Show Success: A comparison of three riding styles as performed at the United States Arabian Horse National Championships from 1986-2008 A thesis submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In the Department of Geography Of the College of Arts and Sciences 2010 by Katherine Musser B.A., Cedarville University 2002 Committee Chair: Roger M. Selya, Ph.D. Abstract The Arabian is considered one of the most beautiful breeds of horses. Valued for its intelligence, strength, endurance and affability, the Arabian, more than any other horse, has contributed its bloodlines to improving horse stock around the globe. In the twenty-first century, the United States boasts more Arabian horses registered than any other country. The United States Arabian National Championships held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is considered the premier Arabian horse show in the world. Standards set by the judges of the United States Arabian National Championships guide breeding and training programs across the United States regarding the type of show horses produced. Using results from the National Championships as the standard, this research investigates the spatial distribution of Arabian horse training emphasis across the United States. Three riding styles (saddle seat, western and hunter) are used to analyze regional dimensions of horse training and showmanship using ArcMap’s ‘hot spot’ analysis. Concepts from sports geography such as the ‘Affection versus Domination’ tension and ‘Sports Landscapes,’ aid in interpreting the cultural implications of each riding style and the indicators of each style on the horse/handler relationship. This research uncovered regional preferences for each of the riding styles and connects those preferences to cultural perspectives on horses, animals and nature. Keywords: Arabian horse, Horse Show, Hot Spot Analysis, Sports Geography, Sports Landscapes, Affection, Domination iii iv Acknowledgements This project could not have been completed without the support of many people. I would like to offer my thanks to those who have enabled my pursuit of this research. First, I would like to thank Dr. Selya for his excellent advice and assistance throughout this project. He has always been there to offer encouragement and clear guidance whenever needed. Every visit to his office left me inspired to pursue my work. I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Colleen McTague and Dr. Changjoo Kim, for their willingness to serve on my committee and comment on my thesis. Many of my fellow graduate students offered valuable help and recommendations for this project. I would like to thank Christopher Carr, Benjamin Thomas, Peter Kimosop, and Yu Sun in particular for their assistance. As a commuter from Dayton to Cincinnati, those who provided me with bed and board during the week played a key role in my ability to finish this degree. I would like to give special thanks to Melanie and Elliot Gomaz, Mary Bowersox and Shazia Bee. The hospitality extended by each of these individuals was above and beyond my highest expectations. I would like to thank my horse trainer of many years, Ann Quinn, for imparting to me a love for the Arabian horse and a concern for the well-being of the animal. I greatly appreciate the support of family in my endeavors. I wish to thank my sister Kristen who first encouraged me to pursue this study as an attempt to understand the discrepancies in horse training and care techniques that we both observed when we moved from California to Ohio. I thank my sister Holly for all the time we spent together on horseback discussing concepts of horsemanship and sports geography. I’m also grateful to her for helping me with data entry and for her expert advice and assistance as a librarian. I thank my sister Hannah for her tolerance of all the ‘horse’ talk and for believing I could finish. My Mom has been a continual support in my life - always being there to watch me ride and to encourage me. I thank her for listening to my ideas and for proofreading my writing. My husband deserves special thanks. He has continually backed my graduate work and has always encouraged me and helped me believe in myself. He endured with great equanimity the long hours I invested in this work and our days spent apart because of it. He has always lent a hand whenever needed. I am truly thankful for his unfailing support. v Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction 1 Statement of Significance and Purpose 3 Chapter Layout 3 Chapter Two: Introduction to the Arabian Horse 5 History of the Arabian horse 6 History of the Arabian horse in the United States 9 Characteristics of the Arabian horse 12 The Arabian show horse 15 Riding Styles 18 Saddle Seat 19 Western Pleasure 22 Hunter 23 Chapter Three: