The This Post Needs to be Read Post

Yeah, so I have a problem with people telling me that riding "isn't a sport" or that "horses do all the work".
No. Just no.
A horse is a 1200 pound prey animal that has a mind of its own.
A prey animal means that it will feel threatened EVERY TIME something is on its back because they think it's a predator!! So getting a horse to the point of dealing with and accepting a rider is a huge task.
Secondly, you're sitting at least 5 feet in the air because horses are big.
Thirdly, horses don't understand English. It doesn't matter how many times you say "woah" or "good pony" they will still ignore you if they're scared. Horses have a one track mind so if they are scared, all they will think about is being scared. Yeah, there's no reasoning with them.
Do you know how hard it is to get a horse to move when you weigh 125 pounds? IT'S PRETTY HARD! ESPECIALLY when you're sitting on their back and have to balance in order to not fall off and get trampled.
Once you get the horse moving, you have to communicate what you want it to do wIthout saying anything, using only your body. Yeah, that's crazy difficult!
You know what else is difficult? Getting a horse to go over a 3 foot jump that DOESN'T COLLAPSE if you hit it. That's right, I'm talking about galloping at a mostly solid jump that will not come apart if you hit it, it may move, but that doesn't prevent a rotational fall. Plain and simple. If you hit it, hold on and get out of your horses way.
That my friends is called cross country.
Horses have a blind spot directly in front of their face, so you bet your ass that they would not jump that thing if it weren't for you riding them through a course.
Another thing, if you want to work well with a horse, he's gotta respect you. That respect is so crucial to being able to perform well together.
Horses have thin, delecate legs. You have to take care of them and protect them the best you can. I've invested in $150 boots just for my horses front legs. Owning a horse is NOT cheap.
Nor is it painless. Countless times I have ended up with dirt in my pants and bruised bones because my horse threw me or didn't want to go over the jump. You have to be tough to be able to take a beating from an animal 10 times your size and STILL want to work with it.
Mostly, you have to have a passion and a desire to work and succeed with your horse. Riding isn't about competing for anything but a partnership and a love that will last you a lifetime. You have to earn every single thing that a horse has to offer because they are flighty animals.
Honestly, riding is 100% the best thing ever.
It has made me tough.
It's made me confident.
It's made me happy.
It's broken me.
It's fixed me.
It's made me poor.
It's made me sad.
It's hurt me.
It's helped me trust.
It saved my life.

If you're reading this, I just want you to think about this post the next time that you want to diss my sport. You have no idea what any sport means to anyone, let alone what it takes to do it.