“Going to Be a Role Model”: Breaking Barriers Equestrian Ashleigh Wicheard Shares Motivation Behind Her Journey

The equestrian sports have witnessed steady progress in inclusivity in the industry, a process slow yet a step ahead. With about 0.5 percent of the field’s demography attributing to blacks, the UK’s Ashleigh Wicheard has broken through to present the sport’s advancement. The equestrian, who has braved through the challenges for years, has one simple motivation keeping her on the toes.

Wicheard has been in the horse riding industry for well over a decade. While the passion for the majestic creatures has been a primary force for the equestrian, the challenges through her journey have been a keeping factor. Today, as she goes by ‘MissBlackEquestrian’ on social media, Ashleigh expresses her wish to use her position for an improved environment.

The equestrian expresses her ‘simple’ motive

The FEI, recently caught up with Ashleigh Wicheard, to ‘celebrate equestrianism’s inclusivity‘. From her feat as the Magnolia Cup winner to her practice of increasing diversity, the interview entailed the intricate thoughts of the equestrian. In iterating her journey, Wicheard stated her motivation stayed alongside her for the longest of times. “My motivation was simple – I was going to be a role model for young black children, and children of diverse backgrounds, to see me and think ‘I can do that too’,” she states, following her participation at Magnolia Cup.

The champion found her vested interest in the sport at a tender age. Following along with it, Wicheard fetched herself a notable presence in the horse racing industry for 15 whole years. However, somewhere along the journey of rigorous training and challenges, the equestrian realized the sport wasn’t her only purpose. Standing up for diversity and inclusivity has been her other focus and the champion has been heeding to it rather well.

A backing for the words

Ashleigh Wicheard has often expressed her will for inclusivity. But in 2022, the equestrian put her words into action as she took the knee at 2022 Glorious Goodwood. Ashleigh stated that she intended to promote and champion that equestrianism is inclusive. And the response she received only backed her acts and highlighted the successful transfer of intention. “I said I was going to do it, I didn’t say anyone else had to, but for them to do it was just amazing. It was such a powerful image that was distributed globally. I’m so pleased with how well it’s been covered by the media…” Ashleigh tells FEI.

Also Read: Can Equestrian Sports Overcome Barriers? Explore Financial, Social, and Cultural Challenges

The equestrian further added that she believed, since everybody seemed ready for a change, the act reached wide and well. The step further led her to be launched by the Racing Media Academy as a part of the 2023 class. The opportunity helps her further her notions by presenting a placement in the biggest of racing media houses.

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