The Aging of Canadian Equestrian Sport

Adult riders are pursuing equestrian activities of all kinds at an increasingly older age. At the top level of the sport, adults are participating and competing into their 60s and 70s. Yet, the involvement and perspectives of older adults, and the significance of this for the sport, is often overlooked and neglected. This chapter explores transformations occurring in a Canadian and international context with the aging of equestrian sport. First, we analyze programs and initiatives internationally that are specifically oriented toward to older adult riders. This analysis provides insight into the organizational and institutional context for older riders within equestrian sport internationally. Second, we draw on interview data with older women equestrians to examine their perspective on transformations in the sport as it ages. To conclude, we build on insights across the two levels of analysis to discuss the way equestrian sport is bending and transforming as individuals in the sport are older and as organization and institutions respond to meet their needs and interests. It is evident that equestrian activities, in Canada and internationally, are undergoing a transformation as the age of those involved increases.