This conference is devoted to discussing historical practices of horsemanship and equestrian sports, their emergence and evolution over centuries and into the present day. The conference is open to papers from all historical periods, and In particular, we encourage the speakers to consider the links between historical and current practices in horsemanship and to inquire into possible tendencies and future developments in equestrian sports.
We understand the word sport in the broadest sense, to include the connotations of play, leisurely and cultural activities, which are not necessarily practiced with a practical outcome in mind. On the other hand, equestrian sports often developed and were justified with a certain end in mind, for instance, as military practice.
Possible research strands include, but are not limited to, the following issues:
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- Origins and evolution of equestrian sports
- Social practices related to horsemanship
- Reciprocity in horse and human relations; horses as athletes
- Revival and survival of traditional equestrian sports and practices
- Horse care and breeding
- Approaches to training horses and riders
- Preparation and use of horses in warfare
- Equipment for horses and riders
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All disciplines and approaches are welcome, and we are open to a variety of presentation formats. If you have a proposal that seems to fall outside the suggested themes, we will be happy to discuss it.
Please submit your title, an abstract of 250-300 words and a short biography (50 words) or CV to Anastasija Ropa (Latvian Academy of Sport Education, anastasija.ropa@lspa.lv) and Timothy Dawson (levantia@hotmail.com) by 1 July 2020. You will be notified about the outcome of your application on 10 July.
A volume of articles based on selected papers will be published in the Rewriting Equestrian History Series by Trivent Medieval. Please indicate in your application if you would like your paper to be considered for publication. The papers presented at the conference will be 15-20 minutes long, but longer treatment is possible in the published article.
