Session 6: Equity in equestrian: assessing gender equality across key roles and levels

Session 6: Equity in equestrian: assessing gender equality across key roles and levels
Tuesday, 30 April 15:00 – 16:30

Moderated by the Chair of the FEI Athletes’ Commission Jessica Kürten, the final session of the FEI Sports Forum 2024 offered valuable insights into the ongoing conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion in equestrian sports.

Kürten began the session by explaining the nuance between 'equality,' which focuses on treating everyone identically, and 'equity,' which involves considering individual differences to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities for success, both on and off the field-of-play.

While equestrian is widely considered to be a gender-neutral sport, which allows all participants to compete on an equal footing, the reality is that there are still areas within the sport where gender equality is not fully realised.

This was a point emphasised by FEI Vice President Jack Huang who highlighted key gender statistics gathered by the FEI's Technology and Sports Services (TSS) Department:

• Over the past 10 years the male/female ratio has tended to move away from parity in terms of athlete registrations and participations, rising from around 56% to 63%;
• Female Officials dominate in Dressage, Vaulting, Para Dressage, and Para Driving, ranging between 65% and 80% of Officials. Conversely, disciplines like Jumping, Driving, and Endurance have more male Officials;
• The percentage of female participation in Olympic disciplines decreases as competition levels rise. This is especially noticeable in Jumping, where women's participation at higher levels significantly lags behind Dressage and Eventing;
• While females make up around one-third of ranked athletes in Jumping, this percentage decreases sharply at the top levels. In the top 100, female representation dropped to 20% by 2022, and to just 6.8% in the top 30. A similar trend is observed in Eventing, where although women are the majority overall, their representation diminishes at the highest ranks, dropping from 72% overall to 53% in the top 30 in 2022.

Furthering the discussion was Mandana Mehran Pour, Head of Participation and Development at the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), who shared findings from the federation’s #HorsesforAll research, which informed the publication of BEF’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy in November 2023.

The research highlighted that the equestrian industry in the UK is underrepresented in terms of ethnicity and brought to light the following points:

• Negative race and class experiences are common, with indications of deeply rooted barriers to entry that extend beyond the sport;
• Representation and visible diversity matter, and there is a need for diverse role models from various backgrounds to inspire and encourage participation;
• Equestrian is socially, culturally, and emotionally valuable and despite facing challenges, respondents unanimously highlighted the deep benefits of being around horses.

HRH Nanda-Dévi Norodom, Secretary General of the Cambodian Equestrian Federation (CEF), concluded the session by presenting real-life examples and personal anecdotes illustrating how equestrian sport has worked to foster equity and inclusivity in local communities in her country.

She addressed the misconception that equestrian is a sport and activity only for the wealthy, highlighting horse therapy as well as vocational and talent programmes that the CEF has created to empower disadvantaged individuals, particularly girls. The CEF has designed its programmes to make a significant difference in the advancement of the most marginalised individuals by offering training in horse care, stable upkeep, management, and specialised equestrian careers such as farriery.

These programmes have served as more than just a means for economic advancement, social inclusion and equality promotion. They have also enhanced horsemanship and cultivated the skills necessary to ensure a sustainable future for the country's equine industry.

The discussion session highlighted that one of the probable reasons for having fewer women in the higher ranks of disciplines like Jumping, is that many top female riders prioritise their horses and family over World Rankings.  The freezing of ranking points for female athletes during pregnancy has facilitated their temporary exit from top level competition.

It was noted that efforts should be made to increase the number of young males in the sport, and to address bullying that some boys face for participating in what is perceived as a "girl's sport". It was also noted that balancing the commercial bias, which is currently aimed almost exclusively at a female fanbase, could help to keep boys interested in the sport for longer.

Panellists
♦ HRH Nanda-Dévi Norodom - Secretary General Cambodian Equestrian Federation
♦ Mandana Mehran Pour - Head of Participation & Development at the British Equestrian Federation
♦ Jack Huang - FEI Executive Board Member

♦ Moderator: Jessica Kürten - Chair of the Athletes' Committee and FEI Executive Board Member