What’s Really the Ideal? – Overcoming Body Image Stereotypes
Click here to read the complete article
226 – July/August, 2017
by Delores Kuhlwein
Midnight practice rides, aching muscles, and chafed calves… sounds a bit like torture, doesn’t it? Yet it’s the life of a horse show exhibitor, one of the most resilient athletes known to man – a creature who always comes back for more. And to top it off, these athletes have chosen an industry where being judged is the norm, and they even pay for the opportunity.
In the midst of this hardy equestrian population is perhaps the toughest of all: the plus-sized competitor, who can be found in the show pen battling the notion that the ideal body type for classes like Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Equitation is long and lean.
The tide is turning, however, as an ever-growing number of full-figured riders is squashing stereotypes and showing everyone that winning is really about true Horsemanship and the unbreakable bond between horse and rider. Read on as we delve into the delicate topic of body image in the show pen and see what both riders and judges have to say.
THE RIDERS
After a 10-year absence from the show pen, amateur competitor Sabrina Seehafer of Ankeny, Iowa began making a name for herself in the APHA Walk-Trot division in 2011 on her sister’s horses, Sterling Expression and All That I Got. Seehafer says both are great pattern horses and have helped her to become a better pattern rider.
Youth competitor Chris Lea of Fairfield, California has been wowing AQHA spectators on his 15-year-old mare, Sheza Jetta Nova. He says, “She’s my girl! She’s a real steady mare, she’s really good legged, and she has a really pretty head on her. I love her to death.”
Amateur rider, Kristina Hermanson of Fort Worth, Texas, is well-known in APHA circles with her equine partner, Total Assets, a gelding she has owned for five years. “Through hours of practice and time spent together, we have developed a strong bond that really helped our performance in the show ring,” Kristina explains.
Click here to read the complete article226 – July/August, 2017
