A person skilled in or devoted to equitation; an expert horseman or rider who practices horsemanship as an art.
From 'equitation' + '-ist' suffix. English formation from the 19th century to describe a specialist in the art of horsemanship, following the pattern of other '-ist' occupation words.
An equitist is to horseback riding what a violinist is to violin—someone who has elevated the skill to an art form. Olympic dressage riders and classical riding instructors would proudly call themselves equitists!
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