My Experiences as an Equestrian of Colour
Recently, I have seen so many of my coloured brothers and sisters in the equestrian community step up and speak about their experiences as a person of colour in a sport that is dominated by white faces and I feel like for once, I am able to voice my experiences and be heard.
I am infuriated. I am sad. I am disappointed. I am scared. I cannot believe that it is 2020 and we still have to educate others about treating everyone with the same respect and dignity. I am appalled that it is the 21st century and we are still taking the streets, begging for equal treatment of people with coloured skin. I am distraught that it’s been over 5 decades since the Civil Rights Movement ended and still we all witnessed a modern day lynching, with George Floyd being brutally and intentionally murdered by the police in broad daylight.
Racism needs to end. And it needs to end now. Unfair treatment of African Americans have existed in this country for far too long and we will no longer tolerate it. It is no longer enough for us to say that we are not racist, but we need to speak up and be actively anti-racist. Enough is enough. Silence will not be the response when someone says something offensive or racially charged. Turning your head the other way will not be the response when you see a person of colour suffering due to the colour of their skin. People need to be held accountable for racist actions and it starts with you and I calling them out and demanding change.
My soon to be husband is African American and since the very first day I met him 7 years ago, I worry about him getting home safely at the end of the day. I am fearful every time he leaves the house and I always jump to the worst case scenario when he does not answer his phone. When we are out and we see police officers, my heart races and I start praying to the Lord that they don’t come bother us even though we have done nothing wrong. I fear for the day that I have to sit my future children down and tell them that they will be treated differently because of the colour of their skin. If this is the fear and anxiety that I have as someone who’s significant other is African American, I cannot begin to fathom what black people personally have to endure every single day of their lives.
I am in no way comparing my experiences as a coloured equestrian to those of my black equestrian brothers and sisters. I just want to shed light on the whiteness of this sport and my experiences due to the extreme lack of diversity in the horse community.
I am an Equine Professional. I am a therapeutic horse riding instructor and equine assisted Recreation Therapist working with individuals with special needs. I also teach beginner riding lessons to typical children. I have never been able to say this out loud because I never knew if my feelings would be validated, but every time I have a new client and they see my face and the colour of my skin, I think that they are disappointed because I am not white. Every time I get on a horse and ride, I feel like I have to perform extra well because it feels like I am carrying my whole race on my back. Every time I saddle up, I tell myself that I am probably the only Asian Equestrian someone will ever see or meet in their lifetime, so I have to represent my people well and ride without fault, and that, is a lot of pressure. I constantly feel like I have to work extra hard and put in tenfolds amount of energy into proving that I am equally capable and knowledgeable about equines, if not more, than my white counterparts at the barn. Every time I go to a new barn, I am fearful that they have already prejudged me because I do not look like them and have already categorized that I am not an experienced horsewoman. When I go to a show, no matter how I perform, I feel like I am automatically discredited when they announce my Chinese last name. There were times when I even had second thoughts about staying in the equine industry because I just felt so unwelcome and different from everybody else.
I am not privileged. I have never owned a horse or was even close to it due to monetary constraints, the saddle that I have now was a donation to me and all my breeches, shirts, helmets and boots I bought with my hard earned money. But I kept finding ways, asking friends if I could ride their horses, knocking on people’s barn doors, finding trainers online and contacting them, going on craigslist to see if people had horses that I could ride, the list goes on to ways that I have reached out to horse owners so that I could have the opportunity to ride. When trainers and horse owners reject me, I automatically go to the conclusion that they did so because of the colour of my skin.
I wish one day I can ride a horse without the thought in the back of my head that I am representing my whole race. I wish one day I will be able to have clients that represent the true diversity that we have here in America. I wish one day I won’t have to feel like I have to prove to others that I am a competent horsewoman because I am not white.
I wish one day I can step inside a barn and feel like I belong.
Here are some resources to support the Black Lives Matter movement and ways you can help:
Here are a few Equestrians of Colour on Instagram to follow and support:
@eyesupdarling
@ urbancowgirl510
@youngblackequestrians
@equestrian_noire
@comptoncowboys
@fitjumperrider
@madzeq
@imaniii.____
@deargabbi
@equestriansforequality
@chetakhorses
@rlawsequestrian
@bethanylately
@theblackequestrian
@brittneychorsemanship
@latinaequestrian
@itstheajway
@restless_eq
@sdequus
@eq.nana
@leeaah.bee
@mavispence
@kristianbeverly
@breexybby_
@eqempress
@benndaviiss
@philadelphiaurbanridingacademy
@saddleupandread
@cowgirl_chanel
@michelle.q.rosemond
@theblackcowgirl
@cbcequine
@theconcretecowgirl
@concretehorsemanship
Jamie
