“A Discourse Community: The Equestrians”
Tess White GWRTC 103
When I was ten years old, I was told my suburban family was moving to a
rural area. I was filled with the usual worries a kid possesses when transitioning
through a move. However, I shortly found out that we would be moving right next
to a horse farm, and reacted in the same way any typical ten-year old girl would. I
was absolutely thrilled to have the chance to ride a horse, a common dream of many
young girls. Little did I know this would change my entire life; by the time I was
twelve, I had my own horse, was competing in horse shows, and had an everyday
job feeding and taking care of the horses. Being involved in the equestrian
community is not only a huge commitment, but it’s a way of life.
“Die- hard” equestrians spend the majority of their time immersed in a world
unlike any other. The horse-world revolves entirely around reputation, deal making
and breaking, winning, and of course, the horses. Those who have not experienced
all the aspects of this community, often become lost in its unique behavior. I often
find myself stopping frequently when discussing the horses with those around me to
explain. Along with the exclusive community, the equestrians share common goals,
and a language that leaves those on the outside puzzled. The equestrian world
possesses its’ own way of life and communicating, both orally and alphabetically; it
can be further explored and explained from the point of view of an inside member.
To better understand the literal and communicative diversity of the
equestrians, I chose to further explore the characteristics that define the community
through conducting an ethnography. As part of the equestrians, I can observe and
record observations as well as interview those who have been in the community
much longer than I. By doing so I plan to differentiate between the points of
common misperception among the equestrians. In addition to distinguishing the
equestrians as a unique discourse community, I will further investigate the
complexity of the sharing of information in reaching goals.
To observe the instructors’ views and goals of riding I interviewed owner
and trainer of Hunter Hollow Farm, Fran Martinelli, who has been my trainer
throughout my riding career. Many of the top instructors in the equestrian
community are known for being strict, hard, and sometimes expensive. However
these professionals all have goals in respect to their students. According to Fran
“[she] expects respect from her students, but [she] also feels there is a need for a
mutual amount of communication.” Good communication between the trainers and
their riders is essential, as well as between the riders and their horses. Ethos is built
as a renowned trainer through interactions, and transactions with their students
and other trainers. Thus, the students and colleagues determine the level of
credibility given to the instructor. Those instructors with the most authority posses
the most power, and is directly reflected in the prices of their lessons. Money can
cause many trainers to struggle with gaining a positive reputation based on former
riffs with other instructors or “problem” student riders. To encourage new students
to study under their teaching, trainers must maintain their power and credibility.
Students, as the riders, earn their ethos through their instructors’ eyes by
being respectful, performing well, and understanding every aspect of the horse.
Even to the most expertise of all instructors, the first priority is generally the well
being of the horses. Fran articulates that, “you may be the most talented rider I am
teaching, but if you aren’t treating the horses well, you’re a beginner in my book.”
Respectful riders respect their instructors, and their horses; this requires full and
proper relationship between horse and rider, based on the instructions of the
trainer. This is carried out by a series of complicated terms and signals
incorporated in the equestrian community.
To best communicate these goals, riders use a unique set of lexis, which are
often quite unfamiliar to those new to, or outside the community. The vocabulary of
equestrians includes both verbal terms and nonverbal expressions. There are
extensive amounts of words that belong strictly to this community. I often find
myself defining and explaining this lexis to my peers who are not familiar with
horses. Although there are a vast amount of words, making the amount close to
indefinable, there are many common examples that those outside the community
often confuse. Surprisingly, The first word unknown to non-horse people is the
term “equestrian” itself. An equestrian is “one who rides on horseback”(Hanlon).
Riding comes in many forms and styles, such as English and Western. Each of these
genres contains different styles of riding. The style that I have practiced thus far is
hunter/jumper, and English form of riding. However, these unique styles all pertain
to the same community, and generally have similar alphabetical vocabulary. In
addition to “equestrian”, there are numerous amounts of repeatedly misused or
unidentified terms that exist in the equestrian vocabulary. A frequently misused
term, for example, is pony. In the horse world this refers to a horse that it under
14.3 hands (the term of measurement). However, anyone who sees this as foreign
term regularly refers to a pony as a “baby horse”. Additionally, any terms generally
referring to the anatomy of the horses is typically incomprehensible. Some of these
unique terms are defined in the following table:
Table 1. A table of commonly observed terms used by the equestrian discourse
community.
Term (lexis)
Definition (used in Equestrian Discourse)
Pony
A horse measuring fewer than 14.3 hands
high.
A unit of measurement approximating height,
about four inches.
A baby horse also referred to as colts and
fillies (based on gender)
A horse-person
Hand
Foal
Equestrian
English Style
Western Style
Hunter/Jumper
A style of riding that uses an English saddle.
Includes racing, hunter/jumper, and dressage.
A style of riding using a western saddle,
typical of “cow-boys” often observed in
rodeos
An English form of riding that involves going
over jumps in a closed arena.
It is inevitable that a list of such words could continue infinitely. The
complexity of the verbal lexis of the equestrians is increasing, as new words and
phrases are developed.
Equestrians also possess various nonverbal cues. These cues are essential
for communicating to the horses, and are the main tools for successful riding. Many
are unaware of the amount of thought processes that go into riding. A rider must
learn these nonverbal signals in order to stay in control of the horse while riding.
Unlike the verbal terms, which are shared among styles, these signals can vary in
different fields of riding styles. Learning these signals and how to accurately apply
them to your horse is the main challenge in riding. This critical learning process
brings the riders together as a community to share stories, ideas, and helpful hints.
The alphabetical language of the equestrians can be best observed in horse
magazines. For example, riders of both the English and Western styles can follow
Horse Illustrated Magazine, or Practical Horseman Magazine. These magazines
provide a common space for those in the community to come together. The readers
can share ideas, express concerns, and read up on innovative practices. These
magazines for example also have online resources. These websites allow
equestrians to communicate online as well as through the magazine. Websites as a
new technology help by providing useful tools such as photos and videos for riders
to communicate their goals.
Books are another example of useful writing in the discourse community of
the equestrians. Experts in their fields of riding can supply readers with
instructions on how to better their riding, and take care of your horse properly.
Many of these experts follow somewhat of a “book-tour” by traveling from area to
area performing clinics. These clinics are often very beneficial to riders for many
reasons. Clinics provide instruction from another perspective, allowing the riders to
broaden their vocabulary, and increase their skill level. However, because expertise
comes with a price, this is a very selective and expensive process, which details the
importance of power within the equestrian standards.
It can be seen that the discourse community of the equestrians is quite
diverse. Within the group of equestrians, there is a unique language. This language
pertains to the instructors, the students, and the horses as a collective discourse
community. All participants work collaboratively to reach their common goals, by
sharing information in a distinctive fashion. As an existing member of the
community, I continue to learn new information constantly, which is granted
through my surrounding equestrian peers. The unfamiliarity of the language to
those outside the community is clearly extensive, and therefore establishes the
equestrians as a distinct community, with a discourse of its own.
Work Cited:
Hanlon, T. "Equestrian." In Hanlon, T. (ed.), Human Kinetics, The sports rules book.
2nd ed, Champaign, Ill., Human Kinetics, c2004, p.83-86; 313-314. United
States: 2004. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.