Introduction

According to accumulated data, COVID-19 related restrictions can lead to considerable inactivity and sedentary lifestyles. The Swedish COVID-19 response consisted of guidelines rather than restrictions, which could possibly have a positive impact on activity levels remaining high. To investigate to which extent self-rated physical activity changed during the Swedish COVID-19 response, two cross-sectional surveys (N = 10,560) were conducted. The data constitutes the most comprehensive material on COVID-19 and physical activity extracted from Sweden. The aim is to contribute with new knowledge about general trends in physical activity during the Corona-pandemic in Sweden.

Methods

The method used is based on a quantitative cross-sectional retrospective approach. This approach makes it possible to clearly illustrate how the respondents’ (N = 10,560) answers differ depending on whether the questions referred to physical activity “before COVID-19” or “during COVID-19”. The data was collected on two different occasions (dataset 1 & dataset 2). Both surveys were digital questionnaires. The first dataset was distributed through social media, and The Swedish Research Council for Sport Science, whereas the second survey was distributed via e-mail. Dataset one was collected between 8 April 2020 to 14 august 2020, while dataset two was gathered from 8 December 2021 to 22 January 2021. The analysis included descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlations, and ANOVA. Cohen’s guidelines were used to establish what should be considered small, medium, and large differences.

Results

Overall, the results convey that there are significant differences for many people in everyday exercise performance during COVID-19. The most striking result is that many respondents report the same amount of everyday exercise, however, less physical training, and more sedentariness. Moreover, the result shows that elderly respondents were more affected than younger people, yet younger people reported more increased time sitting down. In terms of gender, although the Cohen guidelines categorize the difference as small, women had higher scores on sedentariness and reduced physical activity. 

Discussion

Both datasets reveal that patterns of physical activity have changed during COVID-19. However, contrary to what some studies conducted in Sweden have argued, within our datasets, differences across gender and age yielded only small differences. This deviates from studies that report that COVID-19 had a substantial negative impact on certain demographic groups. We conclude that respondents report less physical training regardless of demographic specificities. That elderly report less movement aligns with the outcomes of similar large-scale studies conducted in other countries. Finally, we suggest that one reason for differing results could be the use of different definitions when employing questionnaires to gain information on perceived physical activity. 

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the majority of European countries imposed lockdowns, whereas Sweden introduced comparatively moderate constraints. The Public Health Agency of Sweden stated that sports and physical activity could continue if conducted ‘safely’ and recommended outdoor activities. This article aims to identify new spatial practices and strategies developed by organised recreational sport providers (i.e. sport clubs, commercial providers) following the outbreak of the pandemic. Further, it identifies obstacles and opportunities for new spatial solutions, as well as possible long-term (lasting) effects of the strategies imposed. Also, it discusses these obstacles and opportunities in relation to contemporary sport facility challenge. The data draws upon 24 semi-structured interviews with sport coaches and leaders. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic analysis. The results suggest that most respondents show adaptability by moving their activities outdoors. Generally, for-profit organisations have been more innovative and adaptive. Obstacles for new spatial solutions include localisation, weather, (perceived) need of equipment, leadership, competing interests in public space, and notably the perception of what sport is. Positive examples of spatial adaptability show that there is a potential for sport providers to open up for different spatial solutions and more flexibility in relation to their activities, in order to ease the pressure on formal indoor (and, to some extent, outdoor) sport facilities while amending the perception of sport activities. 

Research methods

The data draws upon 24 semi-structured interviews with sport coaches and leaders. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic analysis.

Results and findings

The results suggest that most respondents show adaptability by moving their activities outdoors. Generally, for-profit organisations have been more innovative and adaptive. Obstacles for new spatial solutions include localisation, weather, (perceived) need of equipment, leadership, competing interests in public space, and notably the perception of what sport is.

