THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL APPEARANCE IN EQUESTRIAN SPORTS: An analysis of collegiate riders’ attitudes towards expectations of rider costume and physique THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Patricia M. Privette, M.B.A. Graduate Program in Education and Human Ecology The Ohio State University 2012 Master’s Examination Committee: Dr. Nancy A. Rudd, Advisor Dr. Patricia A. Cunningham Dr. Sharon L. Seiling Copyright by Patricia M. Privette 2012 Abstract Competitive equestrian sport consists of both objectively and subjectively judged events. In subjectively judged events, there exists the possibility that rider appearance may influence the judge’s evaluation and final placement or ranking of participants. This exploratory study examines the importance of rider appearance, which includes both rider costume and physique, in competitive equestrian sport as it is perceived by the riders. Nine female equestrians riding on their IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) collegiate equestrian teams were interviewed for this study. The participants, a mix of both western and hunt seat riders, described aspects of their appearance for horse shows, which included show clothing, facial cosmetics and hairstyles. Elements of the social physique anxiety scale were incorporated into the interview instrument to identify whether the riders experienced social physique anxiety as a result of judges’ and coaches’ expectations of their appearance. Although social physique anxiety has been examined in athletes in a variety of sports, it has not to date been studied in the equestrian population. The riders uniformly identified their perceptions of the preferred body type for equitation classes (tall and thin), but not all of the riders experienced social ii physique anxiety as a result of comparing their bodies with this standard. The riders also discussed whether they perceived a double standard toward male and female riders with respect to their show ring appearance. The western riders did perceive a difference between male and female riders, but the hunt seat riders did not. Riders also identified other non-body image related aspects of collegiate riding that they liked and disliked. Positive aspects mentioned by the riders included the camaraderie and support system provided by teammates and the coaches, the challenge of riding unfamiliar horses in competition and how riding served as a break (i.e., stress reliever) from their daily academic life. Negative aspects mentioned by the riders included the challenge of riding unfamiliar horses in competition, the expense and the amount of time it required in their busy schedules. The results of this exploratory study indicate that additional research related to body image is needed for equestrians. Areas of additional focus may include more quantitative measures of body image in equestrians, and the expansion of the scope to include male and female equestrians in additional collegiate riding formats. iii Acknowledgments I want to thank everyone who assisted and guided me through this lengthy process, which included more than its share of stops, starts and detours. I can’t thank my advisor, Dr. Rudd, enough for her gentle guidance and persistence. I also thank Ashley and Meghan for their reviews of the preliminary interview questionnaire and their valuable input, Anne for her detailed reading and analysis of the rider transcripts, Drs. Cunningham and Seiling for their critical readings of this thesis and their comments, and most importantly, the nine riders who graciously found time in their busy schedules to share their collegiate riding experiences with me. I also owe a special thank you to my husband and daughter. Thank you all! iv Vita May 1981 ................................................ Girls Preparatory School May 1985 ................................................ B.A. Music, Meredith College December 1985 ...................................... B.S. Business Administration, Meredith College June 1996 ............................................... M.B.A., The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Human Ecology v Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................iv Vita ....................................................................................................................... v Fields of Study ...................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .................................................................................................vi List of Tables ........................................................................................................xi Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................... 1 Purpose of this research ................................................................................... 1 Researcher Perspective .................................................................................... 2 Chapter 2: Equestrian Sports ............................................................................... 4 English disciplines ............................................................................................. 4 Dressage ........................................................................................................ 4 Show jumping ................................................................................................ 7 Cross country ............................................................................................... 11 Three day eventing ...................................................................................... 13 Hunter .......................................................................................................... 13 vi Saddle seat .................................................................................................. 14 Western disciplines ......................................................................................... 18 Reining ......................................................................................................... 18 Barrel racing ................................................................................................. 22 Cutting.......................................................................................................... 23 Western pleasure ......................................................................................... 24 Summary ......................................................................................................... 26 Equitation classes versus performance classes at horse shows ..................... 26 Governing bodies for horse shows .................................................................. 27 Collegiate riding .............................................................................................. 27 Required apparel for horse shows .................................................................. 31 Common themes in rulebooks ......................................................................... 36 Horse industry specific judging literature ......................................................... 36 Ready to wear show apparel ........................................................................... 38 Chapter 3: Review of Literature .......................................................................... 41 Other judged sports ......................................................................................... 42 Social physique anxiety ................................................................................... 44 Summary ......................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 4: Methodology ..................................................................................... 49 vii Chapter 5: Results .............................................................................................. 53 Demographic overview .................................................................................... 53 The riders ........................................................................................................ 54 RQ 1: Do riders perceive any unwritten bias towards certain rider attire and rider physique? ................................................................................................ 57 Rider physique ............................................................................................. 57 Rider attire ................................................................................................... 62 RQ 2: Do riders perceive that coaches believe there is unwritten bias towards certain rider attire and rider physique? ............................................................ 68 RQ 3: Is there a difference in how riders feel when wearing show clothes and street clothes? ................................................................................................. 72 RQ 4: Do riders experience social physique anxiety as a result of this perceived bias? ............................................................................................... 80 RQ 5: Are there other things (not related to body image)