Academic research to explore the woman-horse relationship

Does the research not also cover why horses are important to men and their wellbeing? I would dispute the original assumption that women have a different relationship to their horse than men do
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have filled it out. quite interesting actually. filling in how many hours a week i spend with horses compared to with friends and family was a bit of a shock!
Splotchy, I'd argue that generally women are more emotionally attached to their horses than men are. big generalisation obviously though.
 
I was wondering if others found that many of the statements anthropomorphised horses in a way that made them difficult to answer.
 
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I was wondering if others found that many of the statements anthropomorphised horses in a way that made them difficult to answer.

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Yes, very much so. I commented on it in one of the comment boxes. I also felt the survey was trying to suggest or lead you towards fitting in to either catergory A or catergory B.... A being someone who needs their horse because they aren't capable of forming lasting or meaningful human relationships, and catergory B being the opposite.

I found it very difficult to answer many of them - I can't say how "contemplative and thoughtful" (or whatever it was) my horse is, on a scale of 1 to 10. I think I put not at all or that I disagreed, because he is a horse and not capable of that sort of thought. Maybe that's the point though...I wonder if the author is trying to find out whether people who have more meaningful relationships with their horses / find it difficult to have human relationships, exhibit traits such as tending to anthropomorphise (sp) their horses as a substitute for human relationships / company... Or am I reading too much in to it?!
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Yes, very much so. I commented on it in one of the comment boxes. I also felt the survey was trying to suggest or lead you towards fitting in to either catergory A or catergory B.... A being someone who needs their horse because they aren't capable of forming lasting or meaningful human relationships, and catergory B being the opposite.

I found it very difficult to answer many of them - I can't say how "contemplative and thoughtful" (or whatever it was) my horse is, on a scale of 1 to 10. I think I put not at all or that I disagreed, because he is a horse and not capable of that sort of thought. Maybe that's the point though...I wonder if the author is trying to find out whether people who have more meaningful relationships with their horses / find it difficult to have human relationships, exhibit traits such as tending to anthropomorphise (sp) their horses as a substitute for human relationships / company... Or am I reading too much in to it?!
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No, I think you may very well be right. I would have liked a "N/A" button for a lot of the answers!

And how on Earth would I feel uncomfortable confiding my deepest darkest secrects in my horse, since he doesn't speak English and has no idea what I'm on about? That doesn'tmean I don't babble at him ceaselessly, however.

I also pointed out that I have no way of assessing many of the statements, since I don't know enough about horse psychology to know how "being sensitive to the needs and feelings of others" translates for a horse.

When I scratch his itchy spots, he grooms me back. I don't know if he thinks I'm itchy too, if he thinks it's simply polite, if he's expressing affection, or if it's just a reflex. I still think it's cute!
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Also, there was no mention of a control group (including males), which concerned me somewhat.
 
Women do tend to have a different relationship with horses than men.

Men see horses as one of their mates, a friend they go do things with. Males don't worry how clean their friends are, they're the same with their horses. Horses are one of us.

Women have a different need fulfilled by their horses. The young girls mewing, "My horse luvs me". Psssst...No he doesn't! Horses too often are an emotional outlet. Who doesn't have women at their yard who when the other girls were discovering boys, they stuck with their horse ("But, my horse luvs' me"), away at university with their horse ("But my horse luvs' me") and when they come out, get a job, earn enough money to keep their beast in a decent yard suddenly look around and...no males are looking for them/at them or lusting after them--nor will they. Poor social skills and somehow, going home to pet their 12 cats after work and riding somehow doesn't seem as fulfilling as they get older.
 
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