Nick Maupin is a 19-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin majoring in Business Marketing and plans to graduate in 2015. From Sussex, Wisconsin, he is on the five-gaited section of the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team.

It would not surprise any member of the Saddle Seat world to hear me say that the discipline is generally, along with Saddle Seat Equitation, a female dominated sport. Quite possibly the only time one will see a male majority in a class is in the Open divisions. Not one year in my equitation career have I ever competed with more than a single other male rider in the coveted USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final; meanwhile, thirty or more female competitors populate the class consistently. No doubt, the boys are at a premium in Saddle Seat Equitation competitions.

I’ve heard some people say that seeing men in equitation is not traditional. Although I am always thrilled to see tradition gleaming through the discipline still today, I could not agree less with that view. Equitation is a true discipline in all sense of the word, and one I see as fundamental for any Saddle Seat rider, whether they’re a man or woman.

My devotion to equitation throughout my adolescence is almost entirely what shaped me into the person I am today. Sure, a big high school football player may say their sport is tougher than riding a horse, but the mental training I went through could not have been more grueling. Let’s face it - every time an equitation rider hits the ring, everything that goes wrong is their fault. My trainer never let me blame anything on the horse. If I missed a lead, it was my fault. If I completely botched a pattern, there was not a reasonable way I could say the horse forgot what he was doing. To top it off, if I had a great ride but placed poorly, it was because 1-3 judges just thought other riders were doing it better. If it does not take mental toughness to accept that, then I do not know what does.

This fortitude carries directly over to the outside world, where male equestrians are not always understood. Since middle school, it has never been easy to listen to other guys stand up in front of the class and talk about their football, hockey, or lacrosse team, then have to stand up and say, “I ride horses.” That does not mean I did not play any other sports, like soccer or lacrosse, but those were always overshadowed by my equestrian life. Luckily, the mental strength I gained from being judged within the show ring I’ve been able transfer to every other aspect of my life. By the end of my high school career I was able to proudly say, “I ride horses.” When I received any grief, I simply replied with, “have you been to world or national championship in anything you do? Didn’t think so!”


I have no reservations about saying that equitation and the Saddle Seat discipline have shaped me into the man I am today. Besides the great posture I gained through it all, I have also adopted a sense of pride in the decisions I make with my life. Whenever I was in the show ring, I did what I thought was right, and the way everything turned out was more than ideal in the end. Because of that, I have full faith I can do the same outside the show ring. On the physical side, I may not be the ripped guy in the weight room, but I can assure everyone my legs are rocks because of the constant no stirrup work any equitation rider has to go through. Sure, Saddle Seat Equitation may not be flooded with guys, but any guy proud enough to go against the grain and devote their life to Saddle Seat deserves all the credit in the world. I know my experiences have been irreplaceable, and because of that I will always avidly support the expansion of the male presence in equitation, as well as the Saddle Seat discipline as a whole.