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The majority of the riders (eight of the nine riders) perceived that their coaches believed there is a bias towards rider physique. Some of the coaches were very direct with the riders about the issue and emphasized the need to be as thin and tall as possible when riding. The riders can create an illusion of length by sitting tall in the saddle (i.e., sitting as erectly as possible without being rigid) and by stretching the legs down as much as possible while still maintaining correct leg placement.

Some of the hunt seat riders made reference to a coaching change during their time on their teams by mentioning both their previous and current coach in the same context. These riders clearly thought that the previous coach strongly believed there was a bias towards tall, thin riders, and this was communicated to the riders in various ways. These riders believed that the current coach also was aware of a bias towards tall, thin riders, but he or she used more positive language and actions when communicating that to the riders.

Rider # 1 related some common phrases she heard from her coach while riding on her team, such as “Thin wins” and “You can’t make your thighs longer, but you can make them thinner”. Riders # 2 and # 4 referred to a BMI (body mass index) policy that was implemented by the previous coach to discourage heavier riders from participating on the team. Rider # 2 noted, “The coach from the last year’s team that we were at, repeatedly would say comments to this girl

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about, [um, you know,] you really need to lose weight, and finally she put in a BMI policy because she was just not listening to her, and then she ended up not being able to ride on the team anymore.” Rider # 4 explained, “…she enforced a BMI policy where you needed to be under a certain BMI to ride and then under a certain BMI (body mass) to jump…” When asked if the BMI limit was a reasonable BMI limit (i.e., not one on the lower end of the scale that would indicate being underweight), she responded, “It was a reasonable BMI……it was [like] the line between [like] overweight and obese, it wasn’t [like] the line between regular and overweight.”13

Rider # 3 stated, “[Um,] I mean….just from my coaches, we’re told that, [you know,] we’ve been told there is a look and there is something that the judges are looking for, so I kind of have that mindset, [like] that I’m sure that if, [you know,] someone didn’t fit a look they were looking for, [like] body type wise, if they had the best ride in the class, [like] they’re still going to place higher {than the rider with the preferred body type but poor ride}.”

Rider # 6 noted that her coaches sometimes picked point riders14 for the team based on the person who was judging and what qualities they knew that particular judge valued in riders. She stated, “…they’ve said this before,

13

The BMI is a common, if limited, measure of body mass based on an individual’s weight and height. A BMI of 30 or more indicates obesity, and a BMI of 25 to 29.9 indicates that the individual is overweight.

14

The coach selects in advance a point rider for each event or class in the show. The points earned by the point rider count toward the team point totals for the team competition. The judges do not know which riders are the point riders, and many times, the coaches do not tell the riders themselves whether they are the point riders until after the event (to avoid placing extra stress on the rider).

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sometimes they’ll choose a point rider not on skill but based on what they think the judge is going to look for…” She continued by remarking, “…they kind of know the judges and what they’re going to look for, so they try to base even our point riders on what they think the judge is going to look for and also ability level, if they don’t think the person is going to perform well, they won’t pick them, but it’s also a lot on if they think that two people are equal, they’ll pick the one that the judge is going to look at more.”

Rider # 7 said, “Well, sometimes when you’re watching and you see all the tall girls getting pinned, in the top four or the top three, [they’ll be like,] they’ll say something like ‘OK, I think the judge is looking for a taller body type, so you need to elongate yourself and [like] try to look taller’.”

Rider # 8 stated, “[Um,] they’re aware of it. This year we haven’t had the talk yet. About body types. I’m sure it will have to come up at some point, but our coach last year especially was very aware of it, and it’s….judging, if it’s consistent judging, it has a very discernible pattern to it, and you can actually look at a class and based on…[like] other placings that preceded it, you can pretty much point out who they’ll pick to be first, second and third.” She continued by saying, “…some judges aren’t as bothered by body type as others, but there are certain ones that…it’s just kind of how it goes, it’s something they value more than maybe being tight to the saddle or something, so I think [the coaches….] the coaches are very aware of all the judging patterns…by being there and observing it….”

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Rider # 9 mentioned, “Yeah, well the first year I was here, they were…[um,] there was a girl on our team who was kind of [like] heavier and then she rode for the team at semi{final}s and she didn’t do that well. So they picked another girl to ride for Nationals for the team, which partially I think was [like, you know,] she was [like] heavier and she [like] didn’t do as well, ….so they wanted to see if they could get [like] better…”

The riders also perceived that their coaches believed there was a bias towards rider attire. There were numerous references to the teams having mock shows before the season begins so that the coaches could review the riders’ show outfits and suggest modifications. On some occasions, the coaches accompanied the riders to stores as they assembled their show outfits.

According to the riders, the coaches reviewed the riders’ show outfits to make sure they “don’t have something that’s a weird color and that will look bad” (rider # 1). Rider # 3 stated, “…our coach keeps very close tabs on what is in style and trends…” She continued by saying, “…the judges know what’s in style, so she’s really big on that.” and “…they still hold the idea that when you walk into the arena [like] the judge is just going to look at you at a walk first and judge your outfit, and if it’s not going to grab his eye or it’s out of date, out of style, you’re going to have to work harder then and have a better ride to get his attention.”

Rider # 5 noted, “my coach is actually particularly picky and is known in the horse world outside for being picky because she’s, [um,] very experienced.

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She knows what she likes and she knows what looks good. She’s very good with clothing, very good with clothing.”

RQ 3: Is there a difference in how riders feel when wearing show clothes