Whose Body Really Belongs Here? Multispecies Encounters in Outdoor Leisure

Summary This case study considers the ways in which multispecies leisure – in this case horse-riding – opens up different perspectives on the question of whose bodies really belong in outdoor leisure spaces? Vignettes are used to explore the ways in which the presence of the nonhuman participant – the horse – facilitates different kinds of encounters with other users (human and nonhuman), transforming the experience of outdoor leisure. Multispecies leisure provides opportunities to experience outdoor leisure spaces through a different lens which deprioritises human senses and interests and questions the assumed primacy and belongingness of humans in these more-than-human leisure environments.