Introduction to Sports Geography 25 Literature Review 27 Explanations for the lack of equine research in geography 28 Chapter Four: Hypothesis and Methodology 30 Hypotheses 30 Methodology 31 Chapter Five: Data Investigation and Analysis 34 Records 34 Registration Records 34 Show Records 35 Data Limitations 35 Data Organization 37 Data Exploration 38 Registration Records Exploration 38 Show Data Exploration 43 City Data Exploration 48 Data Analysis 50 Hot Spot Analysis 50 Clustering of City Data 50 Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) 51 Specialization Index 56 Comparing Regions of High and Low Specialization 59 Summary of Total Wins and Specialization Hot Spot Analysis 61 Riding Style Preferences 61 Regional Comparisons 65 vi Chapter Six: Discussion of Sports Geography and Horsemanship 68 Sports: Seeking the Ideal 68 Affection versus Domination 71 Landscapes as an indicator of the man/nature relationship 71 Concepts of Sports Geography and Equines 72 Dominance and Affection Revisited 73 Dominance and Affection in Training the Horse 74 Dominance and Affection in the Show Ring 75 Horses and Sports Landscapes 78 Saddle Seat Revisited 79 Western Pleasure Revisited 81 Hunter Revisited 83 Riding Style Analysis 83 Comparison of discussion with hot spot analysis 85 Chapter Seven: Results 86 Chapter Eight: Conclusion 88 Hypotheses Revisited 88 Future Research 89 Bibliography 90 Appendix A 94 Appendix B 94 Appendix C 95 Appendix D 96 Appendix E 97 Appendix F 98 vii List of Tables and Figures Page Table 1: Comparison of Specialization 59 Frequencies Table 2: Frequency Distributions 60 Table 3: Expected wins for each riding style 62 Figure 1: Bedouin with Arabian horse 5 Figure 2: Head of an Arabian horse 13 Figure 3: Arabian horse 13 Figure 4: Arabian horse showing on the rail 15 Figure 5: Saddle Seat Arabian 20 Figure 6: Arabian park horse 21 Figure 7: Arabian western horse 23 Figure 8: Arabian hunter horse 24 Figure 9: Distribution of registered 39 Arabians Figure 10: Arabian horses per square mile 40 Figure 11: Arabian horses per capita 41 Figure 12: State participation rate 44 Figure 13: Saddle Seat performance by state 45 Figure 14: Western performance by state 46 Figure 15: Hunter Performance by state 46 Figure 16: Number of wins per state 47 Figure 17: Central Tendency of wins 49 Figure 18: Hot Spot analysis of wins 53 Figure 19: Hot Spot analysis of wins 57 standardized by city population Figure 20: Specialization hot spots 57 viii Figure 21: Specialization hot spots 58 standardized by city population Figure 22: Saddle Seat riding hot spot 63 analysis Figure 23: Western riding hot spot analysis 64 Figure 24: Hunter riding hot spot analysis 64 Figure 25: Summarization of the data 66 Figure 26: Park horse as sports landscape 81 Figure 27: Western horse as sports 82 landscape Figure 28: Hunter horse as sports landscape 83 ix Glossary of Terms: Action: The horse's way of travel, how he moves his legs and degree of animation. The degree of flexion of the joints of the legs during movement; also reflected in head, neck, and tail carriage. High, snappy action is desired in some classes while easy, ground- covering action is the goal in other classes. Bit. A device placed in the mouth of the horse as a means of control attached to the bridle and the reins or lines. Canter. The English term for a three-beat gait with right and left leads. The canter has the same footfall pattern as the lope. Collection. Gathered together; a state of organized movement; a degree of equilibrium in which the horse's energized response to the aids is characterized by elevated head and neck, rounded back, "dropped croup," engaged hindquarters, and flexed abdominals. The horse remains on the bit, is light and mobile, and is ready to respond to the requests of the trainer. Shortened and raised strides in any gait (walk, trot, gait, canter). The speed is slower because the stride is shortened, the joints of the fore and hind legs are more active, the head and neck are raised, with the head approaching the vertical position. Curb Bit. A bit that uses lever action. Dished. concave, referring to the profile of a head, such as that of an Arabian. Double bridle. Bridle consisting of two separate headstalls and bits. The snaffle bit (bradoon) is very small. Flat. Class without jumping. Gait. A specific pattern of foot movements such as the walk, trot, and canter. Hand. Four inches of height on a horse. Horses are measured from the highest point of the withers to the ground in units called hands. 14.2 means (14 hands x 4 inches) + 2 inches, which is 56 inches + 2 inches = 58 inches. Hand Gallop. A three beat gait like the canter except faster and more ground covering. Hunter. A type of horse, not a breed, which is suitable for field hunting or show hunting.