Horse folks - do you see much ethnic diversity in your discipline or at your barn?

Hey

I am a 24 yr old Blk female from Washington DC ( now living in M.D.) ...... My parents whome rhode before I was born belonged to the "Rough Riders"... I began riding at 1 or 2 ... Now a days round here you can find several different black riding groups.... There are alot of us .......

check it out

Edit: There are groups from all over!!!!!

I do see Latino's when I watch the B.R.I's

There is absoluetly none whatsoever at my barn. of course i board my horses at home so that's why there is no ethnic diversity. However I do have some very dear friends that i constantly trail ride with. While most of the group is white there are 2 black guys , and girl of indian (from india not native american) descent , and a husband and wife both which orginally hail form Hong Kong (that always makes for a fun trail ride b/c the still have heavy accents lol) I think the degree of diversity varies area to area. For example here in TN Franklin area is almost 100% white riders, you get around Not\rth Nashvile area and it's about 70 % white 30% black Hartsville TN the numbers are about even. Our big state horse show for saddle club is probably about 70% white and the rest is a mixture of asian , black or indian. I like riding with different groups! It really makes for fun rides

I have taught black, asian, native and hispanic kids, but the majority of my students were white.

In various regions of Canada, I've seen asian adult and child riders, middle eastern, and native, but mostly caucasian.

In Michigan there is the Michigan Black Cowboy Association (I think that's what it's called?) And cruisin down the trails, I've run into native and black riders.

Again vast majority of riders were of European descent.

Starlight makes an excellent point, but there is also the fact that only a segment of any population is going to want to rider horses. So the segment of a majority population into riding will be larger than the segment of a minority population into riding by simple math.

Things are changing though, I'm starting to see more men and diversified backgrounds in riding.

I hope the Detroit Equestrian Club (located in the city) will help bring more black youth into horses.

And FYI I say "Black" too, cause I'm Canadian and any Canadians or Brits of African descent would beat me for calling them "African Americans." :P

EDIT: Just wanted to add there is a long tradition of black cowboys and cavalrymen in north america, but no one ever hears about it.

There must have been an Asian contribution as well from laborers getting away from working the railroads. We owe our railroads and early infrastructure to Asians.

Every ethnic group in North America has made some sort of positive contribution to our society and history (and lots of bad too :P) but we get so caught up on racial differences and "political correctness" that we miss out on exploring all our history.

Cnsdubie, you have noticed a trend that has been true for decades, not just in your discipline, but across the entire American horse industry, including in the racing business, at least to some degree. In the 20 or so years I was a horse professional, I knew exactly ONE African-American rider- and even she had only been in the business a year or two when I met her. I traveled across the US, and lived in over a dozen different states, and regardless of where I went, the story was the same. It makes no difference if one is in California or in Maine- riding is a sport for the elite, rich WHITE, period. I can count on my left hand the number of people of color whom I have seen in horse sports ( outside of racing, that is) who are actually doing something besides shoveling sh*t for a living. The situation is even worse on the international and national level, where we desperately need to have someone of color do something like win an Olympic or WEG medal for this country, and break the color barrier at long last. But because there are very few people of color in this country who can afford to ride or pursue horse sports to any degree, I don't see this happening any time in the near future, if indeed it ever does.

Do I like this situation? Of course not, but I am not sure what can be done to change it, other than trying to encourage more young people of color to get into horse sports on the grass roots level. What you have stumbled upon is a situation that I think a LOT of us would really like to see changed or eliminated, but until our society starts granting full access and citizenship rights to all our people, including the right to equal employment and fair treatment in the housing market ( there are still places today where African Americans cannot buy houses or farms because they can't get mortgages, and this is largely because of their skin color, not because they aren't qualified) then I don't imagine much will change any time soon. Added to this are the problems posed by illegal immigration, which effects probably a good two thirds of the Latino population, and has a very negative impact on their ability to do things like pursue horse sports. Most of the Latino people I have ever seen working around horses were working as grooms or day laborers, not as trainers, riders or competitors. There are a lucky few who manage to make it as jockeys, but the great majority of people of this ethinic background are still trapped at the bottom of the industry, with little or no chance of getting out of it. I am one of those people who wishes that this could somehow be changed, but I don't have all the answers as to how do this.

Just my thinking on this subject... Great question !!

I live in LA - Lower Arkansas, and while there are a few African Americans that ride, they usually stick to gaited horses, or at least all the ones that I know that ride do. There has never been very many of them at the shows though. Most of them have horses for trail riding and some for hunting.

When I was showing my horses in Southern California in the 60's and 70's, there were some very successful exhibitors of Asian descent....all quick to point out they were AMERICAN....and some really talented black riders, two of whom went with my group to UCDavis, for the rating center. A kid I knew from babyhood, (and I never thought about color....he was just Charles), was an extremely talented and successful rodeo rider.

I think it is less a matter of a lack of diversity than it is a matter of how people spend their money and what hobbies attract them. There are black skiers, and black swimmers, but overall, people gravitate to the sports that call out to them.

It may also be linked to place of origin. Horses have very little part in the ancient traditions in African countries...they are more European based.

I live in AZ now, and there are plenty of members of Buffalo Soldiers groups here...mostly because that IS a part of their heritage. They are very proud of the contributions made by the 10th Cavalry.

Kira.....I hope you may someday be in a position to learn to ride. Most of the horse people I know, at least in AZ and CA, don't give a rip what color a person is...just how much you love your horse.

no longer a huge fan of it to any extent further than i may be huge if I lived in Mexico, Japan, or Somalia, as an occasion. it is not a "white" component yet a private component. My own theory is that societies are extra cohesive the extra the citizenry share commonalities. I even have considered a sturdy many rules, existence like, logical rules, fall via the way-area because of the fact somebody felt they had a extra unfavourable impression on one specific team or yet another. variety can even have of way of dividing quite of uniting. there's a Congressional Black Caucus; there are Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc., student unions in rather much each and every important college interior the rustic. My way of questioning is that we could continuously be united as a rustic, no longer segmented into communities that's have been ethnic and cultural variety has rather lots taken us. I strongly help ethnic variety and cultural variety while it is composed of sturdy eating places and that's approximately it.

To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen anybody any other than white people at my barn. And as for diversity in discipline, we are pretty diverse at my barn. The owners & founders (it's a family operated barn) ride both hunter/jumper and reining, and have made it far into competition in both. However, all of the lesson girls are taught jumping. I guess you could specifically ask for Western lessons, but I don't know if anyone has.

Honestly, no. I've wondered about that too. I have never seen anyone that isn't white and of the middle- or upper-middle class at the barns I've been at. Kind of weird. I think I live in a veeery insular part of the country (NY state) and that probably has a lot to do with it. So yes, a regional thing is what I'm going with.

I have never thought of this before... I live on the Gold Coast... and i've i attend many shows and ralleys and p/c and adult riding club.... and i cant remember seeing any ethnicity but Caucasian... how strange... there is one girl at p/c who is Tibetan... but she was adopted... shes a wonderful rider... very natural... but i guess its not the same... having Caucasian parents... i wonder why it is... we are no means in the high end of riding... i mean I'm a uni student... i make nothing but what i do make i spend on my horses... so i dont totally agree with it being an affluent thing i mean sure it helps to have money but its not necessary.... i feel quite uneasy that i had never noticed before... hmmm... thanks for bringing this up... so strange...