Research articles

Environmental sustainability in Equestrian Sports: Motivation and major challenges

October 24, 2023

Susanna Hedenborg¹, Mathilde Kronborg², Anna Sätre^1,2, Aage Radmann², Gabriella Thorell Palmquist^3,4, Petra Andersson⁵
¹ Dept. of Sport Sciences, Malmö University; ² Dept. of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences; ³ Strömsholm Equestrian Centre;
⁴ Dept. of Educational Studies, Karlstad University; ⁵ Department of Philosophy,
Linguistics and Theory of Science, University of Gothenburg

The purpose of this article is to map and analyze how people within equestrian sports in Sweden and Norway define the environmental challenges of the sport, as well as, with a starting point in the COM-B model, identify capabilities, opportunities, and motivation to develop a more environmentally sustainable horse sector. The study is based on a questionnaire answered by 697 people. In summary, the horse sector has developed a stronger environmental commitment than it had 15 years ago (cf. Svala 2008). At the same time, many of the informants feel that they lack the opportunity to influence. An analysis of the answers using the COM-B model (cf. Mitchie et al., 2011; Mitchie et al., 2014) shows that the capability (C) for change exists (even if there are people who wish for more knowledge). In relation to the opportunity (O) component, however, there appear to be higher barriers to change. Physical opportunities, such as location, resources and time appear to be difficult for the individual agent to influence and economic factors are also pointed out as obstacles. The opportunity component also includes cultural norms, which may be used to overcome some challenges. The stable does not stand out as a littered place if you compare, for example, with cities or roads, but littering could mean a kind of general disorder. In the stables, everyone is expected to keep their belongings and common areas in order. Even if this orderliness does not primarily concern what we usually mean by ecological challenges, perhaps it can be something to build on when it comes to environmental sustainability work in equestrian sports.

Get the full-text article in Swedish

SUSANNA HEDENBORG is a professor in Sport Science, Malmö University. Hedenborg has an academic background in social and economic history. In her sport research she has focused on childhood and youth studies, gender, and equestrian sports. She is the author of numerous articles and text books in sport science. Hedenborg is affiliated to the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and president of the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science.

MATHILDE KRONBORG is a research assistant at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. Mathilde has a master’s degree in Sport and exercise psychology from the University of Greenwich and has an interest in performance psychology. She is currently working in a project at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences about riding schools as a further learning center for an environmentally change.

ANNA SÄTRE is a research assistant in sports science at Malmö University and the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences. Anna has a master’s degree in gender studies from Lund University and she has worked in several different sports science research projects from the perspective of social science. She recently published an article about football supporters, which focuses on female supporters’ organization in the stands.

AAGE RADMANN is a professor of sport sociology at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and deals with understanding and explaining how sociological perspectives influence the development of sports and society. The themes that are the focus of his research are youth culture/identity, football and supporter culture, violence and hooliganism, gender/masculinity, (social) media, digitization, equestrian sports, leadership, outdoor life, sport tourism, sport for development, and e-sports.

GABRIELLA THORELL PALMQUIST holds a Ph.D. in Sport Science and has worked for 20 years as the head teacher in pedagogy at the Swedish National Equestrian Center at Strömsholm. She is now also a teacher in Sport Science at Karlstad University. Gabriella works periodically for the Swedish Equestrian Federation and has developed educational materials for youth leaders, riding teachers, and coaches. Her primary research interests are sport science perspectives on equestrian sports, both nationally and internationally..

PETRA ANDERSSON is a researcher at Gothenburg University. She conducts interdisciplinary research that has moved across areas of both environmental philosophy and animal ethics. She is part of a research project called Horse Cultures in Transformation, where she continues her research on horse welfare and its conditions. She has also written about the image of horse girls in the media, as well as how elite riders are portrayed in the sports pages of daily newspapers with regard to gender.