Implications

Positive examples of spatial adaptability show that there is a potential for sport providers to open up for different spatial solutions and more flexibility in relation to their activities, in order to ease the pressure on formal indoor (and, to some extent, outdoor) sport facilities while amending the perception of sport activities.

New media habits in the era of digitalization challenge previous understandings of who and what receives media coverage. Research shows that practitioners in self-organized lifestyle sports consistently use social media to attain and exchange information and knowledge about their sport. Is this also the case in organized sport? The Internet has become a great resource for horse-enthusiasts and the online horse world can be described as an extension of the physical horse world. Equestrian sport is particularly interesting to analyze due to the fact that there is an animal involved. Still, there is little knowledge of how horse enthusiasts use social media in relation to their interest in equestrian sports. The aim of this article is therefore to chart and analyze how equestrians use social media, how they communicate horse-related content on social media, and how social media can be seen as a source for knowledge exchange. Our investigation focuses on how equestrians use social media to acquire information about horses, and how this usage can be explained in connection to age and experience. A mixed methods design is used and data is collected from 28 focus group interviews with equestrians in Sweden and Norway and a survey with 1,628 respondents. Our study indicates that practitioners of self-organized sports are not unique in using social network sites (SNS) to exchange and attain knowledge about their sport; equestrians in general are shown to be frequent users of SNS such as Facebook and Instagram. Although our results show a few significant differences in SNS use in relation to age; the riders in the different age groups have surprisingly similar views of their SNS use in relation to attaining information about the horse. ‘Stable cultures’ and the organized structure of equestrian sports appear to create boundaries determining where a ‘good equestrian’ should seek information about horse-keeping. However, the organized structure and traditional nature of this sport do not stop equestrians from turning to SNS.

Todays' online media landscape facilitates communication on how sports practitioners can develop in their sport. Hence, sports and educational institutions need to recognize the increased role of the individual as “a facilitator of knowledge” through information and communications technology (ICT). For sport organizations and educational institutions to effectively reach out with knowledge and research, they need to know how individuals assess, value, and trust information sources. This article aims to increase the knowledge and understanding of how the traditional culture in equestrianism meets the contemporary media user. It is based on a study that uses a mixed methods design, containing a questionnaire with 1,655 respondents and 28 focus group interviews with Swedish and Norwegian equestrians, to investigate how equestrians create their own repertoires of horse-knowledge online and what sources of knowledge they trust and prioritize. The results show that accessibility, agency, and trust are key terms when mapping equestrians' preferred knowledge platforms, and that equestrians are generally not satisfied with the availability and the quality of horse-related online content. Horse experience is the most important positional factor influencing online repertoires in the equestrian community. Riders with less experience turn to Social Network Sites (SNS) to a higher extent than riders with more experience. Further, equestrians find the ability to assess information as an important yet challenging task. This article shows that the term (online) learning repertoires is appropriate when discussing the relationship (or clash) between the traditional culture in equestrian sports and the contemporary media user. On the one hand, many equestrians clearly express that they would rather stay away from obtaining information about horses and riding on ICTs. On the other hand, the data, together with previous research, indicates that many equestrians see ICTs as important platforms for discussing and exchanging information about horses and riding.

In recent years, questions about horse-keeping and the welfare of horses have been debated in social media. Voices of researchers, elite and leisure riders are heard and different ideas about horse-keeping meet, clash and are discussed. The purpose of this study is to analyze stable cultures in cyberspace in Sweden and Norway. Horse riders’ communication in social media in relation to horse-keeping will be focused. The results will increase the knowledge of how thoughts, ideas, scientific research and proven experience about horses are shared and discussed in social media for different age groups and in different countries. The project will also lead to suggestions about how communication tools can be improved and developed. For equestrian stakeholders, it is important to understand what knowledge is granted value (and why) of riders and horse owners, so that digital communication tools can be improved. For the welfare of horses, it is important to bridge the gap between research and practice.

