Cross Breeds - Why does it seem like there aren't as many guys who ride horses as there are girls?

Why does it seem like there aren't as many guys who ride horses as there are girls?

Why? Do guys see something "girly" about horses and riding when they don't already ride?! I've ridden and to me, there's nothing "sissy" about it all all. I've known a few guys who ride (Western) but not many. Does anyone really know why horses don't seem as popular with boys? I'm just wondering.

Public Comments

Girls, when they grow up with horses, they get this love that is so beautiful. But with men, it is just like a dog. You will teach them, but give up when your friends are like, That looks soooo boring.
The age of the cowboy is passing, there aren't many left. Those of us that do ride horses, sometimes just can't afford to have one, or we don't have a place for the horses. Women like working with horses because "They're so cute!" and stuff like that, starting as a childhood dream of having one. Men prefer usable stuff, and in the old days we all read about in the western books, and movies horses were used for everything, they have been replaced by vehicles and machines, so they have lost what most men need most, the usability.
Some of it is because more Men are working to feed the horse his Princess is riding.
guys have wired it into their tiny little brains that horseback ridings easy, therefore, it is a sissy sport. they dont even call it a sport. theres nothing easy about riding a horse. u dont sit there. the horse isnt a car. its a living creature that can easily kill you if it wanted to.
Boys and girls like different ponies as children; boys like simple ponies who'll go as fast as they ask them to. A girl is happy with a pony she has to put some work into. Parents have to do different things with boys to keep them interested - they don't want to have to put work into their ponies, and they will soon lose interest if they do. And of course, every little girl on the planet loves ponies for being ponies - boys love ponies if they'll race! I think boys lose interest as they get older because it gets too complicated. But look at the higher levels of showjumping and eventing - there are lots of males there, and almost every professional jockey is male. There are more females than males riding as a hobby - but statistically, the males are more competitive and given a fast, easy horse, will keep riding. (They just need a very supportive mother to clean the tack and muck out for them!) Edit: Lewis, you may be willing to school problems out of your pony; for that I commend you, but you are in the minority! I speak as a mother of boys and girls, and a BHSAI who has taught at many a Pony Club, when I say that in general, boys are not interested in complicated ponies. They want to sit and kick - they don't want to get into complex discussions or start reschooling bad habits. Girls don't tend to mind that (so much), but it can be enough to put a good boy rider off, which is why parents in the know employ different techniques in encouraging their sons. You are absolutely right in saying that there are more men than women at the top - but in Pony Club, boys are most definitely put off by challenging rides.
because your not in the right place. lol. try living/going to the south. Theres SO many cowboys that ride in my area! My boyfriend ropes and does reining. I love it! Its oh so sexy =D
I dunno about where you are, but in Ireland there are LOADS of guys who ride (English style) competitively, there are girls too though. However, when it comes to lessons and camps I notice there are more girls involved, in my entire 8 years of riding lessons I have only met one boy. =S
I've always thought that this is weird, too. You go to a show, I guess any show, and the VAST majority of the riders are young women or girls. Then you look at trainers, or the pro classes at the show, and the vast majority are men. Just where did these men come from? Did they suddenly decide "I've never ridden in my life, but I think I will be a horse trainer," or maybe most of the boys that DO ride stick with it, and become trainers? Its a mystery to me.
If you're talking about English styles of riding, and there I would have to agree with you there are less guys, particuarly in the lower levels (then they seem to come out of the woodwork higher up... strange.). This obviously isn't the whole reason for the problem, but I believe one BIG deterrant is the clothing style. Helmets, tight breeches, and knee-high boots aren't as manly as a cowboy hat and jeans, in the modern guys' eye. I have a boyfriend who recently started hunter lessons because I ride hunters, and you bet when he bought his breeches (at our trainer and my's insistance), he got all kinds of criticism from his brothers, skepticism from his parents, and even some laughs from our trainer, who told him to buy breeches and half chaps in the first place. I was horrified, and I can see why a lot of guys would quit at that point. Somehow, though, this is less manly than the PBR riders with shiny, bright colored, and even sparkly chaps? Go figure.
It might depend on where you ride. All the guys I know, generally, like to ride up on the trails in the mountains. I find that more girls like to ride on easier trails, in shows, and arenas where you would see them more. Though this is not true for every girl. I would rather ride in the mountains.
There aren't as many guys who ride as there are girls, but if you look at the top tables of riders e.g BSJA rankings, there are only a few females compared to 15+ males. This is the theory of my riding instructor: When they reach the ages of 8 or 9, a lot of children of both sexes will take up riding. Admittedly, there will be less guys, but when the girls reach around 15 or 16, many of them will stop riding to focus on other commitments like boys, schoolwork or family life. However, men have a more competitive edge and tend to stick to it all the way to the top. Also, I agree with you about the 'cissy' attitude. Guys think that horses are just for spoilt little girls who live on manors, but they're totally wrong. The only guys who take up horses tend to come from a horsey family, whereas girls are more exposed to horses (e.g My Little Pony and other horsey media). More boys should take up riding!
im a guy and some of u girls dnt no wat u r talking about- there a lot more male riders who are at the top of their game- hav a look at all good riders in the world yh the majority of them r men that must be saying something i hav heard of alot more males who work on horse behaviour than women -that also has to be saying something oh yh guys dnt just want to hav a simple pony that is easy to ride thats more like wat a girl wud do coz they lose there temper quicker. i doubt most of u hav even asked a guy about whether they want an easy horse and every thing else you girls are saying but u r just assuming but im afraid to say your assumtions are wrong. get it right
Um, I'm not sure. Maybe it is because girls are just more into it, and boys are too afraid that they will get picked on if they do it. :-)
For some reason, riding isn't consider "masculine" in this country. I find it odd, really, because as you said, it's a tough sport. Of course, I found a lot more guys who rode when I went down to Florida. They were polo players. Polo has a huge following in Latin American countries. So does show jumping, but I think polo's bigger. And in my area especially, all the horse areas (dressage, hunter/jumper, polo, western) overlap, so there's a lot of interaction among competitors of different sports. At the top levels of the sport you see a more even mix of men and women. When we did the Grand Prixs, the classes were always split close to 50/50. I usually see more men in show jumping than hunters, but the hunter ring attracts its share of men, too. Women just dominate, especially in the amateur ring. Most of the men I know who ride, do it professionally, not as amateurs. And if you go outside the country, you'll find a more diverse group. I've ridden in the UK and it seemed to me there were men riding in England and Ireland than in the States. It might be in part due to their culture. Riding is a more accepted sport, and a tradition that some families maintain. As a cute story, when my farrier was younger, he used to ride roping horses and the bulls. Then he realized that the barrel racing drew mostly female competitors. He bought himself a barrel horse. The other bull riders joshed him about switching to a more "feminine" sport, but he just laughed because he got to hang out with 200 women after his event. And he even married one of them. So all you enterprising young men out there, if you're looking for a good way to meet women, take up riding.
go to a couple of rodeos there well always be guys there always will be.. not to many in english more in western
I think its because boys and men don't care to go to shows. I for one love trail riding, but could care less about going to a show or event. I have always felt that way, or maybe its because I was too lazy to clean my horse up and myself up for a show.