This study explores how equestrian coaches enable or constrain meaningful participation among young equestrians within the context of Swedish riding schools. Grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), particularly Article 12 concerning children's rights to express their views, the research adopts Cahill and Dadvand's 7P model as its analytical framework. Drawing upon approximately 170 h of ethnographic fieldwork and eight semi-structured interviews with riding instructors, the study examines how professional roles, pedagogical routines, and cultural traditions shape participation. The findings reveal tensions between performance-oriented and relational coaching approaches. While some instructors’ frame participation primarily through safety and technical mastery, others emphasise dialogue, trust, and emotional safety as integral to learning. Hierarchical power relations, safety norms, and time constraints frequently restrict young equestrians’ opportunities to influence decisions, yet relationally oriented instructors demonstrate that meaningful participation can emerge even within existing structures. The analysis highlights the dual role of coaches as both enablers and gatekeepers of children's rights, suggesting that participation in equestrian sport is not merely a pedagogical choice but a rights-based obligation. The study contributes to ongoing debates on cultural leadership and child-centred pedagogy in youth sport by illuminating how democratic coaching practices can foster safer, more inclusive, and empowering equestrian environments.
Thérèse Waerner (Thu,) studied this question.