In this paper, we want to contribute to and expand the ongoing discussion about coaches’ constructions of youth and the impact it has on young athletes’ chances to have a voice in sport. The focus is on sports coaches in Swedish equestrian sport, more specifically termed riding instructors, and their views of why youth should have a voice (or not).
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the aim is to explore how the instructors’ construction of youth affects young equestrians’ (aged 15–17) chances of having a voice. The analysis is based on over 200 hours of fieldwork including observations and ten interviews with riding instructors in two riding schools. Four constructions of youth emerged from the analysis: Youth as incompetent, Youth as uninterested, Youth as interested, and Youth as competent. These different constructions influenced instructors’ ways of giving youth a voice (or not).