Maybe because the Rich and the Powerful like it!
I wonder if more of circus would be included in The Olympics...e.g. Lion-taming :P
You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You know nothing about the equestrian events and have little understanding of the skill level needed for all three equestrian events.
Is there some reason you think wealthy people should not enter the olympics? Do you sincerely believe that only the equestrian events have wealthy competitors?
You also seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that it is not only wealthy people who bet on horse races. Go down to your local bookies and see who stands out as being wealthy and who stands out as being anything but.
So according to your thinking, sailing and shooting should not be in the Olympics either because the boat/sail/wind , the rifle/gun/bullet do most of the work? How about bobsledding in the winter Olympics? Actually, all those sports, including equestrian, require a lot of skills from the human competitors. If you don't believe me, just try it and see how you do.
As for the issue of money in any sports; it actually costs a lot to get trained in most of them, not just in equestrian. Rowing, sailing, gymnastics.. thousands upon thousands of dollars. Excluding equestrian and you'll have to exclude many more.
Commercial horse racing is another issue and must not be mixed up with discussion about the Olympics.
Training horses has been happening for hundreds of years in one form or another. I have no problem with equestrianism being included in the Olympic games. I do however share your views on horse racing and the worst offender being the Grand National, I find it cruel beyond words.
For starters, we dont sit on a horse and do tricks, this is not a rodeo. Now, most of the events you see in the Olympics are based on the Ancient Greeks who started it off. Most of what you see comes from sports they did, many used in battle. Like javelin, running, jumping, fighting, horsemanship, MARATHON is in Greece. Relays were used to pass messages over long distances. Swimming, diving, the torch and many more. And I dont like horse racing either.
You don't own the Olympics.
Enough people consider it a sport. Enough people like it. This is a big world. The Olympic is not just for poor people.
BTW, horses don't do those tricks by themselves. Somebody got to train them.
As others have said, you don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about.
And Charlotte Dujardin who won gold in the team and individual dressage is not from a wealthy family, she's just a superb rider.
There are several sports that in my opinion do not belong in the Olympics, but the IOC makes that determination and it is mostly politics as to what gets in and what does not.
I'm with you, equestrian is so boring.
to appease the rich, powerful people
I've been watching the Olympics lately, and noticed that Equestrian is part of it. If you're unaware, it is where riders sit on horseback and perform tricks with the horse to earn a score.
Anyhow, I was basically wondering why the hell it's on there, does it even class as a sport? Personally (and this is my opinion), it is completely unrelated to any form of athletic capability. The horse is doing most of the work, whilst some rider just sits on top. Also, most of the riders seem to be rich people, or people simply born into families that could afford their own horses. I think it's a stupid thing to include and I find it really boring to watch, as well as feeling very sorry for the poor horse being forced to dance for peoples 'entertainment'. This brings me on to the subject of horse racing too. Why on earth do we have horse racing when all it is is rich people betting their money on horses which are forced into exhausting runs whilst whipped? I've seen horse racing before on TV where the horse has died on the track because it was pushed so hard. I just find it sick that people bet their money or pay to watch these things, and for the most part I feel just for the horses' sake.
