Men and riding....

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Glooc

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In my experience in the uk it seems like waaaaay more women and girls ride than men and boys... especially at the 'leisure riding' end of things. Just wondering why this is?!! Why do you think?
 
'Cos English saddles are made for women... say the men I know who ride! It hurts too easily - if the horse misses a step or something goes wrong. My son and husband are keen riders who both prefer a padded bareback pad to a saddle. Both will jump and gallop happily...until you ask them to do so in a treed saddle. The saddle my husband does have is very padded.

I have also seen that boys and men can get very attached to one horse and nothing else will do. I have seen many boys give up riding when their first pony is sold, my son is unbelievably attached to his old lead-rein pony, and my husband is devoted to his old pony. It has taken him ten years to find another he can love, and that horse chose him!

But those are only my experiences!!
 
The full ivery yard run adjacent to mine is run by a man and he has just as many male riders as female. The previous incumbents were women and they had more of a female clientele. The very first YO were a husband and wife hunting team and they had mostly males.
 
My experience is that men enjoy the riding, but not the care side. This means they are either competitive, or don't bother, unless there is someone to do the lions share of the work for them. This has been my personal experience, my ex was horsey, and I have come across a few others who their partner does most of the routine stuff.
 
I think it's always been that way. If you think about kids toys, my little ponies and similar are marketed to girls. Ime most boys who ride tend to be from horsey backgrounds. If you go by discipline I find hunting has the most men.
 
Plenty of men in polo, polocrosse, hunting and (I gather) western type riding.

I don't think it's always been this way (with few men in dressage and jumping mainstream disciplines at grassroots levels). I think I read something on facebook about it, with historic photos and documents to back it up. I'd think that the military equestrian tradition probably influenced the numbers of men involved going back up to a century or so, and coming forward, I guess the proliferation of other methods of transport, speed and fun for rural youths taking away some of the folk who would otherwise have been involved with horses by default. It's a self-perpetuating problem - if boys start to see they're the only lad in their class / pony club / yard, they're less likely to stick at it (or more likely to be put off), so there's no boys to draw in others going forward.
 
JFTD said:
Plenty of men in polo, polocrosse, hunting and (I gather) western type riding.

I don't think it's always been this way (with few men in dressage and jumping mainstream disciplines at grassroots levels). I think I read something on facebook about it, with historic photos and documents to back it up. I'd think that the military equestrian tradition probably influenced the numbers of men involved going back up to a century or so, and coming forward, I guess the proliferation of other methods of transport, speed and fun for rural youths taking away some of the folk who would otherwise have been involved with horses by default. It's a self-perpetuating problem - if boys start to see they're the only lad in their class / pony club / yard, they're less likely to stick at it (or more likely to be put off), so there's no boys to draw in others going forward.
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Good point about the military, I had completely forgotten about that.
 
maya2008 said:
I have also seen that boys and men can get very attached to one horse and nothing else will do. I have seen many boys give up riding when their first pony is sold, my son is unbelievably attached to his old lead-rein pony, and my husband is devoted to his old pony. It has taken him ten years to find another he can love, and that horse chose him!

But those are only my experiences!!
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Ive found that too. OH still harps on about my CB, who he used to have a potter about on occasionally. Nothing else comes close! Admittedly she was a genuine, easy ride but we've had 5 horses since she was pts and he just can't see past her.
 
They do seem to drop out at a higher rate when they get to their teens. My OH says he wishes he knew about riding when he was younger as it would have been a great way to meet girls back then hah.

But then they seem to do better proportionately at the competitive side of things and the % switches! So they either seem to drop it, or become world class at it!
 
I’ve noticed that at low levels there are more women/girls and then as the level get higher there is a change. Our yard is run by a man, our trainer is a man, the person who works with our youngsters is a man and we have more and more male boarders too.
 
