(Dis)abled riders and equestrian sports

The purpose of this article is to discuss perceptions of the body as expressed in contemporary discourses on horse riding for disabled people in Sweden. Equestrianism is the most popular disability sport in Sweden, and horse riding for disabled riders is integrated in the Swedish Equestrian Federation. Research on disability sports suggests that there is a change in how disability sports and disabled athletes are perceived; from sport as rehabilitation to sport as individual empowerment, and thus a legitimate sport. This change concurrently challenges discourses of disability and able-ism. The article focuses on discourses on an organisational level as the regulation of bodies is an essential part of sports organisations’ work. Data for the analysis consists of semi-structured interviews with persons linked to organized riding for the disabled, and various texts from the Swedish Equestrian Federation. Discourse analysis is used as a methodological and theoretical tool, and Crip theory provides a theoretical framework for the study of ability and disability in equestrian sports. Three major recurring discourses are identified: inclusion and equality; concealed exclusion and segregation; acceptance and differentiation through focus on impairment. The discourses identified are contradictory although they operate in the federation, and produce bodies that are able, disabled and flexible depending on the context