equestrian

1 of 2

adjective

eques·​tri·​an i-ˈkwe-strē-ən 

1

a

: of, relating to, or featuring horseback riding

equestrian Olympic events

b

archaic : riding on horseback : mounted

c

: representing a person on horseback

2

: of, relating to, or composed of knights

equestrian

2 of 2

noun

: one who rides on horseback

Did you know?

Equestrian comes from equus, Latin for "horse". Old statues of military heroes, like the famous one of General Sherman on New York's Fifth Avenue, are frequently equestrian. In these sculptures the man always sits nobly upright on a horse, but the horse's stance varies; depending on whether the rider was killed in battle or survived, was victorious or defeated, the horse traditionally stands with four, three, or two hooves on the ground. Equestrian statues have been popular through the centuries, because until the 20th century almost every officer in Europe and America was trained in equestrian skills and combat.

Examples of equestrian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Both the city’s ad hoc committee on the 2028 Olympic Games and the full council gave its approval this week to several venue changes, including shifting equestrian events from the Valley to Temecula. —Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025

World-class equestrian amenities But the pièce de résistance is found just down the hill from the residence. —David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Noun

Disputes over trail usage often pitted mountain bikers against hikers and equestrians, with the latter user groups regularly gaining the upper hand. —Maureen Gaffney, Outside Online, 30 Jan. 2025

The Santa Maria Creek Greenway is proposed as a 2.5-mile multi-use trail for hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers along the path of the creek from the community park to Ramona Grasslands County Preserve. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin equestr-, equester of a horseman, from eques horseman, from equus horse — more at equine

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1774, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for equestrian

• pedestrian

Kids Definition

equestrian

1 of 2 adjective

eques·​tri·​an i-ˈkwes-trē-ən 

: of or relating to horses, horseback riding, or people who ride horses

equestrian

2 of 2 noun

: one who rides on horseback