Why are horses generally a girl thing?

[Farmer Mike S]

Starting from a young age most girls have an obsession with horses, you got all the horse toys and stuff. Eventually, some girls, mostly the rich, end up with their own horses. My question though is why there aren't many guy riders; in my area at least, there are very few guy riders I see, it's mostly girls. If I owned a horse, I would probably be called "girly". To me, horses are expensive, but look fun. They're also allowed to walk many trails too.

My theory is that horses are a girls version of dirtbikes and motorcycles. For dirtbikes and stuff, it's almost the opposite; many male riders but few female riders. The advantage of a dirtbike is cheaper start up cost, and much cheaper and easier maintenance. The disadvantage is that it's not sustainable/natural and you can't ride in State Parks, which typically allow horses. You also don't form a relationship with dirtbikes either.

But my overall question is why horses tend to be a girls thing?

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I have no idea! But now that you mention it, almost all the horsey people I know are girls.

 

[Bunnylady]

I don't know that I would say most girls go in for horses, but yes, you see far more girls that do than guys. Animals in general seem to be more attractive to girls than boys, and that seems to start at an early age. Most of the little boys I have known have had an almost magnetic attraction to anything with wheels, relatively few cared a fig about stuffed animals.

I think a lot of girls get caught up in the romance of horses, rather than the reality of them. At the barn where I have my big horses, there is a buckskin gelding. If I had a nickle for every time I have heard a little girl say, "He looks like Spirit!" . . .

(My daughter has known the buckskin for years, and the first time she saw the movie, she said, "Hey, he looks like Mo!" So maybe there's something to it, lol) If you've seen the movie, and you know horses, you know the movie really has very little to do with animals, and a lot to do with people.

An awful lot of parents have seen their horse-crazy little girls grow out of horses when they discover boys. Sometimes, it is just a change of interest/finances, and sometimes I fear it's because the boyfriend/husband doesn't like competition - yeah, guys do that, too.

(I have a pet theory about this. Think about it - all that shining muscle, that long hair; is that Fabio out there in the pasture? Yes, I'm kidding!)

But you are right, the majority of the kids that get into horses are girls. There are a few boys who get into them because their sister wanted lessons, so they went along and got lessons, too. When Walter Farley started his Black Stallion series of books, I believe he had it in his mind that he was writing for boys. I think he eventually realized that the majority of his readers were girls - certainly, the later books in the series make it seem that way.

The tendency has become so marked, in the horse industry, we have a tongue-in-cheek term, "husband horse," meaning an animal that is so dead-broke that you can even trust it with the greener-that-green, unhorsey husband.

There is a flip side - I know of at least one program that takes at-risk youth and teaches them to train horses. As you said, there is a connection there that you don't get with machines, and it has been the means of connecting some of these boys to their own kind again, too.

But if you dare to buck the trend, there can be an unexpected bonus. Horses are built in chick magnets. I remember the editor of a horse magazine (himself a single 30-something at the time) remarking that, when you have a really cool car or truck, you aren't really sure if the girl is that into you, or whether it's the car or truck. With horses, you know - it's the horse!

 

[turney31]

Cowboys...lol Duh!

 

[Bunnylady]

Cowboys...lol Duh!

I doubt you see many cowboys in Pennsylvania.

 

[Peaches Lee]

I believe it is a cultural thing. If you look at Germany for instance, horses are a big part of their culture and everyday life. Families will breed, raise and train horses for generations and are very much respected. You will see just as many male riders as female riders in Europe. The US does not have a strong equine culture, it is seen as a pastime or hobby rather than a serious and respectable career.

 

[Farmer Mike S]

Horses are built in chick magnets. I remember the editor of a horse magazine (himself a single 30-something at the time) remarking that, when you have a really cool car or truck, you aren't really sure if the girl is that into you, or whether it's the car or truck. With horses, you know - it's the horse!  

I was actually just thinking the same thing! A lot of girls around here "like" trucks and all that, but I doubt they can even tell me the difference between a v-8 and v-6 to be honest. There's very few male riders around here so I don't know how the ladies would react, but if I had a horse, I bet they'd be all over me haha. You also mentioned how they're over glorified, and that's definetely true. Around me you typically have a bunch of rich girls horses at the barn, and then they let in the one poor girl for free in exchange for her maintaining all the horses...

I doubt you see many cowboys in Pennsylvania.

Yes that's correct. I've seen male riders once and they definitely weren't cowboys. I even have a female friend who rides, and she says she knows very few male riders herself. I live in horse central too; there's a highway I cross separating my county (Delaware) and Chester county, and once I cross into Chester county, it's just horse farm after horse farm, at least in the part I'm near. Living in somewhat close proximity to Philadelphia, land prices are off the charts, so most the "farms" in my area are rich horse farms.

I believe it is a cultural thing.  If you look at Germany for instance, horses are a big part of their culture and everyday life.  Families will breed, raise and train horses for generations and are very much respected.  You will see just as many male riders as female riders in Europe.  The US does not have a strong equine culture, it is seen as a pastime or hobby rather than a serious and respectable career. 

In my opinion I think horses are cool, and I sort of question the "girly" stereotype as they require heavy maintenance and are apparently not easy to ride. The big advantage I see for a horse is that there's a lot of places you can legally ride, especially around me. But take the dirtbike out anywhere you don't have permission, and expect the cops to be on you in 5 minutes.

 

[biga]

i can't think of any reason a girl would want 1200 lbs of unbridled power between their legs

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I know for me, I don't like being thought of as fragile because I am a girl. No, I am not being sexist...some girls like that, not all boys think that.But something about handling a 1200 pound horse and dealing with horses with attitudes make people think twice about thinking I can't do things.

 

[Arielle]

In the US horses are generally a girl thing if you look at just a few equestrian sports; other equestrian sports ( think cowboy) is loaded with males.

In Europe, horses are a man's sport. THe reverse of the US.

I think it is perception.