Just a reminder that helmets made for Black equestrians are still very new. Our son’s friends had to wear helmets two sizes too big to accommodate their hair (which they wore in a ‘down’ style but still didn’t fit). It was frustrating because those kids loved riding and I wanted everything to be easy when they visited. We worked around it, but I kept thinking how we can do better. Now, it seems, we have. 
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/making-safety-accessible/
In the only sport where your gender makes no difference, where everyone competes on an equal basis (separated by height or age only), we should applaud a governing body that encourages the under represented members of society to join the sport. The long-held stereotypes and biases, along with systemic racism have created equestrian sports that are majority white. That is changing and I am happy that USEF is helping that along.
Equality is a level playing field. Whatever we can do to make that happen is a step in the right direction. This book is not creating that. From commentary here, it’s clear some in our horse community are not ready for the changes that are happening, they are uncomfortable because change is hard. We need to help those members to see the possibilities, not the hurdles or barriers.
I live a low income, minorities are the majority population area. There are plenty of minority horse owners out there. They may keep their horses very rough kept and they are almost always riding western. In my opinion, the lack of diversity in USEF isn’t because a lack of minorities owning or have an interest horses. The deficiencies are related to other attitudes.
Would you like to elaborate on that 
Pick a thread devoted to discussing riding in a recognized show, standards of horse/vet/nutritional care or training and riding instruction quality and start reading.
That sounds so judgmental, the post you responded to.
I’ve had the chance, through work I used to do in the equine world, to y’know, actually meet equestrians from all walks of life, some of whom were Black, including yes, trail riders, but also a guy who did vaulting who happened to be Black and some young men who played polo and happened to be Black. Won’t go into a ton of detail (little worried even this is a bit much, as I don’t tend to say much about my previous work but I’m not giving all that much context here, so) b/c my career and life have gone in other directions but wow, just wow how sad, to the judgment about “deficiencies related to other attitudes.”
This kind of attitude is probably why some of those Black equestrians don’t get into mainstream showing disciplines. Because they don’t want to experience racism, microaggressions, assumptions, prejudice and judgement that I guarantee wouldn’t be served up to white people.
I rode at a backyard “rough” barn growing up run by white people. Those people didn’t treat their horses very well (moreso in the later years I was there. At the start they seemed fine enough in a surface level way), but I would bet $$$ if they cleaned themselves up a little bit and hauled their horse to a show all gussied up looking the part of an English riding equestrian they wouldn’t get the side-eye the way it appears Black folks might, if some of the attitudes shown on this thread are any indication.
Would you all say a white person who kept horses “rough,” presuming “rough” means “horse is otherwise happy and healthy and the barn isn’t a manicured show ring obsessed facility” and who primarily trail rode is showing “deficiencies related to other attitudes?”
Chew on that a while, why don’t you? And please resist the urge to knee-jerk react with a good ol’ “B-b-but but I’m not (gasp) racist” while clutching thy pearls. Really, truly, sit for a while, do some introspection and think about why you’re so quick to assign one trait to a hypothetical BIPOC-appearing individual but aren’t so quick to assign those same traits to a hypothetical White-appearing individual.
I think you misinterpreted the comment about the attitudes. I believe that meant attitudes on the part of USEF not on the part of the “rough horsekeepers”. But I could be mistaken.
I believe the whole thing was merely an attempt by USEF to keep itself relevant and keep revenue up. I believe that and that alone to be their motivation and to attribute anything more noble than that is laughable at the very least.
And so we’re supposed to what, spit the effort back in their face? Say No, we don’t want it?
Ain’t nobody here thinking USEF’s noble 
We aren’t dense, we know they aren’t doing this out of the kindness of their hearts and an actual desire to diversify the sport. You’re not more enlightened than we are.
But if the alternative is to get nothing, then we’ll take what bread crumbs we can get.
USEF was thoroughly messed up long before DEI initiatives ever existed. The topics are not related, and it’s absolute insanity (or racism) to write a book about the corruption of a private sport group largely made up of and controlled by wealthy white people and try to deflect the blame for decades of bad decisions on DEI.
And has neutered males for mounts.
It was Bella Rose, not Mopsie. The “rave horse” came from a TikToker
Might be worth sabotaging the thread. No more promotion of this racist book.
Thank you so much for your elegant response. The condescending nature of the post I replied to really rubbed me the wrong way… a lot was said in between the lines.
How many times has Snoop been married and divorced? Lifelong drug addict? Hmmm. Criminal behavior? 
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Speaking of Martha, she has a funny tv commercial for kitty litter. She’s holding onto one of her kittens and the guy says “Hello kitten”. Martha says “I told you not to call me that.” 
I’m sorry to say that I see this attitude toward POC on the Reddit horses and equestrian posts. Every time it’s a Spanish style horse, automatically someone insinuates that there was abuse. Every time it’s a Black person riding their horse, someone nit picks. Every time someone from Africa or the Middle East posts a picture of their horse, knee jerk reaction is negative. The West didn’t invent horsemanship.
There are gentle ways to train Andalusians.
Some of the videos are making fun of new riders so picking on the horsemanship when people are obviously goofing off is inappropriate. I’m tired of the automatic judgement of Black cowboys and riders. Why isn’t anyone assuming the little white girl with her western pleasure horse doesn’t have an abusive trainer?
People in Africa and the Middle East can love their horses just as much, or even more, than you do. The thing I find amusing is that all Mongolian riders get a pass regardless of tack or riding style. All African riders get destroyed unless their tack is immediately recognizable. Mongolian people should be respected, but so should other horse traditions. Just because rich people vacation in Mongolia and not Ethiopia doesn’t discount the horsemanship in Ethiopia.
When I said rough kept I mean:
1). A larger than average round pen under a tree for shelter with a round bale and water trough.
Same set up except maybe it’s a ground tether or even a normal backyard with a chain length fence.
The literal junkyard and weeds so high you can’t hardly see the horse.
I have at least 10 such set ups within half a mile of my house. These people all have horses, so they obviously have an interest in horses and horse activities. They can also be found at any of the $4/run barrel races and ranch shows.
There is your diversity/inclusion right there. USEF’s problem is that they lack “the rec league” that people of any age and ability can low key participate in that can be found in almost every other sport.
Are you implying that only minorities keep horses this way? I can assure you that is not the case.
It was snotty because you were trying to imply racist implications.
The real attitude problem is “nothing is ever good enough”. It comes across very strongly on a lot of threads here.
Agreed. There is a lot of that in my area too.
I think if Usef were so concerned about bringing the “marginalized communities etc” into the fold they might start by making things a little more affordable.
No. You’re letting your assumptions get in the way.
I qualified the statement the way I did because it makes the point that there is plenty of black interest in horses, even down to the lower economic classes that can only afford a horse kept in very rough conditions. How welcoming is USEF and the English disciplines to those people?
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