I think it was because in the distant past there were plenty of socially acceptable ways for little boys to be intensely active, take risk, get dirty, and boss something around. And only one for little girls - riding. So they flocked to it, mostly giving up once they found boys. I think it might even up a bit now girls play all the rough games too.

Take a look at the first and third fingers of most serious female horse riders' hands. The third finger is longer than the first, which is male pattern fingers, caused by more testosterone than usual in the foetus before three months, and indicates greater likelihood of what used to be called a tomboy.
 
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Oh wow, just looked at my fingers. I am a tomboy!

As for the boys, yes most like to get on and do, whereas the girls often like the grooming and caring more. Lots of men in polo, driving, western, to some extent hunting. I think the average boy likes to do well in competitions, so will give up if they are not succeeding, whereas women will just carry on for years and years just liking their horse and not caring about competitions.

I think you will find that for many successful male riders, there is a mother in the background who had the pony tacked up and ready when their son got home from school, and then put it away afterwards. There is the social thing too, with less boys riding, so football/rugby, etc. becomes more interesting. A bit different in Ireland/Spain/other countries where riding is seen as a male thing to do.

If you think about it, until 100 years ago it was only the odd female who rode much at all, and that was usually a social thing and going out hunting. I don't mean the ability to ride when horses were a means of transport when many probably could ride.
 
As a boy riding ponies I was normally always the only boy at the RS or livery yard with the occasional adult male and coming back into riding in my 30's I felt again a distinct lack of males around livery yards but thinking about it I do know a fair few male riders now (but I live in an equestrian heavy area) and they tend to be the competitive type and they all tend to be on there own yards and not on livery either with horses at home or they are running their own business producing, teaching ect.

I would like more men about as my second husband must be horsey .. and rich .. dont forget that bit, horsey and rich :)
 
ycbm said:
Take a look at the first and third fingers of most serious female horse riders' hands. The third finger is longer than the first, which is male pattern fingers, caused by more testosterone than usual in the foetus before three months, and indicates greater likelihood of what used to be called a tomboy.
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so, how many of us reading this have just looked at our fingers!!!
And yes, I am also a 'tomboy' apparently.

My hubby isn't horsey, but will occasionally ride. He hates English saddles, but when I took him riding in USA he said that the saddle was much more comfy. Actually he may have shouted that from the back of the ride. In the lovely silence of Colorado. The lead cowboy shoulders were shaking with laughter!
 
ycbm said:
I think it was because in the distant past there were plenty of socially acceptable ways for little boys to be intensely active, take risk, get dirty, and boss something around. And only one for little girls - riding. So they flocked to it, mostly giving up once they found boys. I think it might even up a bit now girls play all the rough games too.

Take a look at the first and third fingers of most serious female horse riders' hands. The third finger is longer than the first, which is male pattern fingers, caused by more testosterone than usual in the foetus before three months, and indicates greater likelihood of what used to be called a tomboy.
Click to expand...

I am a tomboy too! My third finger is actually freakishly longer than the first- I never really noticed that before haha.

I always think there’s a lot of Male riders competing at high levels across the disciplines, much more than the male to female ratio you see at the everyday livery yard. Makes me wonder if male riders are generally more into the competition side of thing than the day to day care (obviously this is a rather sweeping statement) .
 
Depends where you are. In Spain, for instance, riding is seen as a very masculine sport and there are far more male riders than female. The feminisation of horse riding is a recent (as in the last 100 years) phenomenon even in the UK.
 
ycbm said:
I think it was because in the distant past there were plenty of socially acceptable ways for little boys to be intensely active, take risk, get dirty, and boss something around. And only one for little girls - riding. So they flocked to it, mostly giving up once they found boys. I think it might even up a bit now girls play all the rough games too.








