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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
Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2025
Other last-minute changes brought equestrian back to Santa Anita, which hosted the Olympic competitions in 1984.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2025
Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2024
From $61 An Evening of Dancing Horses spotlights world-class equestrians and their steeds performing choreographed routines to live music by Spinphony Electric String Quartet.
—Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Equestrian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equestrian. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
equestrian
1 of 2 adjective
equestrian
2 of 2 noun
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