Why are horses generally a girl thing?

[Chickerdoodle13]

I think it depends on the area as well. In more rural areas, especially down south where ranching is a big thing, you see either an even number of male/female riders or more males. In these areas, horses tend to be more of a livelihood than for pleasure. Where I live, horses are seen as a luxury and the main sex of riders is female.

 

[duckinnut]

I think it depends on the area as well. In more rural areas, especially down south where ranching is a big thing, you see either an even number of male/female riders or more males. In these areas, horses tend to be more of a livelihood than for pleasure. Where I love, horses are seen as a luxury and the main sex of riders is female.

Absolutely. I think depending on your age is in how you view the horse according to men and women. The advent of TV is where I think most people got their perception of the horse.When I was growing up watching the Lone Ranger, all the western movies and series and even including F Troop of all things, the horse was used as a vehicle or tool to assist the man in his daily life. Whether it was carrying tools and such to repair the fence in the field on the back forty acres, rounding up a stray calf or trailing and catching bad guys to visiting the Hecowees. While women in the series were often just seen riding the horse with no direct connection to anything. Think the Barkley women in Big Valley or Wrangler Jane from F Troop. They just rode. So I believe that TV has shaped a many a perception, I know for me anyway. Men see the horse as related to work and woman see it as a pleasurable event. It might seem as a little sexist but feel it is true. Although it might not apply to all men and women but think it does overall.

 

[Farmer Mike S]

I think it depends on the area as well. In more rural areas, especially down south where ranching is a big thing, you see either an even number of male/female riders or more males. In these areas, horses tend to be more of a livelihood than for pleasure. Where I love, horses are seen as a luxury and the main sex of riders is female.

Yea I definitely agree. I don't really watch tv or anything, so I don't base it off of that, it's just my area I speak of. I live in southeast PA. Down by me it's horse central because I live near a wealthier rural area, so about 70% of the farms are horse farms. Also by me, there's a lot of horse trails and I live near a state park. Anyway, I've only seen male riders once in my life, and all the riders I know personally are female. My mother used to ride and so did her sisters, but none of my uncles did. The girl I was friends with who rode said she doesn't know any male riders. I'm sure though the culture probably is different in certain areas.

I do agree though that there's definitely nothing "girly" about a horse. It's a heavy animal that doesn't look easy to ride

 

[conny63malies]

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.

Most of the famous dressage rider and jumpers were/are guys in Germany. I remember watching Winkler with Achaz. My favorite jumper horse back in the days was Silbersee . He was famous for his "happy kicks" after a jump. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9napcs7hwvs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Peaches Lee]

Most of the famous dressage rider and jumpers were/are guys in Germany. I remember watching Winkler with Achaz. My favorite jumper horse back in the days was Silbersee . He was famous for his "happy kicks" after a jump. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9napcs7hwvs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I happen to be a fan of Franke Sloothaak!

There is a horse here in the US that is now retired, however during his jumps he would kick his feet back and up over the jump, I think it helped him not knock a rail down!

 

[Arielle]

I don't think SIlbersee came to the US. Are you thinking MIlton??

 

[Peaches Lee]

I don't think SIlbersee came to the US. Are you thinking MIlton??

I don't see where anyone said he was in the US?

 

[Arielle]

Sorry you have me confused--
Conny was talking about SIlbersee-- a gorgeous improver stallion at a German stud. Holstein as I remember. He lived out retirement in Europe, or was he brought here later?

" There is a horse here in the US that is now retired,"
Which horse are you referring to that kicked out that is in the U.S.??

 

[Peaches Lee]

Sorry you have me confused--
Conny was talking about SIlbersee-- a gorgeous improver stallion at a German stud. Holstein as I remember. He lived out retirement in Europe, or was he brought here later?

" There is a horse here in the US that is now retired,"
Which horse are you referring to that kicked out that is in the U.S.??

Sorry, when I was writing I thought I put the horses name in there, LOL! I was tired when I was writing. I am talking about Judgment ISF.

 

[Farmer Mike S]

A little bit off topic, but I had my dirtbike out yesterday for the first time in awhile, and I was actually thinking about dirtbikes vs. horses. You may argue they're not comparable, but I'd say they are because they are both things people buy mostly for the simple purpose of riding for entertainment. Anyway, from riding my dirtbike, the major advantage is that I just pull it out of the shed to use. I don't need to put gas in it while I'm not using it (comparing to feeding a horse), and my bike doesn't need pasture space when I store it and doesn't need a stall cleaned (I actually did have to clean up oil it leaked on the floor). I can also just whip the thing around and really get a quick glad of joy, and it's not too hard to ride. Not to mention it only costed me $800 to buy and does require maintenance but not a lot.

I've never owned a horse but from what I've heard they sound like they have a lot of advantages over dirtbikes too. I was whipping around in my neighbors field which I have permission to ride in, but take the bike on the road or anywhere you don't have permission to ride, expect the cops to be on you in 5 minutes. It's getting harder and harder with liability these days to find a place to ride. For the horses, there's a ton of places to ride. A lot of publicaly owned land allows horseback riding and there's horse trails and stuff. A lot of places let you use their land too. Also, a dirtbike is just a piece of metal, plastic and rubber; a horse seems to be more like a friend. On a horse you also don't have to worry about bugging the neighbors unless it poops on their yard. It's also more natural then a dirtbike. I've never rode a horse, but they also sound fun to ride.

It may sound like I'm implying I might get a horse, but trust me, it's not a consideration (yet at least). I was just comparing the two in my mind and thought I'd share. I just don't have the money, land, and time to get a horse right now. I would probably only end up getting one if I married a girl into horses (back to my original question haha).