History Main / UpperClassEquestrian

Compare and contrast PonyTale, whose protagonist's interest in horseback riding isn't necessarily because of class. AllGirlsLikePonies might also be in play for female examples. The riders' prize steeds may or may not be {{Cool Horse}}s. See WealthyYachtOwner for another common way for the upper-crust to get around. This is also a subtrope of SnootySports. Luxury car brands such as Rolls-Royce, Cadillac and Maybach can be thought of as an [[SettingUpdate update of this trope]].

* ''Film/LaraCroftTombRaiderTheCradleOfLife'' has a scene where Lara sets out riding her horse around her considerable family estate.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' Jean-Luc Picard, as part of his [[FakeNationality image]] as a [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman wealthy English gentleman]], is quite fond of horse-riding, and even has his own saddle.

* ''Literature/MaloryTowers'': Being a school for the privileged and wealthy, this is taken UpToEleven when Wilhemina (known as Bill) arrives at the start of term on horseback, surrounded by her brothers, who are also all mounted. She keeps her horse Thunder at the school.

If you want to show that a character is posh, privileged background, or suggest that they aee BlueBlood aristocrats, a good way to do this is to give them a well-groomed horse and a keen interest in riding.

If you want to show that a character is posh and from a privileged background, a good way to do this is to give them a horse and a keen interest in riding.

Prior to the invention of the automobile, horses were frequently used as labor animals, but owning horses for riding or pulling a carriage (as opposed to a plow or cart/wagon) or going on TheGrandHunt was always only for the very rich and everything about it was expensive and heavily taxed. In modern times, owning a horse for leisure is still a definite sign of wealth, considering you need a lot of money to buy and keep a horse, not to mention additional land or funds to keep the horse in a stable. The rider can be accomplished at UsefulNotes/EquestrianSports, while the horse itself can be utilized for other traditional upper-class pursuits such as fox hunting and polo. Note that this does not apply if the character belongs to a group where horse ownership is common or expected (eg. they own a farm, or are a member of a nomadic people).

Often PlayedForLaughs when the owner is a UpperClassTwit who trots around everywhere on horseback when it [[RoadTripAcrossTheStreet really isn't necessary]], or if the character is a RichBitch, they will [[PetTheDog lavish affection on their steed]] while treating everyone else with utter contempt.

* Exploited in the Swedish film ''Evil''' when [[BullyHunter Erik] gets revenge on [[UpperClassTwit Silverhielm]] by cornering him in the woods while he's riding his horse.

* Music/BruceSpringsteen's daughter Jessica Rae is a champion show jumper who was the youngest member of the silver medaling US show jumping team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Boss even bought a horse farm in the appropriately-named Colts Neck, NJ in part to support his daughter's career, as well as to get him back home to Monmouth County, N.J. and (incidentally) get a good deal on property taxes.[[note]]In New Jersey, farms pay a much lower rate of property tax than houses, so rich New Jerseyans who want a big house on a lot of land try as much as possible to get them classified as farms. Technically [[Music/BonJovi Jon Bon Jovi]]'s heavily wooded property in Navesink is a tree farm (a logger is permitted to take a few trees every year to maintain the fiction); less technically, Creator/JonStewart's property in Middletown Township is a sanctuary farm for rescue animals. Interestingly, Colts Neck, Navesink, and Middletown are all very close to each other in Monmouth County.[[/note]] Since Monmouth County is traditional horse country (more for the racetrack than showjumping, but whatever), opening a horse farm was a pretty obvious win-win-win for the Boss.

* Music/BruceSpringsteen's daughter Jessica Rae is a champion show jumper who was the youngest member of the silver medaling US show jumping team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Boss even bought a horse farm in part to support his daughter's career. This synergized with Springsteen's desire to return to his childhood home area of Monmouth County, New Jersey and property-tax benefits New Jersey provides for farms versus other large parcels of real estate--farms pay a much lower rate, so rich New Jerseyans who want a big house on a lot of land try as much as possible to get them classified as farms.[[note]]Technically [[Music/BonJovi Jon Bon Jovi]]'s heavily wooded property is a tree farm (a logger is permitted to take a few trees every year to maintain the fiction); less technically, Creator/JonStewart's property is a sanctuary farm for rescue animals.[[/note]] Since Monmouth County is traditional horse country (more for the racetrack than showjumping, but whatever), opening a horse farm was a pretty obvious win-win-win for the Boss.