The aim of this study is to analyze and increase the understanding of how young equestrians, in a sport school context, perceive, construct, negotiate and manage identities on social media. This article presents how a specific group of young athletes (equestrians) use social network sites (SNS), such as Facebook and Instagram, in relation to their everyday lives as students attending upper secondary schools with an equestrian sports profile. Social media is increasingly important for young people's perceptions, constructions, and managing of identities. Using a multifaceted theoretical framework, including Erving Goffman's dramaturgical perspective, we will explore how young equestrians perceive the content on SNS and analyze how they act and create content in relation to existing norms and cultures. Equestrianism is one of the largest sports in Sweden and several upper secondary schools in Sweden offer programs with an equestrian profile. Studies on sport schools evince a focus on elite sport and competition, which affects norms and ideologies at these schools. Through focus group interviews with 25 students, we show that the situation is complex and contradictory. The results indicate that young riders have identified an online stable culture where high performance equestrianism is the norm. Our study shows that the educational environment is not the only factor affecting the students, but that social media is also a part of the young athletes' constructions of identity. The image of the employable 'super equestrian' who is attractive, wears the 'right clothes', is successful, and acts 'professionally' is the most desirable representation online. The young equestrians are critical of what is communicated on SNS in relation to horses and riding, and they are uncertain of how to position themselves in relation to this communication.

Svensk idrottsforskning, 2005, nr. 3 var ett temanummer där vi fick den glädjande möjligheten att presentera den idrottsvetenskapliga forskningen vid Malmö högskola.1 Det har gått några år sedan dess och verksamheten har växt och erhållit en fastare struktur. Dessutom har forskningen blivit allt mer profilerad mot det som vi benämner som ”idrott i förändring”, vilket i grunden är en tydligt och strategiskt inriktad samhälls- och kulturvetenskaplig idrottsvetenskap. Vi ska i detta temanummer behandla ett antal idrottsvetenskapliga problem som anknyter till vår forskning. Vi har därför valt att lyfta nya forskare och/eller nya forskningsprojekt, som inte medverkade i 2005 års temanummer. Texterna kommer att handla om folkhemshästen, drömmar bland fotbollens ungdomsproffs, Parkour, idrottens betydelse för det civila samhället, idrottsdidaktiska utmaningar, Corporate Social Responsibility, idrottens arbetsmarknad och dess professionalisering, barnidrott i regi av ”Stadium Sports Camp”, samt rättvise- och kravmärkt idrott. Vi hoppas att dessa texter ska ge en liten, men dock rättvis, bild av våra forskningsintressen.

This book identifies and defines the core functions of sports development, exploring the interface between sports development and cognate fields such as education, coaching, community welfare and policy.

In the chapter the development of children and youth sport in Sweden in the 20th century is explored. The definition of sport covers both sport in school and other sport activities.

This volume will tactically put the stubborn challenge of defining sport in ‘intellectual brackets’ and instead reflect on the position and relevance of sport science – of studying and analysing sport

Det är bra att fundera över hur barns och ungdomars erfarenheter av idrott påverkar deras inställning till skolämnet. Det är rimligt att tro att få andra skolämnen påverkas så starkt av upplevelser vi gör på andra platser än i skolan. I följande kapitel ska vi med utgångspunkt i tre teoretiska perspektiv – utbildningsvetenskapligt perspektiv, genusperspektiv och barnperspektiv – diskutera barnidrotten, med särskilt fokus på skolämnet Idrott och hälsa och de barn som går i grundskolans tidigare år. Spontanidrotten liksom föreningsidrotten kommer att beröras, eftersom de på olika sätt kommer in i skolan och påverkar verksamheten där. Den aktuella tidsperioden är mitten av 1800-talet och fram till i dag – även om tyngdpunkten ligger på de senaste femtio åren.

