A Review of Female Equestrian Challenges

Female equestrians face a range of challenges, some constituting barriers to participation or competitive success. As an early start, late specialisation sport, female equestrian participation can last a lifetime if identified challenges can be successfully addressed. These challenges are grouped into hormonal challenges including menstruation, pregnancy and menopause; physical challenges including pain and injury, functional movement, breast and bra issues and body protectors; and psychological challenges including self-esteem, anxiety, coping strategies and body image. This study population has the potential to not only add to the limited research focussing on female physical activity and sport, but also to identify effective solutions to barriers to enhanced equestrian participation and performance, as as such warrants increased research interest in future.