“Holy Smokes! You’re Brave Girls!”: Parents’ and Daughters’ Perceptions About the Benefits ofHorse Sports

Abstract This study advances both risky play and symbolic interactionist intersubjectivity research by using dyadic matched daughter-parent qualitative interview data from 30 families in which daughters participated in Hunter/Jumper equestrian sports to explore what young people and their parents think daughters gain from participating in an extreme sport with a horse companion. Both parents and daughters strongly felt that horse sports helped daughters nurture self-confidence. They felt that horses helped daughters develop grit and resilience. Many parents expressed amazement that their daughters were brave and fearless. Both parents and daughters valued the way that a close relationship with a sentient horse combined with athletic accomplishment and prowess gave girls and young women a chance to experience physical and emotional excellence and develop confidence and grit.