The Windmill Championships”: Endurance Riding, Optics, and the Tiny Question of What On Earth We’re Watching
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
By Tilly Stirrup, reporting from somewhere between concern and absolute disbelief in Italy.
There was a time when endurance riding conjured romantic images of horsemanship: vast landscapes, athletic partnerships, riders listening carefully to their horses over impossible distances beneath the skies.
Now, thanks to the internet, it increasingly conjures images of a rider flapping at 30km/h like a man attempting to guide a helicopter onto a moving yacht.
Welcome, dear readers, to the latest international endurance controversy: the rise of what social media has lovingly christened:
“The Endurance riding Windmill Style.”
Following a major endurance competition in Italy, videos circulated online showing several riders adopting an energetic, full-body, arm-flinging riding style during the closing stages of 100km+ rides.
The reaction online was… animated.
Some defended it as:
“just competitive riding,”
“normal in endurance,”
or the ever-popular:
“You don’t understand the sport.”
Others watched the footage with the same expression usually reserved for discovering your horse has learned to open feed bins independently.
The Optics Problem
And here lies the real issue.
Because whether one believes the riding was technically within the rules is almost beside the point.
Modern horse sport no longer exists only inside horse sport.
It exists:
on TikTok,
on Instagram,
on Facebook reels,
and in front of millions of non-equestrians whose understanding of “partnership” generally does not include watching the final kilometres unfold like a collective hostage negotiation between gravity, exhaustion, and human ambition.
To the average member of the public, the videos did not scream:
“Elite athletic harmony.”
They screamed:
“What the hell did I just witness?”
And in an age where equestrianism survives only through public tolerance, that matters enormously.
But Is It Good Welfare?
This is where the horse world splits itself into two camps faster than a livery yard discussing rug weights.
Camp One:
“The horses are vetted constantly. They’re elite athletes. If they weren’t fit to continue, they’d be pulled.”
Camp Two:
“If your riding style after 100km resembles a man trying to escape a tornado on roller skates, perhaps the horse is no longer having the inspirational athletic experience described in the brochure.”
And honestly? The second group has a point.
Because even if the horse passes veterinary checks, there remains a larger ethical question:
What should horse sport actually look like?
Not merely:
“What is technically allowed?” but:
“What reflects good horsemanship?”
“What builds public trust?”
“What image protects the future of the sport?”
These are not the same thing.
Raphaël Dubois (FRA) Weighs In
Young French endurance rider Raphaël Dubois, currently balancing university studies, Trump over-priced diesel bills, and approximately four hours of sleep per night, admitted the footage left him conflicted.
“Look, endurance is an incredible sport when it’s done well. The horsemanship, the management, the partnership over huge distances… that’s what many of us fell in love with,” he said.
He paused briefly before adding:
“But we also have to be honest with ourselves. If non-horse people watch these videos and think the horses look distressed, exhausted, or chased home at all costs, then we cannot simply dismiss them as ignorant. Social licence is not decided inside endurance circles anymore. It’s decided by the public watching from outside.”
He later added, quietly:
“Have we stopped showcasing endurance and started livestreaming the slow-motion collapse of social licence in 4K.”
Raphaël then reportedly disappeared into the French countryside before anyone accused him of “betraying the sport.”
Dr. Leila Al-Farsi (WEWO) Responds
The CEO of the World Equestrian Welfare Organisation reportedly watched the footage three times before quietly placing her forehead against a stable wall.
She later commented:
“The moment a sport must repeatedly explain why footage that looks terrible is actually fine, it should perhaps stop explaining and start reflecting.”
Somewhere in the distance, several federation communications officers simultaneously began drafting the phrase: “taken out of context.”
Meanwhile, The Internet Had Thoughts
Social media comments ranged from: “Incredible athletes!”
to: “The inflatable tube man outside the petrol station moves with more elegance.”
One particularly savage viewer wrote:
“If I rode like that, my coach would report me to the authorities, my massage therapist would fake their own death, and my horse would file for emotional damages.”
Which, frankly, feels medically sound.
The Social Licence Time Bomb
Horse sport has entered a dangerous era where:
every ride is filmed,
every moment is replayed,
and every uncomfortable image becomes permanent.
The old defence of: “People outside the sport don’t understand” is wearing thinner than an overworked endurance saddle pad in August. The public does not need to understand pulse recovery times, metabolic scores, or FEI regulations to recognise when something looks wrong.
And once a sport repeatedly produces images that ordinary people instinctively recoil from, the clock starts ticking.
Final Thought
Endurance riders often say:
“To finish is to win.”
A beautiful sentiment.
But perhaps modern horse sport needs a second motto:
“The final vet gate is social media.”
Because if the future of equestrian sport depends entirely on explaining why footage that looks alarming is actually perfectly acceptable… then the real endurance test may not be for the horses.
It may be for the sport itself.
Please take a look for yourselves and make your own minds up about what you are watching :
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