* Music/BruceSpringsteen's daughter Jessica Rae is a champion show jumper who was the youngest member of the silver medaling US shown jumping team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Boss even bought a horse farm in part to support his daughter's career. A bigger part was a desire to return to his childhood home area of Monmouth County, New Jersey as well as to take advantage of property tax benefits the state provides for purchasing farms.[[note]]Technically [[Music/BonJovi Jon Bon Jovi]]'s heavily wooded property is a tree farm (a logger is permitted to take a few trees every year to maintain the fiction); less technically, Creator/JonStewart's property is a sanctuary farm for rescue animals.[[/note]]

** Anne, the Princess Royal (only daughter of UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen) won silver and gold in the European Eventing Championships in the 1970s. She also represented Great Britain in eventing in the 1976 [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames Summer Olympic Games]] in Montreal, making her the first British royal to participate as an Olympian.

* In ''[[ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Batman Incorporated]]'', Batman's Argentinean counterpart, El Gaucho, is a wealthy horse breeder and trainer.

* In the Literature/LordPeterWimsey stories, Lord Peter's equestrian skills crop up occasionally. In ''Have His Carcase'' he makes deductions from a horseshoe Harriet finds, finds the horse that lost the shoe, rides it bareback as part of reenacting the crime, and manages to stay on and bring the horse back under control when it utterly panics and bolts away from the murder site.

* Exploited in the Swedish film ''Evil''' when {{BullyHunter Erik}} gets revenge on [[UpperClassTwit Silverhielm]] by cornering him in the woods while he's riding his horse.

Compare and contrast PonyTale, whose protagonist's interest in horseback riding isn't necessarily because of class. AllGirlsLikePonies might also be in play for female examples. The riders' prize steeds may or may not be {{Cool Horse}}s. See WealthyYachtOwner for another common way for the upper-crust to get around. This is also a subtrope of SnootySports.

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* Early in ''Anime/GundamWing'', Relena's school is shown to have a horse riding class. It's meant as a visual aid of how ritzy the school is and underscore that Relena herself is a LonelyRichKid.

* Lelouch Lamperouge of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is actually a member of the equestrian club in Ashford Academy, according to Rolo. However, it was rarely emphasized much throughout the show due to how viewers see him as [[GeekPhysique being out of shape]]. Though there are a few scenes where he rides a horse such as the opening of ''R2''.
* Fukiko "Miya-sama" Ichinomiya from ''Manga/DearBrother'' is in the equestrian club at school, and fittingly, she's also from a very wealthy family.

* ''Film/AWedding1978'': The wealthy Dino's ex-girlfriend Tracy arrives at the wedding on horseback, wearing a nice riding outfit.

* Fi Carroll from ''Literature/TheBlackFoxOfBeckham'' lives with her wealthy parents in Kennilwood Manor, a seventy-five-acre horse farm that her great-great-grandfather purchased as a summer home. Fi has read extensively about horses in addition to being a talented rider, and shares a close bond with her horse Franny.

--> "Chuckie wants to grow up / And be a polo star,
--> "And ride his little horsies / All around the backyard, oh yeah."

* ''TheMerchantOfVenice'': One of Portia's unseen suitors, a Neapolitan prince, does nothing but talk about his horse and he is exceptionally proud of the fact that he can shoe it himself. Portia opines that this skill set may be the result of the prince's [[YourMom mother]] having an [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe affair with a blacksmith!]]

Compare and contrast PonyTale, whose protagonist's interest in horseback riding isn't necessarily because of class. AllGirlsLikePonies might also be in play for female examples. The riders' prize steeds may or may not be {{Cool Horse}}s. See WealthyYachtOwner for another common way for the upper-crust to get around. %%This is also a subtrope of SnootySports.

Compare and contrast PonyTale, whose protagonist's interest in horseback riding isn't necessarily because of class. AllGirlsLikePonies might also be in play for female examples. The riders' prize steeds may or may not be {{Cool Horse}}s. See WealthyYachtOwner for another common way for the upper-crust to get around. This is also a subtrope of SnootySports.