Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

Children's right to have their voices heard is stated in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and is often referred to as 'participation rights'. The UNCRC extends across all spheres of children's lives, including sports, where having a voice is essential in creating safe and inclusive sporting cultures. This study, based on over 200 h of ethnographic fieldwork at two Swedish riding schools, focuses on young equestrians aged 15-17 years and the conditions for making their voices heard. Using a narrative approach, this research employs ethnographic creative nonfiction to examine the sporting culture and everyday life within the riding schools, examining how rules, norms and values influence young equestrians' opportunities to have a voice. The theoretical framework draws on the concept of cultural hegemony to explore how power structures and hierarchical relations become embedded within the riding schools. The analysis sheds light on how authority and influence are woven into the young equestrians' sporting experiences, impacting their ability to engage fully in their participation rights. The results show that values and norms within the context of the riding schools are both consciously and unconsciously accepted and maintained. The findings emphasise a need for cultural shifts, ensuring that the voices of young equestrians and the welfare of the horses develop hand in hand for the future of the equestrian sport.

Avhandlingen handlar om unga ryttare i åldern 15–17 år och villkoren för att de ska kunna vara delaktiga i sin idrott. En utgångspunkt i avhandlingen är FN:s barnkonvention, som fastställer att alla barn har rätt att göra sin röst hörd och att få den beaktad med hänsyn tagen till ålder och mognad.

Avhandlingen består av två delstudier: en webbenkät och en etnografisk studie. I avhandlingens delarbeten riktas fokus mot att kartlägga de unga ryttarnas delaktighet, hur de uttrycker att de vill vara delaktiga, hur vuxna (ridlärare) möjliggör delaktighet (eller inte), samt hur de sammanhang unga ryttare befinner sig i påverkar möjligheten att vara delaktig.

Slutsatserna är att många av de unga ryttarna upplever att de är delaktiga vid första anblicken, men det framträder också andra aspekter. Kulturen präglas av givna normer och värderingar där unga ryttare anpassar sig till hierarkiska ordningar. De unga ryttarna själva önskar mer respekt och engagemang från vuxna och de vill ha mer inflytande i frågor som rör hästen. För att detta ska ske måste de vuxna (ridlärarna) reflektera över sitt pedagogiska förhållningssätt, se de unga som kompetenta nog att komma med idéer och lyssna på dem. För att unga ska känna sig mer delaktiga behöver det skapas en kultur där de kan vara delaktiga utan att vara rädda för att göra fel. Att förändra kulturer tar lång tid, men att skapa möjligheter för delaktighet behöver inte ta extra tid eller vara svårt, vilket ridlärare i avhandlingen också påvisar. Det är möjligt att lyssna, fråga och inkludera unga.

The overall aim of this thesis is to analyse the conditions for young equestrians (aged 15-17) to exercise their right to have a voice. The thesis is grounded in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The article states that 'every child has the right to express their views in all matters affecting them, and to have their views given due weight' (UNCRC, 1989).

Equestrianism is one of the largest youth sports in Sweden in terms of the number of participants. The Swedish Equestrian Federation states that the federation works to include young equestrians so that their voices are heard. Moreover, equestrian sport is known for developing young people in leadership and responsibility. However, despite this, there is anecdotal evidence from the #MeToo movement (#visparkarbakut) that reveals a culture in which young equestrians are silenced and vulnerable.

Taking a sociocultural perspective, the study examines the conditions for young equestrians to have a voice, and how they want to be involved. It further examines how social and political participation is shaped by norms and hierarchies. A combination of methods has been applied to address these objectives, including a widespread online survey and ethnographic fieldwork that was conducted at two Swedish riding schools.

The findings identify a culture where young equestrians appear content within their sporting context while simultaneously adapting to hierarchical structures. The thesis underscores the importance of creating an inclusive culture in which young equestrians feel respected. This, in turn, may contribute to a safer and more engaged sporting context. The study also emphasizes the role of riding instructors in facilitating participation, suggesting that conscious efforts to engage young people in dialogue can enhance their sense of inclusion. Additionally, the horse is identified as a part of creating meaningful participation, contributing both to social and political participation. This thesis empirically contributes to the understanding of youth participation in sport, especially offering insights for enhancing the involvement of young equestrians.

The aim with tis presentation is to discuss and report on a new project that has just started. The UN Convention on the Right of the Child became a part of Swedish law in January 2020. This means that every leader within sport should make sure that children’s rights are secured. In the stable, young people cultivate several skills; learn to cooperate, take initiatives and be responsible even though military traditions and one-way communications still pervade parts of the horse industry. Abuse and harassment of young riders in the stable are heard of but seldom spoken out loud, maybe because of fear of losing the opportunity to ride. Nevertheless, it seems to be a paradoxical situation – the stable context produces leaders and many young riders have a strong voice, but also produces youth who are silent, powerless and vulnerable. We therefore need knowledge about the conditions for young people to exercise their rights in equestrian sports. The overall aim is to analyse the conditions for a child rights perspective to be implementedin the stable. Research questions: What are the possibilities for young riders to have something to say about their participation: when and on what matters do they have a voice? What knowledge do instructors and trainers have of a child right's perspective, what characterize stable cultures where youths either can or cannot exercise the right to express their views freely and have them accounted for?

The UN Convention on the Right of the Child became part of Swedish law in 2020. Consequently, every coach in sport must make sure that children’s rights are secured. The overall aim with this PhD-project is to analyze conditions for a child rights perspective to be implemented in equestrian sport. In equestrian sport, young people cultivate several skills; they learn to cooperate, take initiatives and be responsible. Abuse and harassment are heard of but seldom spoken out loud, maybe because of fear of losing the opportunity to take part. It seems to be a paradoxical situation – the stable context produces leaders and many young horseback riders have a strong voice, but it also produces youths who are powerless and vulnerable. In this presentation, the purpose is to give voice to young horseback riders and analyze what they themselves feel that they can decide about in their sport. An online survey for riders aged 15-17 years has been carried out. The survey consisted of almost 70 questions and 569 youths responded. In this presentation we focus on some open-ended questions about young riders’ views of what they can and want to decide and have a voice about. The preliminary results show that many of the young riders do not feel that they can exercise their participation rights the way they should. The conclusion is that young horseback riders want to be more involved and they want to have a stronger voice in matters that concern them.