Viljar Odén from Frösön loves to ride, but he lacks male friends to ride with. Now he wants to encourage more guys to venture to the stables.
Jumping and galloping in the forest on one of his two ponies is something that Viljar finds fun. Despite the fact that it often goes quickly, he says that he is never afraid.
Equestrian sport is a sport dominated by women, according to figures from the Swedish Equestrian Association’s 2021, nine out of ten are women. There have been several attempts to attract more boys to the stables, already in 2013 the Swedish Equestrian Association carried out a campaign to make the sport more equal.
The fact that there are few guys who ride is something that Viljar is aware of, he believes that it is due to preconceived notions.
– There are a lot of girls who ride and many guys think it’s a bit silly because girls are doing it, he says.
Viljar himself thinks riding is great fun and has a tip for guys who want to start riding.
– You can contact someone and ask if you can test ride and maybe you will start riding in the future, says Viljar.