06/19/2026
The elephant in the room in the horse industry---
Yesterday I had a long conversation with a woman who is deeply involved in the show horse world, and she said that it doesn’t take a statistician to realize that the industry is shifting more and more toward the adult amateur.
These are the people with the funds, the interest, the motivation. BUT, she said, too many of them go about their horse activities with at least some degree of fear. And, if not actual fear, anxiety. This fear is the elephant in the room, and it is largely based upon, she believes, the fact that many of them lack the fitness and strength they need to cope with a sport like riding.
They quite understandably don’t want to get hurt, but at the same time they want to trot and canter on a thousand pound animal that can be quick and unpredictable.
Basically, she said, too many riders are at least a little bit afraid of the thing they love.
If this is so, then there seem to be a couple of solutions. One is for the rider to get stronger and fitter. Another is for the rider to find a quiet horse and do less strenuous kinds of riding.
Other thoughts?
