Participation, self-esteem and self-concept in adolescent equestrian athletes

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between sport participation, global self-esteem and physical self-concept in female adolescent equestrian athletes. 239 participants (239 females aged 12-20 years old, 15.96 +/- 2.422 years) completed the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) and a modified version of the Sport Activity Questionnaire through an online survey. Seven of the original 11 PSDQ subscales were chosen to be analysed: physical activity, body fat, sports competence, global physical self-concept, appearance, flexibility and global self-esteem. Global self-esteem and appearance were significantly affected by participant age (H(2) = 7.27, P < 0.05 and H(2) = 9.58, P < 0.01, respectively). Physical activity was significantly affected by discipline (H(4) = 13.39, P < 0.05). Implications of these findings suggest that equestrian sport could act as a contributor to self-esteem in female adolescents and as such more emphasis on psychosocial development within the British Equestrian Federation's Long Term Athlete Development programme (LTAD) and the training of equestrian coaches needs to be implemented by governing bodies.