....regardless of what someone might have put out on the internet or said on the History Channel :lol.

As I said earlier. Show me a recognized sport that isn't a competition and doesn't have rules. By the one you gave EVERYTHING is a sport since I'm sure everything that can be done is enjoyed by someone (I had a boss that use to come in to work on his days off, because it was a pleasant diversion for him.....so office work is a sport? :lol
Giving definitions is meaningless if there's nothing to back it up.
Sports are competitions with rules. Just riding your horse doesn't meet that.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I do not care one way or the other.
I like riding..and watching riding. : )


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I didn't say the OP said anything in particular. I don't care what the OP said, to be honest. I was specifically referring to the video posted. It's competitive. It's a sport. 

Sure, I could've gone to a random website and picked some random opinion of what constitutes a sport, but I didn't. It's a reliable dictionary source. It holds up and ages with other definitions presented. 

Good grief, move on. We're agreeing on the same thing for crying out loud, but for some reason some people are getting way too hung up on semantics. It's like arguing about whether it's a shopping cart or a buggy when you're grocery shopping or whether something is fantastic or terrific.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I didn't say the OP said anything in particular. I don't care what the OP said, to be honest. I was specifically referring to the video posted. It's competitive. It's a sport. I never agreed that all riding is a sport. Never said that. Not once. I posted a definition. I wasn't looking for a definition that suited my needs - at any point. I could've just as easily gone to a different dictionary. It happened to be the one I picked. 

Next time I know I should ask permission first before going on my own and paying information from a reliable source that may note match the ideals of all members. *Rolls eyes*

Sure, I could've gone to a random website and picked some random opinion of what constitutes a sport, but I didn't. It's a reliable dictionary source. It holds up and ages with other definitions presented. 

Good grief, move on. We're agreeing on the same thing for crying out loud, but for some reason some people are getting way too hung up on semantics. It's like arguing about whether it's a shopping cart or a buggy when you're grocery shopping or whether something is fantastic or terrific.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Riding gets a lot of flack for not being a sport. Competitive or otherwise. People think that it is easy, non-competitive, etcetera.

I compete. I work hard and train. It is a sport. End of story.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

You might be thinking the same thing, but it's not what you were saying :lol:. In this case it's actually not semantics. You may have been looking at the video and thinking that was what the OP was calling a sport (and I already listed Cross country competition is one of many equestrian sports), but the OP's comment was that riding a horse was a sport (whether that's what she meant to say I have no idea).

This thread was not about whether there are equine sports. It was about horseback riding being a sport (and the heart rate or a person who was participating in an actual equine sport being proof of that riding a horse is a sport).
Since you didn't state otherwise, when you gave your definition and said "So by the definition of the word, it's a sport. Physical in nature, competitive, outdoors, etc"
It was logical to take that to mean you were agreeing with the OP's statement that riding a horse is a sport. You gave no indication otherwise.
However :lol:, I am glad that you do know the difference between horseback riding as oppose to an equine sport. Now I can drive to the store and not think I'm a NASCAR driver :rofl: (I'll never understand how anyone can watch that....sorry about that to all you NASCAR fans :hide: )


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

Yep, I'm one of those unique people with the gift of logic and reasoning. I use it as often as possible.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Zexious said:


> Riding gets a lot of flack for not being a sport. Competitive or otherwise. People think that it is easy, non-competitive, etcetera.
> 
> I compete. I work hard and train. It is a sport. End of story.


It's only the equine competition that's a sport :lol:. 

Non-competitive riding is not a sport. That was the point of this thread. It wasn't about what equine sports there are, or if equine sport were in fact sports (I've never known anyone who said they aren't. The Olympics says they are). It stated simply that riding a horse is a sport (using a man who was doing an equine sport had an elevated heart rate as evidence.... what he was participating in would still have been a sport if his heart rate had been at it's rest). The act of riding a horse is exercise, (to some lesser or greater degree depending on the activity), but not an equine sport. Competing with your horse in an equine sport is.

End of story. :lol:


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

its lbs not miles said:


> As I said earlier. Show me a recognized sport that isn't a competition and doesn't have rules.


Fishing, hunting, skiing, mountain bike riding, rock climbing... These are all mostly non-competitive (though of course they can be), don't have rules beyond e.g. fish & game laws, but would all be considered sports by any reasonable definition, and are referred to as sports in everyday use.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

its lbs not miles said:


> That definition won't hold up in any of the Sport Federations. At least not item 3 and item 2 won't get too far either.
> 
> Let's try something closer to what the real world sees a sport has from a internationally recognized English Dictionary.
> 
> ...


Holy Hannah, you're taking this way too seriously. We really don't need a technical discussion of the definition of the word "sport." 

I started this thread because I hear all the time that horseback riding is not a sport because *"the horse does all the work." *The implication of that statement is that horseback riding doesn't qualify as a sport *because there is no exercise involved. *The elevated heart rate proves that there is exercise involved. Clear enough?


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## xJumperx (Feb 19, 2012)

If you are riding your horse in PRACTICE to become better at the competitions you attend, you are still performing a sport, even if you are just riding at home. It's the same thing as Basketball practice or Soccer practice for the major leagues. Those people are still playing their sport in practice, just as we are when we go to lessons or ride around in the field to improve our skills for our next show. 

