Disability, Riding, and Identity: A Qualitative Study on the Influence of Riding on the Identity Construction of People with Disabilities

Abstract

Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to examine the influence of riding on the identity construction of people with disabilities. The 15 participants, three men and 12 women, were between 15 and 65 years old and have various physical disabilities. The data analysis derives from identity theory, a social–psychological theory that understands identity as an interaction between the individual and society. The findings show that: the informants either acquire a new identity as a rider or they resume with the rider identity they had before their illness or accident; riding offers a link to their previous lives; and riding helps to focus on what the informants can do, and not, as this group is often viewed by society, on what they cannot do. The findings thus show that riding can influence the identity construction of people with disabilities.

Keywords:

• disability
• equine-assisted therapy
• hippotherapy
• horseback riding
• identity theory
• identity construction
• interviews
• qualitative research

Acknowledgements

The present study was financially supported by The Swedish–Norwegian Foundation for Equine Research and Swedish National Centre for Research in Sports. No restrictions have been imposed on free access to, or publication of, the research data.