Sport participation is considered a positive pastime endower that can offer a range of positive outcomes for children and youths. It has also increasingly been recognized as a potentially important context for fostering social inclusion for minority youths. Yet across Europe, minority girls are participating in sport to a lesser degree than their majority counterparts. Using self-determination theory (SDT) and the social ecological model as the framework, this study explored the reasons why a particular project aimed at recruiting minority girls to organized team sport succeeded in doing just that. A case study design was adopted to provide an in-depth analysis of how this project satisfied the basic psychological needs of minority girls. Nine girls, four parents, two coaches, and two project team members were interviewed about the project and sport participation in general. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Two main themes were identified, a sense of being facilitated and inclusion in the sport environment. The former emphasized the importance of aligning the participation with the girls' cultural norms and values, particularly in the beginning. It also included practical issues such as finances, reminding us that participation in sport is not just a motivational issue. The latter focused on the importance of including the girls in the general sports program, regardless of their athletic abilities at the onset of their participation and creating a mastery environment. Moreover, by removing remediable differences between the minority and majority girls, such as having the right equipment, seemed important to fostering a sense of belonging in the sports club. Additionally, establishing meaningful relationships with coaches and majority counterparts seemed to be a major motivating factor.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the rearing of children and young people within equestrian sports in Sweden during the second half of the 20th century. In contemporary times the Swedish Sport Movement, together with schools, is the most important rearing environment for children. However, the actual goal of the rearing, except of course learning a specific sport activity, is more unclear. The question is important as children’s sports receive significant financial support from the government. In the contemporary debate on this issue, children’s experiences as well as emotions like happiness and sorrow; fellowship and marginalization are presented as outcomes of children’s sports activities. In recent times especially the competitative rearing ambitions have been criticized whereas goals like participation for all have been emphasized as the primer aim. Other questions have been the role of parents and children’s inclination and discomfort in connection to sports. Previous research on football for children and young people has demonstrated that political intentions emphasizing sports for all and a rearing focused on democratic values has justified governmental financial support to children’s and young people’s sports activities. Despite this, children within the football associations are often raised with values connected to competition and marginalization (Peterson 1993). Furthermore, children’s sports environment is very authoritarian (Redelius 2002). Rearing within the sports movement is also a question of gender. Generally sports has been connected to men and masculine values (Olofsson 1989; Hjelm 2004; Larsson 2005; Hedenborg 2008). A study of rearing activities within football has demonstrated that quite young boys are met by a masculinity constructed in opposition to homosexuality and femininity (Fundberg 2003). Whether the same values can be, and have been, seen in equestrian sports is questioned in this paper. Furthermore it is argued that the target of rearing can be connected to gender. A question raised is whether the target of rearing can explain the feminizing process within equestrian sports. Annual reports from one of the equestrian organizations (Ridfrämjandet), interviews with two persons who have been working with education within this organization and letters from children sent to a children’s magazine are used as source material. The latter is of specific interest as this source material will reflect children’s own experiences and view of the rearing aims.

A vehicle in the army, or a friend in the family

The aim of this paper is to chart the relationship between men, women and horses with focus on equestrian sports. The degree of internationality of these sports, as well as the question of whether a sport can be seen as international if only men or women participate, are discussed. Furthermore, the diffusion of equestrian sports are presented; in short, equestrian activities spread internationally in different directions up until the late 19th century. Since then Olympic Equestrian events (dressage, show jumping and eventing) have been diffused from Europe. Even though men and women are allowed to compete against each other in the equestrian events, the number of men and women varies widely, irrespective of country, and until this imbalance is redressed, equestrian sports cannot be seen as truly international.

I kapitlet behandlas akademisk skrivande. Det kan användas för att stötta studenter som ska genomföra en vetenskaplig undersökning och skriva ett självständigt arbete.

The purpose of the chapter is to explore research on children's sport and youth sport from a sociology of childhood perspective.

