It used to be said women couldn't stand up to three-day-eventing. Now they are beating the men regularly and actually leading this field.

This acceptance of women can be shown by Meredith Michaels Beerbaum leading the World Jumping rankings, Anky Van Grunsven as world dressage champion, and Zara Phillips as World Eventing Champion.

“Side saddle”

Women however have not always been allowed to compete against men in equestrian sport. Racehorse owner, Paul Duffy said, “Up until World War I women were still riding side-saddle. The military organized and competed in competitions and women watched from the sidelines.

“But it was not until the 1950s when civilian authorities began to run equestrian events that female riders began to be taken seriously,” he added.

This was still a considerable amount of years before women were allowed to race ride. Maybe they saw events like dressage as a genteel pastime when compared with the chaos found at the racetrack.

“Other equestrian fields”

With women at the forefront of other equestrian fields it would appear that it is not the issue of riding horses which discriminates against women, but rather the discrimination issues that lie within the industry itself.

Paul said: “There are no reasons why eventing is not as dangerous as jump racing as they both have large obstacles to overcome and both require physical strength.”

However event riding and race riding occur in completely different situations so cannot be compared, according to apprentice jockey, Brian Toomey.

“In eventing it’s different you are not racing against people but against a clock and you are not directly faced with your competitors,” claims Brian.

Racing broadcaster Luke Harvey also suggested that in eventing, unlike racing, you do not have to ride at certain weights, so women who are lighter have an advantage over men.

If these reasons suggested for why eventing is different are not to be believed, then perhaps the answers lie deeper within the sport, embedded within its history and traditions.