That is what I was talking about. You need to show how much of a commitment you have to this sport. It would be like getting Eagle Scout...you stuck with it for 10 yrs, yr round. It wasn't a try it out and bolt issue if you didn't care for it.
Heck, if you want to impress them about how athletic it is, I am sure, like our DD, you have had to muck stalls and saddle horses tell them that. I know it takes a lot of upper body strength to lift a saddle on a horse that was taller than you or shovel crap for hours.
You don't have to convince me that this is a sport. I spent many of an hour at the ring watching how hard it is to control a horse that got spooked. A horse that probably weighed 5 times your weight. That takes muscles and instinct to get them back down. It takes dedication to get back up when you are thrown.
My point was and is, that this sport is unique and people may assume that because they rented a horse to ride on a trail that it is easy, not realizing there are different levels. Look at the female riders re:horse racing. The reason it is male dominate is due to the fact that females traditionally do not have the upper body strength to control a horse.
They def. will accept it, but it is important that they understand that this is not a seasonal sport. It is yr round, and it requires strength to compete, but also your training, which includes mucking stalls and saddling.
That is why I stated you might want to get your trainer to write a rec. The rec can say how many awards you have won, but it should also state what goes into that training from a physical aspect. Don't let them think that it is all about dressage and jodhpurs.