Take a look at the first and third fingers of most serious female horse riders' hands. The third finger is longer than the first, which is male pattern fingers, caused by more testosterone than usual in the foetus before three months, and indicates greater likelihood of what used to be called a tomboy.
Click to expand...

wow..... i just looked at my fingers too and i am definitely a tomboy, how strange i never knew that !
 
ycbm said:
I think it was because in the distant past there were plenty of socially acceptable ways for little boys to be intensely active, take risk, get dirty, and boss something around. And only one for little girls - riding. So they flocked to it, mostly giving up once they found boys. I think it might even up a bit now girls play all the rough games too.

Take a look at the first and third fingers of most serious female horse riders' hands. The third finger is longer than the first, which is male pattern fingers, caused by more testosterone than usual in the foetus before three months, and indicates greater likelihood of what used to be called a tomboy.
Click to expand...

ycbm, do you know what would cause the increased testosterone levels though?
 
Really interesting about what you said about males getting attached.

My son has dug his heels in about moving on from his first pony. Thankfully he’s super skinny and pony is built like a tank, so not too heavy but he is too tall now and can look silly at times... which is such a shame as they adore each other and just keep getting better and better together. We’re both still in denial a bit!

He’s almost 15. In his PC of around 40 kids there are three other boys, two brothers of 9 and 11 who’ve been involved since they were v small, and an older guy of 21 who’s been involved since he was a teen. All of the boys have horsey mums.

When we go out competing (only local level UA) he’s almost always the only male.
 
Another tomboy here!
I also think the care thing is a factor. Of all the men I know who ride, only two actually look after their horses. All the others have their wives or daughters looking after the horses. They just drive the lorry and ride.
 
Another tomboy here! I'm going to a riding school this evening, I'll be peering at everyone's fingers;)
 
Chinchilla said:
ycbm, do you know what would cause the increased testosterone levels though?
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Some suggestions of stress in the mother, and latest research suggests it's testosterone/oestrogen balance that's key, not pure testosterone levels, but it's not totally clear.

My poor mother wanted a little girl to dress in pink bows and got one who wanted to roll in the dirt in her brothers' outgrown jeans :D
 
ycbm said:
I think it was because in the distant past there were plenty of socially acceptable ways for little boys to be intensely active, take risk, get dirty, and boss something around. And only one for little girls - riding. So they flocked to it, mostly giving up once they found boys. I think it might even up a bit now girls play all the rough games too.

Take a look at the first and third fingers of most serious female horse riders' hands. The third finger is longer than the first, which is male pattern fingers, caused by more testosterone than usual in the foetus before three months, and indicates greater likelihood of what used to be called a tomboy.
Click to expand...

As much as I like this explanation I’m clearly the anomaly. My first and third fingers are the same length. I horse ride and I’m in the military, I’ve done far more cold, wet and muddy there than ever with horses... and I have to tell men what to do. Not girly at all!
 
All the men I know that ride don't keep their horses on large yards and avoid the "social" element.

I have been on a riding holiday for 4 days with one of my horses and the only time that I was in the stables was when I was sorting my horse out. The other people there seemed to just hover about faffing.
 
case895 said:
I have been on a riding holiday for 4 days with one of my horses and the only time that I was in the stables was when I was sorting my horse out. The other people there seemed to just hover about faffing.
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That's not a man-woman dichotomy - it's a faffer - non-faffer dichotomy. I can't stand fannying about.
 
Nothing to add to the thread.... other than the 3rd finger on one hand is a different length to the other! So one of my hands is a tomboy and t'other isn't!!
 
Guys . its the relationship betwean the SECOND and FOURTH finger . Fourth finger (ring finger )longer than second equals more testosterone.
 
Bob notacob said:
Guys . its the relationship betwean the SECOND and FOURTH finger . Fourth finger (ring finger )longer than second equals more testosterone.
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Think she meant 1st and 3rd finger if you exclude the thumb as not a finger :p

Mine are the same length, or the index finger might be a shade longer. I'm definitely not particularly girlie.

The males not riding thing I think is fairly cultural in this country.
 
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