Horseback riding is an internationally recognized sport no matter how you look at it. I don't know why there's debate, to be honest. People that SAY it isn't a sport are just ignorant and not worth your time.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

jamesqf said:


> Fishing, hunting, skiing, mountain bike riding, rock climbing... These are all mostly non-competitive (though of course they can be), don't have rules beyond e.g. fish & game laws, but would all be considered sports by any reasonable definition, and are referred to as sports in everyday use.


Well, it's getting off topic, but:
Actually those are competitive sports and meet the definition of a sport.

Fishing for sport has been around for centuries and there are different rules for different fish and style of fishing. Even down to what's acceptable as a lure or bait. As a sport it's clearly defined as being different than subsistence fishing which has no rules beyond obeying the fishing laws of the where you are or commercial fishing and the laws governing it (subsistence and commercial fishing are not considered a sport). 

Hunting is much the same (type of game, weapon, etc....). In some cases even more "nit picky" than the fishing. Like fishing, it's often based on the overall outcome of the season, although it can also be based on the results of a day, week or whatever time period the competition calls for. And like fishing it's differentiated from subsistence hunting, etc.....

Bike riding is much like horseback riding. There are certainly cycling sports, but simply riding a bicycle is not a sport.

Rock climbing as a sport does have rules (even judges), but there are also people who just do it for fun and don't have to worry about all that. And there is also the competition based on climbing the highest or toughest (not as many rules).

Point being that when done as a sport they do have rules and the people do compete. e.g. getting the largest deer or the one with the most points that year.....catching the largest Bass (providing you don't violate certain requirements....you should see what they go through to be able to qualify for catching a world record bass....it's not just catching the biggest fish, but also not violating any of the rules).

Of course you can also list mind sports such as chess, scrabble and other games. Not very physically demanding, but still a competition with rules.

I'll go back to an earlier statement. If riding a bike, riding horse, etc.... is a sport than the vast majority of what people do is a sport. e.g. there are walking sports, but that doesn't make taking a walk a sport. There are probably more sports using an automobile than there are using a horse, but that doesn't make driving to the store (or on vacation) a sport.

There are requirements for something to be a sport. If there wasn't then everything anyone ever does is a sport. My ex was a world champion at the sport of sleeping :rofl:


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

xJumperx said:


> If you are riding your horse in PRACTICE to become better at the competitions you attend, you are still performing a sport, even if you are just riding at home. It's the same thing as Basketball practice or Soccer practice for the major leagues. Those people are still playing their sport in practice, just as we are when we go to lessons or ride around in the field to improve our skills for our next show.
> 
> Horseback riding is an internationally recognized sport no matter how you look at it. I don't know why there's debate, to be honest. People that SAY it isn't a sport are just ignorant and not worth your time.


So if a race car driver drives to the store he's participating in a sport? :lol::lol::lol::lol: I don't think so. You'll be hard pressed to make that argument.

When you train for a sport you (hopefully) are practicing everything in compliance with the rules for what you are going to be "competing" in. Football players don't go out and practice clipping. Pitchers don't practice throwing spitballs. When they practice they follow the rules they'll have to use when competing. So all the rules and activities still apply.
Now you might be a person who ONLY rides to practice for your next competition. There are people who do that, but the majority don't. The majority of people who ride probably don't compete (at least the majority of the riders I know don't). Therefore people like me, who just enjoy riding long distances and camping are not competing and I can assure you that it's NOT a sport (no matter who is doing it). Demanding, yes. Requires a training and conditioning, yes. But not a sport. Therefore, since people (like me) do ride horses without being involved with any form of equine sport, then you can't say that horseback riding is a sport (since that would make what I do a sport which it's clearly not.....no rules, no competition and not preparing to compete) 
Internationally what I do is not considered a sport (and yet I'm still riding a horse to do it :lol 

Anyone who thinks that just riding around for pleasure (or just using your horse vs a automobile or walking as transportation for camping, etc...) without any competition or following any event rules is a sport is just ignorant :lol:


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

its lbs not miles said:


> Well, it's getting off topic, but:
> Actually those are competitive sports and meet the definition of a sport.
> 
> Fishing for sport has been around for centuries and there are different rules for different fish and style of fishing. Even down to what's acceptable as a lure or bait. As a sport it's clearly defined as being different than subsistence fishing which has no rules beyond obeying the fishing laws of the where you are or commercial fishing and the laws governing it (subsistence and commercial fishing are not considered a sport).


Nope. As I said, you can make a competition of those things - you can, for instance, have a fishing derby - but the sports as the vast majority of people practice them are not competitive, and have no actual rules that apply to the sport, though there may be laws like for instance fishing seasons, limits on the number that can be caught, &c. Also many sport fishers practice "catch & release", so they're clearly not subsistence fishing.

As for the horse doing most of the work in riding, would anyone like to show that it's not true for most riders, most of the time? Sure, it can be exercise, just as you could get a workout playing golf by running from hole to hole. But most people still prefer to ride in motorized carts


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