Den 20 november 1989 var en historisk dag för världens barn. Då antog FN:s generalförsamling konventionen om barnets rättigheter, som nu är en internationell, juridiskt bindande konvention, ratificerad av större delen av jordens länder, också Sverige. Med konventionen har alla som jobbar för barns rätt till trygghet och säkerhet, till exempel inom idrotten, fått ett normativt instrument att luta sig mot. I Sverige har den organiserade idrottsrörelsen integrerat konventionens grundsatser i sina policy- och måldokument för barn- och ungdomsidrotten. Möjligen har tillkomsten av konventionen också bidragit till en vitalisering av forskning om barn och barndom. Vad betyder det att anlägga ett barnperspektiv på exempelvis idrotten? Det kan, svarar Susanna Hedenborg, handla om att synliggöra barn och vad barn gjort, att värdera beslut utifrån dess konsekvenser för barn, att lyfta fram barnets röst i alla sammanhang. En som på olika sätt tar tillvara barnperspektivet inom idrottsforskningen är australiensaren Richard Light i boken Sport in the Lives of Young Australians (Sydney University Press). I sin recension av Lights bok framhåller Hedenborg författarens förmåga att låta barnen komma till tals och förmedla sina känslor och erfarenheter från vitt skilda idrottsliga kontexter. Vår recensent rekommenderar boken som kurslitteratur för såväl idrottslärare som idrottsvetare.

Carruthers [née Torrie], Pamela Isabel Jameson (1916–2009), showjumping course designer, was born on 11 August 1916 at 19 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh, the only child of Thomas George Jameson Torrie (1880–1916), a lieutenant-colonel in the Life Guards, and his wife, Esmé Muriel, née Crabbe (1895–1984). Her parents had married in Killin, Perthshire, on 6 September 1915, and her father was killed in action on the western front in November 1916. In 1920 her mother married Basil Eddis, a merchant in India, where Pamela spent part of her childhood. After the breakdown of this marriage Pamela and her mother moved back to Britain, where her mother was married for a third time, to Ralph Hope Vere. In her late teens Pamela and her family lived in Dumfriesshire. She was educated at Westonbirt School, near Tetbury, and at the Ozanne finishing school, Paris. She embarked on her riding career at an early age and while in France she attended a course at Saumur, the French cavalry school, as part of her education. On returning to Scotland she opened her own riding school in Dumfriesshire and commenced her career as a showjumper and a hunter exhibitor. On 8 November 1939 she married, in All Saints (Episcopal) Church, Lockerbie, Hew Douglas Carruthers (b. 1914), RAF officer, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis John Carruthers, army officer. Eventually the couple bought a farm in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. They had two sons: Christopher Hew, born in Hoddom, Dumfriesshire, in 1940, and John Anthony, born in Chippenham, Wiltshire, in 1941.

The strictly hierarchical society where people were born into different estates was challenged in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the middle class – low aristocratic officials and townspeople – enhanced their economic and political influence. The power of the king declined in the 18th century and a kind of party politics developed. The period is called the Age of Liberty. Toward the end of the period the king Gustav III strengthened the power of the king again, but new groups had already grown mor politically powerful. Agriculture – the basis for most people's livelyhoods – was transformed, and the land was distributed in a different way at the end of the period compared with the beginning. Production was rendered more efficient. The conditions for commerce, consumption, and communication changed. Furthermore, Enlightment and secularization characterize the period, influencing developments not least through the questioning of ancient regimes.

