not a sport. won't qualify for PE

[ayrabz]

well, its not my thread to share. But over on Virginia Horse Network FB page…is a shared thread (not a VA resident, I think original OP is in CA) anyway.
OP’s daughter is in the sixth grade. Seems they’re doing virtual/online learning right now. This is what the gist of the mom’s post was: …"…P.E. teacher (6th Grade) called her out in front of the entire VIRTUAL class of 40+ 6th graders telling her that riding/dressage is NOT a sport and would not be counted as P.E. that I’m more than frustrated. As a matter of fact, she (the teacher) laughed and said, “Maybe the horse can get the P.E. credit”

. but what really broke my heart was when the mom said :“This (Dressage) is the ONLY thing she has during this crazy time. The only thing she works for and looks forward to. It IS a sport, and while I don’t expect everyone to understand that I DO expect teachers working with middle school students to be supportive and not dismissive.”

OUCH…NOT OK.

[Scarlet_Gilia]

That poor kid… I wonder how dressage ever made it into the Olympics if it is not a sport?

I had a primary care doc who could not comprehend that I burned calories riding my horse. I even offered to have her come out and do a 20 minute lunge line lesson at the trot on my big moving warmblood. She never took me up on my offer :lol:

[gottagrey]

I have a problem with teachers who humiliate students in front of others. The whole riding is not a sport thing is irritating as heck. Sure if rent a horse for a trail ride or carries the rider along but there’s a difference. Why do all those muscles hurt when we rode ? why do you need such a strong core? fonts not exercise why am I so exhausted trying to get my horse trotting around the ring ? Many/ most riders do some cardio and strength training to help them ride better? Poor girl

[wildlifer]

I don’t know if it the teacher is open to listening, but if there’s a chance - riding absolutely DID count as my PE credits in college (school had an IHSA team - and that was, eesh I’m old, 20 years ago) & it is also recognized as a sport by the NCAA. So at least there is ample precedent in accredited education…

[Bluey]

Here all the kids in junior rodeos, barrel racing, playdays, horse shows, all that is counted in their school as PE.

The parent there needs to get that information and take it to that teacher/school.
Is standard that horse events are sports for high school PE credits.

[2tempe]

Many years ago at SUNY Albany I got PE credits for taking riding lessons. Multiple semesters!

[Xanthoria]

Psssht. I got a GCSE (secondary education qualification in the UK) in Horsemastership when I was 15. It’s not only a sport but you can study it and take nationally recognized exams in it in some countries.

[MLOaks]

We’re doing virtual as well. He puts down farm chores and no one questions it. He’s not counting the riding time; just the mucking out and feeding. It works. I don’t have any hard feelings. People don’t understand riding.

[FitToBeTied]

The last school where I taught, all the kids were required to participate in some sport. Equestrian was one of the sports. The AD was great about it. He used to make sure the equestrian kids all had shirts and hats with the school logo and equestrian program on them.

[S1969]

It’s unlikely that the teacher gets to make any of those decisions by herself. I would ignore the teacher’s comment and go higher - district or state level for a description of what constitutes PE credits/units. (If they are even described). It’s impossible to believe that riding would not count but yoga would. I think more research is required.

[Equibrit]

This is a great source for actual facts;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4492429/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5292768/

https://www.asmscholarships.com/equestrian-scholarships

[Maythehorsebewithme]

@S1969

It’s unlikely that the teacher gets to make any of those decisions by herself. I would ignore the teacher’s comment and go higher - district or state level for a description of what constitutes PE credits/units. (If they are even described). It’s impossible to believe that riding would not count but yoga would. I think more research is required.

I would speak to the PE Supervisor if there is one, then the principal. I would go in armed with data–that riding is an Olympic sport, for example, and any information I could find on calories burned, muscles used, etc.

And yes, gottagrey, humiliating children is never appropriate, especially in front of others. Parent should speak to the teacher and the principal about that, too.

[exvet]

Uh?! What about all the college equestrian teams? What about all the high school rodeo teams? What about the fact that many colleges still offer horse back riding as one of their PE courses/credits, especially those on the East coast? It was one of the ‘best’ one hour credits I earned in college, LOL

[ayrabz]

It’s been interesting to follow, for sure. Just can’t see berating a child in virtual learning in front of 40 others for listing her dressage lessons. thought you guys might like to add in. I sure hope the mom helps her kid thru this one and addresses the issue with her.

[Wicky]

I wonder if they consider archery a sport. Dressage strengthens leg and core muscles, improves cross coordination, balance, and when done well gives aerobic exercises. Tai chi? Riding (hunters) satisfied my daughter’s PE requirements in high school.

[supershorty628]

Add me to those who got PE requirements fulfilled through riding. I now have one of those Garmin watches that tracks your heart rate and such when you’re working out, and I consistently burn more calories riding 1 pony for 45 minutes than I did when I ran a 5K earlier this summer.

Shame on that teacher - not for her ignorance, but for thinking it’s acceptable to antagonize a child in front of her peers like that for no reason.

[anon68314200]

Oh okay… we get PE teacher to take a lesson with Mary Wanless… that will fix her perspective…

[MLOaks]

Since this is a facebook post, I won’t comment on the PE teacher at some random school that the OP doesn’t know. Maybe she humiliated the kid. Maybe not. I find that people get excited about stuff they see on Facebook and it usually turns out to be exaggerated.

The point is that while riding is a sport, it usually isn’t recognized as such unless the teacher is familiar. The PE requirements are pretty darn easy, though. 30 minutes twice per week would be good for anyone to do. Take the dog for a walk for a couple of days. We don’t have strict PE requirements in this country.

[anon68314200]

@ayrabz

It’s been interesting to follow, for sure. Just can’t see berating a child in virtual learning in front of 40 others for listing her dressage lessons. thought you guys might like to add in. I sure hope the mom helps her kid thru this one and addresses the issue with her.

Seriously though…I am dying to see if there is a MW certified person anywhere close by. I would pay money to watch that PE teacher take a MW method lesson for even a basic longe lesson.

[S1969]

@MLOaks

Since this is a facebook post, I won’t comment on the PE teacher at some random school that the OP doesn’t know. Maybe she humiliated the kid. Maybe not. I find that people get excited about stuff they see on Facebook and it usually turns out to be exaggerated.

The point is that while riding is a sport, it usually isn’t recognized as such unless the teacher is familiar. The PE requirements are pretty darn easy, though. 30 minutes twice per week would be good for anyone to do. Take the dog for a walk for a couple of days. We don’t have strict PE requirements in this country.

Agreed. There is no sense getting overexcited by this - it should be relatively easy to clear up if the parent went up a level (or two). And, if I was the parent, I’d recommend to the principal or superintendent that the PE teacher take a dressage lesson if she thinks it doesn’t meet the requirements and get back to them. LOL.

I think most educated PE teachers would understand that riding takes core strength and balance, which would certainly fulfill basic PE requirements in just about any state. But, as we all know, not all teachers are educated or thoughtful. Sometimes they need to be corrected, and not necessarily nicely if they are jerks about it.

(When we did gymnastics in 5th grade, my PE teacher told me that I had the “grace of a hippopotamus” and therefore could enter a “competition” on vault and uneven bars, but not floor. I am 51 and that memory is pretty clear in my mind still. In fact, I remember hardly anything else about elementary gym class.) :no: