Are men better riders?

[Molasses]

theres a great study on male v female pelvis for riding by Deb Bennet
http://www.equinestudies.org/whos_b...i_scan_filename=whos_built_best_2008_pdf1.pdf

basically advantages and disadvantages to both

But isn't this is the only sport where men and women compete equally?
That's gotta be worth something. If you've ever groomed at a high level internationally you'll notice most grooms are women. So watch out when you say guys are better because behind every great guy, will be a woman telling him where his bridle is

 

[dafthoss]

Just a musing but I wonder if build/body type also plays a part? In any sport the majority of those at the top share certain physical characteristics. And if you look at all the top riders, male & female, most, although not all, are a similar type of shape, more straight up & down athletic builds, than really stocky men or women with marilyn munroe figures. That's not to say there aren't any that are different builds, but, I wonder if that does give you a natural advantage/ head start? And if so, then it follows men are more likely to be that build. But, even if I am vaguely right, I'm sure its not the only factor.

Would that not happen to most people if they rode the ammount of horses they do per day? and all the other stuff involved with running a yard of that standard and scale.



On another note its half term this week for most of the country

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

I would say yes, men are better riders. My OH got my mare going in an outline and standing square the first time he ever got on her (and on any horse for that matter!!!). I NEVER can get my horse square as evidence by my comments on my dressage sheet!!

 

[Kat]

More men at the highest level? Really? Did you watch the Olympics?

All three individual dressage medalists were women and of the nine who won team medals only two were men. Our silver medal winning eventing team containedjust one man, who contributed the drop score

 

[Goldenstar]

More men at the highest level? Really? Did you watch the Olympics?

All three individual dressage medalists were women and of the nine who won team medals only two were men. Our silver medal winning eventing team containedjust one man, who contributed the drop score

My thought too.
SJ is dominated by men and racing of course but outside of that it seems quite even to me .

 

[FionaM12]

Also a lot of the women on my yard seem to hang around gossiping all day rather than riding!

This post and the one about "mollycoddling" make me feel OP is just here to stir up trouble.

 

[Littlelegs]

I don't mean athletic build in terms of being slim & fit Dafthoss, which I agree any body type can be. I was thinking more along the lines if you take for example Venus & serena Williams when fully fit, they are a very different basic body shape to say Mary king, or Carl hester etc.

 

[exracer superstar]

I read something about this it mentioned all the points before not neccessarily saying men where better but it said women were more likely to give up for careers and family commitments even if they had made it to a top level where as men just carrie. On as normal

 

[cattysmith]

I'd say that essentially one of the main reasons why there are more ment at the top than women is simply because they don't spend 9 1/2 months being pregnant then however long afterwards raising a small baby, so if you're out of the game at the top you're probably out of the game for around 18 months to two years. Then if you have 3 babies you multiply that and that's around 6 years. If you're trying to qualify for various things that's a lot of stopping and starting.

Obviously not all women do this, but its my conclusion. It's not like working in an office! Especially being a jockey. More high risk and if you're a mum with several young children you're probably not going to want to ride in the Grand National!

 

[winkles]

On another note its half term this week for most of the country

 

[heebiejeebies]

Obviously we are better for one simple reason. We learn to develop a good position very early on or suffer severe pain.

Haha nearly wet myself!

 

[Keen]

You lot are bonkers.

Why are there more male academics at Cambridge than there are female? Same reason as there are more men in top equestrian sports. And for that matter, in board rooms.

Men have majority share of cash and other people’s labour. And time. They have a Oh, and they do not parturiate, so are not required to have either 1) time out or 2) compensatory resources if they follow their career. Most overwhelmingly, they like to appoint/sponsor people that are like themselves.

Men are not cleverer, more business-minded or better riders than women.

"I discovered what the Sun is made of. Too bad I didn't have a penis, then you'd know that":

http://static03.mediaite.com/thejanedough/uploads/gallery/cecilia-payne/3.jpg

"Since her death in 1979, the woman who discovered what the universe is made of has not so much as received a memorial plaque. Her newspaper obituaries do not mention her greatest discovery. […] Every high school student knows that Isaac Newton discovered gravity, that Charles Darwin discovered evolution, and that Albert Einstein discovered the relativity of time. But when it comes to the composition of our universe, the textbooks simply say that the most abundant atom in the universe is hydrogen. And no one ever wonders how we know."

~ Jeremy Knowles

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, a truly extraordinary woman.

https://www.facebook.com/IFeakingLoveScience
http://mslorelei.tumblr.com/post/37674096491/i-discovered-what-the-sun-is-made-of-too-bad-i

 

[Alec Swan]

Generally, what ever the sport, men seem to lead the field. They also seem to succeed in business, and most professional cooks are male.

It isn't a sexist belief, far from it, but it's the way that it is. Take driving, for instance (as in racing cars), there is no reason on earth why women shouldn't be as able as men, they just aren't, or at least they don't seem to be.

The best of those girls who are jump jockeys are good, there's no question, but they are few and far between, and even then, they rarely reach the heavens.

Proportionally, those men who chose to ride a horse, seem to be more successful.

Again, these aren't sexist remarks. Do women believe themselves to be inferior, because men tell them that they are?

Alec.

 

[Booboos]

theres a great study on male v female pelvis for riding by Deb Bennet
http://www.equinestudies.org/whos_b...i_scan_filename=whos_built_best_2008_pdf1.pdf

basically advantages and disadvantages to both

What a great article that is!

I have always struggled with rounded shoulders and my attempts to directly open them up have been futile. It's only since doing Pilates and working on a different area (my core) that my shoulders have opened up more.

Interestingly I also found it easier to sit in the saddle when I was pregnant and all sorts of pelvic ligaments had loosened up in preparation for birth.

 

[Booboos]

Generally, what ever the sport, men seem to lead the field. They also seem to succeed in business, and most professional cooks are male.

It isn't a sexist belief, far from it, but it's the way that it is. Take driving, for instance (as in racing cars), there is no reason on earth why women shouldn't be as able as men, they just aren't, or at least they don't seem to be.

The best of those girls who are jump jockeys are good, there's no question, but they are few and far between, and even then, they rarely reach the heavens.

Proportionally, those men who chose to ride a horse, seem to be more successful.

Again, these aren't sexist remarks. Do women believe themselves to be inferior, because men tell them that they are?

Alec.

One possible view on this is that if success is determined in male terms, then men are more likely to succeed. So, for example, if success was less about earning money and more about bringing up well-rounded individuals maybe more stay-at-home-mums would be cellebrated than financial executives.

 

[Orangehorse]

Men like to do well at something and if they find it difficult they would generally give up and move onto something else, whereas women are quite happy being hopeless for years just to spend time with the horse and like looking after it without a goal.

I also think that lots of men expect the horse to do as it is told, and generally it does so the horse doesn't get a lot of mixed messages.

I think that (mostly) men will only be riders if they are successful at it, or use it as a means for something else, like hunting.

 

[Alec Swan]

One possible view on this is that if success is determined in male terms, then men are more likely to succeed. So, for example, if success was less about earning money and more about bringing up well-rounded individuals maybe more stay-at-home-mums would be cellebrated than financial executives.

Said She with a Doctorate!! I do take your point though, even though we weren't discussing values. Success is measured in wealth or acclaim or host of other rather shallow attributes. So often the truly wonderful people are only ever known to a very few, and even amongst those, they aren't always seen for what they really are.

Alec.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

More men at the highest level? Really? Did you watch the Olympics?

All three individual dressage medalists were women and of the nine who won team medals only two were men. Our silver medal winning eventing team containedjust one man, who contributed the drop score

Thank god someone said it!

However I think you have to define what you mean by "better riders" because in my opinion there is a whole lot more to riding or a being great horseman/woman than competition results.

 

[ribbons]

I don't think men tend to take up horses unless they are absolutely commited. Where's as loads and loads of women like the playing ponies.
Riding schools tend to be 99.9% little girls and women. If a boy or a man starts riding he usually means to be damn good at it.

 

[PandorasJar]

Alec. I agree... However I'd be interested to see the number of women who pursue each career. I have a feeling a lot of it is in the number of girls who are passionate about a sport to put it ahead of the rest of their life. I know a couple of successful drivers in reality.... The common feature I saw from kids is that they always knew they would do it and be good at it. It was what drove them and they were very competative... But I expect the numbers interested in pursuing a career in driving are skewed from the outset.

There is also physical build as mentioned. I used to do the triple jump. Although streaks ahead of all the girls and half the guys, I was streaks behind the best guy and always would be.
We are built completely differently for our different 'roles' in life. Different natural fat levels etc.

This is the most interesting to me though... Want to see an amazing sportswoman, look up Tori Allen. Then look up her background. I think that shows how much a childhood following an interest can affect what youre good at and often boys have a very different active childhood than girls

 

[Foxhunter49]

Many tears ago I took a nappy horse to a friend who ran an equitation centre for hi to try in the school for students.

He rode the horse and when it stopped dead at the door he gave it three whacks and one thump with his spurs. The horse then took the attitude of 'you want me to go so I will run away with you!'
After charging around the arena a couple of times the man just sat deep, wrapped his legs around the horse and pushed it into a stop. That horse almost grunted with the strength the man had in his body and legs and I remember thinking that there are not many women with that sort of strength.

A lot does have to do with women who, once they have children always have the 'what if' at the back of their minds.
There are not many women top event riders who continue to stay there once they have had children, Mary King being the exception!

 

[Anglebracket]

More men at the highest level? Really? Did you watch the Olympics?

All three individual dressage medalists were women and of the nine who won team medals only two were men. Our silver medal winning eventing team containedjust one man, who contributed the drop score

This was the first thing that came to my mind.

Also, I think that there are far fewer pony mad boys than girls. Boys often get into the sport because their family is involved with horses. Therefore male riders are more likely to come from the kind of background that sets you up for success (e.g the Whitakers).

I did notice though that men seem to be more prominent and successful at showjumping. I wonder why that is? I don't think it is due to risk-taking because females are very successful in eventing (which is more dangerous).

 

[Renvers]

The men I know who ride are (mostly) that much more driven than women. Not better just more driven to succeed, but look how many successful women there are in those equine sports.

I think the physical attributes of higher natural muscle tone and limb length make it easier to achieve the most effective riding position and so make the whole business of riding easier/ rider feel more confidence. A lot of the best female riders I know have these same physical qualities...

 

[Goldenstar]

It also depends how you define better , competitive sucess is a narrow definition of better from the horses point of view.

 

[Marydoll]

It also depends how you define better , competitive sucess is a narrow definition of better from the horses point of view.

One of the best points made ^^^^

 

[ClobellsandBaubles]

Said She with a Doctorate!! I do take your point though, even though we weren't discussing values. Success is measured in wealth or acclaim or host of other rather shallow attributes. So often the truly wonderful people are only ever known to a very few, and even amongst those, they aren't always seen for what they really are.

Alec.

I have seen lots of enviously beautiful male riders I think men do tend to only stick at something they have the chance to excel at or have a natural affinity for and have more self belief I have also seen lots of cringingly bad male riders but they thought they were the dogs balls anyway

I do think it is important thinking about how each gender views success though as the way it seems at the moment it is much easier for men to succeed (in general not just horses). I also think that women value different things more highly than men (not always for the better) and their ideas of success can be quite different.

 

[Alec Swan]

.......

I do think it is important thinking about how each gender views success ........

..

Now that may very well be the only simplistic answer. Setting aside strength and size, the very idea that there may be gender-influenced aspirations, may explain the apparent anomalies.

NOT because I'm a bloke, but I think that a world where male and female compete, beyond the accepted bounds, would make our world a very strange place, and I also suspect that with a gender displayed and separate set of strengths and abilities, we achieve a balance. It see-saws I'll grant you, but it's the way that we've time it since that idiot Adam cast his eye, upon a proffered apple.

I really shouldn't take to the drink so early in the evening, because God I do talk some crap! I've even made myself laugh, which is an achievement!

Alec.

 

[TomH]

This post and the one about "mollycoddling" make me feel OP is just here to stir up trouble.

Stirring up trouble!? ME!?....never!

On a more serious note, there are some great comments and opinions from some people on why men are better riders!

 

[Tobiano]

i am speaking from almost total ignorance here but I do believe that there is a question of muscle tone - on the whole, your typical man will have a higher muscle tone than your typical woman, and I think this must affect your typical effectiveness in riding. So if you had 50 men get on a horse and 50 women (not all at once obviously) I think you would be likely to get more effective riders from the men population than the women one.

There is then a huge number of individual factors that will be at play deciding whether those people get to the top of riding as a profession.

Incidentally I do remember reading that (I think it was Ian Stark but apologies if I have this wrong) was so strong a rider that he could actually get a horse to injure itself in clearing an obstacle, without realising it. Of course when he did realise it he changed what he did so it no longer happened. So I think that again argues that one has to define 'success' extremely carefully.

 

[Nugget La Poneh]

Better? No. Different? Yes.

When I used to teach, men would be first to canter confidently and reasonably securely. As others have suggested, I think self preservation has a lot to do with the rapid picking up of rising trot Most had an irritating natural seat and balance

However, they could then plateau for the next 6 months, regardless of the horse, teacher and hours put in so the women that had learnt to ride at the same time meet the same skill level.

I would say men are more confident, but after teaching some of the local Army lads (a mounted regiment that can't ride ) I will never, ever forget big burly soldiers, fresh from Iraq, squeal 'make him/her stop' when the horses shifted legs while waiting in the middle of the school. Never once had that from a woman in a lesson