horsing around

it never ceases to amaze me when i hear someone say riding isn't a real sport. oh really?  in fact, horseback riding is considered an EXTREME sport. more people die from riding accidents than most other sports. it is ranked the 3rd most dangerous sport in the world, and there are 13 deaths per 100,000 a year. if you compare this to boxing, for instance, with 1 death per 100,000; you start to grasp the concept. 
the reason it is dangerous is the degree of unpredictability. yes, horses are well trained to respond to signals we give them with our legs, seat, and handles; we have reins to stop them, stirrups to hold us in the saddle, a saddle to keep from sliding off, but at the end of the day; the horse is in control. if you're on a horse that REALLY wants you off, you haven't got a chance. on top of this, horses are prey animals, meaning they have deep set instincts of fight or flight. they spook at anything from a passing car to a leaf fluttering through the air. 
i have fallen off too many times to count, whether from jumps or just a random moment of bad timing. i've broken 9 bones and had a significant brain injury all from getting thrown off. don't get me started on the hows/whats of my breaks. all i can say is do your research before dismissing riding as a sport. 

i've been in this situation

what is more, when you're out there training, you pour sweat, your muscles ache, you get out of breath..obviously it depends on the level you're riding at, but take anyone who's never ridden, put them in a lesson; they will be walking bow-legged and doubled over for the next 3 days. this is because you are using stabilizer muscles that we're not aware of in everyday activities. even after 20yrs of riding, i still get sore! your legs, abs, lower back, core, calves...even upper body, automatically responds to a horse's movement to keep your balance and stay on. and trust me, falling off of even a small horse, from a height of 5-6ft, is never a pleasant experience. you have no control of how you land, and there's no real time to react and brace yourself once you're flying through the air. in something like football, you may be getting slammed into by 300lb linebackers, but the impact of slamming into the hard ground from that height is a lot more unforgiving. let's just say my helmet is made of Titanium for a reason!
bottom line, equestrians are some of the strongest, toughest, most fearless athletes out there. we're putting our life at stake (to some degree) each time we mount. for all those nonbelievers, just because it's not OUR feet moving over the ground, the sport of horseback riding takes a lot more balls than the everyday person has!