According to the ultimate sports aphorism, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”

It is just as important to show good sportsmanship when you lose as well as win.

These days, the term, “horseman,” is one that is loosely applied to nearly anyone who owns a horse, and in recent years has lost much of its meaning.

Although not technically part of the horse show rules, equestrian sportsmanship is expected of all competitors. This means respecting fellow riders and taking wins and losses graciously.

Horse showing is emotional for adults and yet the grace that most kids exhibit is impressive and beyond their years. Competition brings out the best and worst in all of us. How children cope under pressure is both learned and part of their chemical makeup. Good or bad, sportsmanship is something most exhibitors struggle with, and often, the more successful you are, the harder it is to lose.

The emotional maturity to handle a hard loss or a poor performance isn’t easy for many kids. Like their adult counterparts, they have invested a lot of time and energy, as well as some big hopes, on the outcome of their classes. It hurts when everything goes wrong and acting otherwise is sometimes impossible. Sometimes the disappointment is expressed through tears, sometimes through anger. It’s easier to feel bad for a crier, but an angry youth rider is seen as a bad sport and poorly received.

It is as important to show good sportsmanship when you lose as well as when you win. It is important to learn from your mistakes so that they aren’t made again in the future.

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Make a habit of congratulating the winners of any class, regardless of how that rider performed. Throwing fits in the arena or accusing judges of favoritism show very poor sportsmanship, as does bragging about a win or criticizing other competitors.

Winning can be a goal, just not the only one. Pride in the journey and the many steps it takes to get to the show pen helps kids grow in their sportsmanship skills. All kids can be winners in that way even if they’re not the one with the world championship title. Horses aren’t a team sport, and that is part of the challenge of teaching good sportsmanship to kids who ride. The outcome is all up to the individual and his or her horse and that’s a lot of pressure on some small shoulders. The best thing that parents and coaches can do is encourage kids to have fun, and keep a positive outlook while demonstrating those things themselves.

Trevor Ashcraft
AQHA Youth Intern