(Dis)Abled Riders and Equestrian Sports

• The purpose of the study is to discuss perceptions of the body as expressed in contemporary discourses on horse riding for disabled people in Sweden. Equestrianism is the most popular disability sport in Sweden, and horse riding for disabled riders is integrated in the Swedish Equestrian Federation. The study focuses on discourses on an organisational level as the regulation of bodies is an essential part of sports organisations’ work. Data for the analysis consists of semi-structured interviews with persons linked to organized riding for the disabled, and various texts from the Swedish Equestrian Federation. Discourse analysis is used as a methodological and theoretical tool, and Crip theory provides a theoretical framework for the study of ability and disability in equestrian sports. Three major recurring discourses are identified: inclusion and equality; concealed exclusion and segregation; acceptance and differentiation through focus on impairment.

Keyword

Disability

Able-bodiedness

Equestrian Sports

Equality

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)