In Sweden, as in the other Nordic countries, a great many children and young people are members of a sports association (77% in the age group 6–12 years and 41% in the age group 13–25 years). Physical activity levels are high compared to other European countries (CIF, 2018a; European Commission, 2010; 2014). However, participation in sports associations has decreased in recent years, and the decline is more prominent among older youth and girls (CIF, 2018b). Furthermore, there is a strong polarization between groups who are very active and others who are inactive. How can this development be understood? Sports associations are not alone in losing members. Over 20 years ago, in 1995, Robert D. Putnam described a reduction in all forms of in-person social interaction in the US, and an analogous development can be seen in Sweden (Putnam, 1995; Trägårdh, 2007). Yet while participation in sports associations decreases, an increasing number of young people claim to be interested in physical exercise, stating that they exercise several times a week. Clearly, association sports activities are challenged by commercial enterprises (CIF, 2014a; 2014b). It has been argued that the activities offered by the sports associations are the reason for this development. A narrow focus on results and performance may alienate some children and young people, who become uninterested in sport and physical activity (Redelius, 2011; 2013; Norberg and Redelius, 2012; Thedin Jakobsson, 2013). In addition, sports activities may be socially, psychologically, and physiologically harmful for children and young people (Fasting, Brackenridge, and Kjølberg, 2013). Here I want to challenge this understanding of why children leave organized sport using insights from the sociology of childhood. Instead of focusing on polarized expectations – democratic fostering and sport for all in contrast to the fostering of elite athletes – this study will propose an alternate explanation focusing on the changing understanding of childhood in the Nordic, and more specifically Swedish context.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate in what way children have been the focus of political discussions connected to sports – here especially equestrian sports – during the second half of the 20th century. Special focus will be how children are fostered within sports and how it is possible that rearing methods have influenced who – boys or girls - do what sport. Unfortunately very little is done so far within the field on children as political actors – even though I believe there is a potential for a research project focusing on that within sports as – at least within so called Nordic Sports model - children were supposed to be trained into citizenship through sports. Whether rearing for citizenship has actually been the outcome is questionable.

The aim of the chapter is to discuss childrens work in youth sports, and how children's work within sports is discussed and legimised through references to the importance of the socialisation process.

Texten är en kommentar till Knut Wicksells text "Några ord om samhällsolyckornas viktigaste orsak och botemedel med särskilt avseende på dryckenskapen, 1880."

I kapitlet beskrivs ridsportens historia i Sverige under perioden 1850-1950

The aim of this paper is to describe and explain the changes in the gender balance of jockeyship in Swedish horse racing in the period 1890-2000. The change in gender coding, and its causes, are both complex. Two distinctive periods of change are argued to have been crucial, the 1940s and 1970s. In the first period women were given permission to ride in amateur races; in the second period they were allowed to become professionals. It is suggested here that the changes in the gender balance are explained by male support, the intersection of gender and social class and gender coding.

Sammanfattning av muntlig presentation.

In this paper the supply and demand side of the 20th century horse sector is studied. In connection to the horse sector there have been many changes in the supply side (especially in connection to vital factors of production as land and capital and entrepreneurs) and the demand side (economic support to youth sport making it cheaper for young people, growth of welfare, a taste for events and for tourism in the countryside). Whether these are specific for Sweden is difficult to say – however, studied in this way, I think it could be possible to do international comparisons.

Den svenska ridsporten fyller 100 år,år 2012. Syftet med denna presentation är att berätta denna historia med utgångspunkt i ridskolornas verksamhet och de nya och gamla problem och möjligheter som verksamheten har och har haft.

Den svenska ridsporten fyllde år 2012 100 år. Sporten har genomgått flera förändringar. För 100 år sedan var det framför allt män som red hästar, och särskilt män i arm´´en. Idag är den svenska ridsporten en av de största barn- och ungdomsidrotterna, och majoriteten av utövarna är kvinnor och flickor. Denna förändring står i fokus för presentationen.

The aim of this article is to discuss and problematize research on gender and sports within the equine sector, and to argue for the necessity of a comparative perspective in order to understand the gender order within equestrian sports. The article will focus on two areas within the equine sector: horse racing and Olympic equestrianism. Differences over time as well as between countries and events will be highlighted and discussed. Previous research demonstrates that the equine sector has historically been connected to men and masculinity in large parts of the world, although there are many examples of women working with horses and enjoying equestrian activities during their leisure time. During the twentieth century, horses have become progressively less important for agriculture, forestry, transport, and the army. The societal context is interesting, as sport historians Jennifer Hargreaves and Gertrud Pfister have claimed that a destabilization of the gender order in society at large may open new opportunities for women in sport. It is argued in this article that an analytical framework based on insights from gender studies and a comparative perspective is crucial if the development is to be understood and explained.

