Casas Novas - CSI 5*W a Coruña - 2, 3 & 4 Dec 2022

68 of the 99 participants in the last FEI European Jumping Championships for Juniors were women. In a smaller percentage (49 out of 86), there was also a majority of female riders in the Young Riders' category. However, in this year's FEI World Championships for adults, held in Herning (Denmark), the figures took a radical turn, as 82 of the 103 competitors were men. The figures confirm a reality that can be sensed on a daily basis and show the unquestionable feminine prominence in the younger categories and its progressive decrease as age increases. According to Laura Kraut, Olympic and World Champion with her national team, "especially in Europe, when women are in their twenties they get married, have children... and this is a very difficult sport but also a business. At that stage, for us, it's a little bit more complicated than for men to keep the level as an athlete and also take care of the business side, which is a male-dominated territory."

Malin Baryard-Johnson has 7 team medals (2 gold) in the Olympic Games and World and European Championships, to which we should add another 3 in junior categories: "I've been in the sport since I was very young and I'm still here. Reaching the top level is very hard, it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. Perhaps men have an advantage in finding horse owners or sponsors, but there are many factors that have an influence and women also reach an age when they sometimes pay more attention in starting a family".

During the last Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final in Barcelona, Norway and Sweden went with all-female quartets, something that is also common in the USA team. Henrik Ankarcrona, head of the Swedish World and Olympic champion team, believes that "it was a coincidence, the important thing is to create solid teams. What is clear is that in my country it is a tradition for girls to start riding very early. There are many riding schools in big cities and little towns, and it is a very popular sport amongst girls. That's why there are so many women competing." >According to Malin Baryard, "in Sweden, at a very young age, 99% of girls ride. It's like a girl's sport, the boys play soccer and the girls ride horses. It's common to see women competing in Nations Cups but then in the major championships everything changes and I've been the only woman on the team for the last ten years, so at the highest level in Sweden it's also male dominated". "It's not clear to me," says Laura Kraut, "which is the reason why there are so many women competing in the United States, but what is undeniable is that in Europe, with the exception of Sweden and Norway, it is a male- dominated sport. I think this is changing, now you see more women in the top competitions, for example in Germany or Great Britain. But there is still a long way to go".

In a high-cost world like the equestrian one, it is essential to have the support of owners and sponsors. In order to get this, good results and a good position in the ranking are very important. This seems to put women at a disadvantage, but it is not always the case: "Most women compete less than men and we are not as high in the ranking" says Malin Baryard, "but because so few of us are in top competition, access to sponsors can make it a little easier for us". Laura Kraut adds that "In the United States there are a lot of female riders and the treatment is quite similar. I've had great owners who weren't specifically looking for men or women, just someone who met their requirements. It's always complicated to get good owners, but I've been lucky and for me it hasn't been difficult". Pilar Cordón, a permanent figure on the Spanish team for many years but now far from the top of the rankings, has a different perspective: "For women it is more difficult to get sponsors, we are still considered the "weaker sex", we compete on equal terms but there is no real equality. However, if you get into the arena and win, everything is easier".

It is clear that the conditioning factors are different for men and women, but once they go into the arena, they compete on equal terms, which makes equestrianism a different sport. "In other sports," says Malin Baryard, "women wouldn't stand a chance against men because of speed or strength. When you ride horses the important thing is to feel and to know the horse, the feeling you have with it, and that doesn't depend on whether you're a man or a woman. The physical part is not so important". Laura Kraut stresses that "this is a sport in which the real athletes are the horses and the stallions, the geldings and the mares compete together without any problem. It is not exclusively a physical issue. The connection between rider and animal is essential". When it comes to weighing the strengths and weaknesses of female riders against male riders, Pilar Cordón believes that "strength plays in favor of men and that perhaps allows them to ride a wider range of horses. But sensitivity is essential in this sport and that plays in our favor, as well as intuition although there are also men who are very intuitive". Malin Baryard doesn't like generalizations: "Every rider is unique. In the end, all riders know that the more you know your horses and the more time you spend with them off the track the better the relationship and therefore the performance is".

Henrik Ancarkrona also emphasizes on the uniqueness of each rider regardless of gender: "I don't think there are specific horses for men or for women because each rider is different. In the end, the success depends on how each rider connects with the horse: there are men with a great ability to ride sensitive horses and there are women who get a great performance out of strong horses". Laura Kraut stresses that empathy and points out an important difference in the relationship with the animals: "Girls love their ponies when they are little, we stayed a long time after riding, we played with them, pampered them, brushed them..."

The difference in the relationship with the horse to which Laura Kraut alluded may be at the origin of the constant increase in the number of girls in international competition. According to Malin Baryard, "there are so many women who love horses and being a groom allows you to spend a lot of time with them, work with them during competitions, take care of them. There are a lot of girls interested in this work because of that".

"I know a lot of girls who are passionate about horses," says Laura Kraut, "and when they grow up they start working in the stable alongside them because it's something they're passionate about". That could be the case of Adeline Amary, Sergio Álvarez Moya's current groom after working 9 years with René López: "I started riding late, when I was 18 years old. I realized soon that I kind of enjoyed more being with the horse, taking care of him, cleaning him, more than riding. I had studied communications and was in charge of a company's website, but when I saw an offer to work as a groom with young horses, I didn't think twice". Despite the high physical demands, Adeline began then a professional adventure in which she is accompanied by many other women.

According to Laura Kraut, "to be good and hold on you have to love what you do and the horses. It is a very complicated job that takes many hours and a very important physical wear and tear". But this physical wear and tear has not prevented the number of young women from growing steadily in recent years. According to Adeline, "working conditions have evolved a lot in recent years. Technology has helped in making everything easier, but it has also changed the mentality. Many international competitions have staff to help load and unload and make your job easier, the manufacturing of trucks and different materials has improved a lot, the tacks are lighter, there are mechanical systems to load and unload material from the trucks and driving and life in a truck is much easier. There are also stables with 2 competition grooms, which makes it easier to rest between competitions". The improvement of these conditions has allowed a greater female presence in the stables but, as in the competition arenas, this presence is considerably reduced over the years.