BBC – Sportshour: Only boys and horses

There is a perception in Sweden among some that equestrian sport is ‘just for girls’, but now one group of boys is challenging that.

In January, Olympic equestrian Peder Fredricson made a splash in Sweden by winning the coveted ‘Radiosportens Jerringpris’, also known as ‘the prize of the people’, as it is voted for by the Swedish public. Previous winners include Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Carolina Kluft and Henrik Stenson.

Among those who cast their votes for Fredricson were the young members of Boys Who Ride. It’s a group of mostly teenage boys who are passionate about horses. For them, Pedersen is a role model because he’s successful in a sport many see in Sweden as ‘just for girls’.

Many Swedish riding camps, for instance, don’t accept boys. But the members of Boys Who Ride couldn’t care less about their sport’s ‘girly’ label.