Gender relations in Equestrian sports 1952-2000. The purpose of the paper is to compare Swedish and British patterns of gender relations in equestrian sports in the Olympic Games 1952-2000.

I det allmänna popularitetsuppsvinget för historisk forskning och litteratur – som ju fatiskt pågått ett antal år – har idrottens historia en given plats, bland kungar och fältslag. Idrottens starka attraktionsvärde för breda folklager ger utslag också i ett intresse för sportens barndom och dess utveckling. Att utvecklingen mot en allt mer folkligt formulerad idrottshistorik inte är oproblematisk är väl känt, och bland annat i England har detta uppmärksammats. En uppstramning av den akademiska idrottsforskningen, genom tydligare teoretiska utgångspunkter och mer stringent metodologi, anses vara svaret på den utmaning historieinriktningen inom idrottsvetenskapen står inför. Möjligen kan utgivningen av Routledge Companion to Sports History ses som ett symptom på att problemet uppmärksammats, och samtidigt som en del av lösningen (även om Routledge också är en del av problemet med genom sin allt mer frekventa utgivning av idrottshistoriska tidskrifter, med mer utrymme än det, enligt många, finns bra artiklar till). Susanna Hedenborg har läst den nya, voluminösa volymen, som naturligtvis är ett värdefullt bidrag till den idrottshistoriska kunskapsutvecklingen, men som kunde varit betydligt bättre om redaktörerna Steven Pope och John Nauright ställt högre krav på de olika bidragsgivarna.

Abstract for oral presentation.

The purpose of this study is to analyse respresentations of sport in Kamratposten (a magazine for children) in the latter part of the 20th century. Equestrian sports and football is the most common sport presented to the readers and these sports are both gendered and connected to age. Equestrian sports are connected to girls and femininity, whereas football is foremost connected to boys, men and masculinity.

I början av 1900-talet var det inte ovanligt att jordbrukarfamiljer lät sig fotograferas med gårdens häst eller hästar. Hästen var ett djur med hög status och en viktig arbetskamrat i både jord- och skogsbruk. Även idag, 100 år senare, fotograferas hästar. Men nu handlar det inte längre om familjebilder där hästen kopplas samman med det gemensamma arbetet på gården. Istället är fritidshästen avbildad. I bildmaterialet finns tydliga och intressanta skillnader som speglar att hästens roll har förändrats under 1900-talet. En annan viktig förändring, som också går att följa i bildmaterial, är att hästen för 100 år sedan var mannens ansvarsområde och arbetskamrat, medan en stor del av hästsektorn idag förknippas med kvinnor och kvinnlighet. Syftet med detta kapitel är att med utgångspunkt i några av de statliga utredningar som gjorts om hästens roll i Sverige beskriva och begripliggöra hästsektorns 1900-talsförändringar. Jag utgår här från SOU 1945:46; SOU 1953:3, Ds Jo 1964:2 samt 2000:109, eftersom flera delar av hästsektorn diskuterades där. Dessutom fokuserades några av sektorns stora frågor: hästens plats i jordbruket, den svenska hästavelns betydelse samt ridsportens frågor. Jag har i detta skede valt bort de utredningar som endast behandlade kapplöpningsindustrin, det vill säga trav- och galoppverksamheten, totalisatorspelet samt de så kallade riksanläggningarna.

För hundra år sedan var ridsport något väldigt manligt. Att sköta hästar var en uppgift för hästkarlen och de få kvinnor som red kom oftast från överklassen. Idag har tjejerna tagit över stallbacken och ridsporten har blivit en hel folkrörelse. I den här boken berättar Susanna Hedenborg, professor i idrottsvetenskap, om hur det blev så och historien i hästväg bakom hundraåringen Svenska Ridsportförbundet.