Cross Breeds - boys, girls and horses........?

boys, girls and horses........?

My son is 9 years old and rides. He asked me why people say horses are for girls or why most girls love horses but most boys don't. I told him that the truth was, a lot of boys are secretly afraid of horses so they just put them down instead (I don't want him to be discouraged in his riding by kids telling him horses are for girls). So, then he asked the follow up question: "why are boys scared of horses, and then why aren't girls?" I didn't have a good answer for him. Can anyone come up with something that kind of explains why mostly girls like horses, but at the same time doesn't discourage my son from riding (even if it's not entirely true, like what I said about boys being scared)? He's in Pony Club and there are several other boys in our club, so he's not all alone, but he hears things at school and notices that it's mostly girls riding.

Public Comments

Because in the 80's and 90's there was a show called my little pony. This show had a target market of girls ages 6-11. Plus horses are compared to beauty and stuff like that. But to show him that not only girls ride tell him about jockeys and how their all men.
because the fact is that men always want to be in charge and with horse back riding your WITH the horse.
a lot of people cant afford horses and cant have land and time for horses. we horse people are lucky!!! tell him that he is very privileged. and yes a lot of people have a fear of horses because of their size and looks, while some people think that they are not scary. also tell him that every time some one says something to think of their fear! hope i helped!!! girls and boys equally love horses!!!
I think you could start by showing him Some Rodeo Stuff, like Cattle Roping and Bull Riding on maybe some youtube videos showing him how many boys are actually involved in the sport. Also show him the Olympics because there are many boys in that. I don't really know if you guys ride English, but if you do, try letting him ride Western because that is considered more "boyish" even though a lot of girls ride in it. Or, for fun, try finding a nearby ranch where the trainer is a man and just let him spend a little time up there and that could encourage him a lot more. Also, maybe let one of his best friends ride a few time if possible, then he and his friend would have something fun to share together and he won't care as much of what other people think :) I know theres a lot of ideas there.
I would just say something like "girls really like unicorns and horses remind those girls of unicorns." I think that's innocent enough; plus it's true, too! I mean, you take a big icicle and stick it on any horse's or pony's head and you've got one pretty little unicorn, haha. [so sorry if this doesn't help at all lmao]
Girls are more into animals, well boys are more into sports ect. Its just because girls are usually moren nurturing. But i know quite a few boys who ride, my brother who is 15 loves to ride. Just tell him to keep doing what he loves, because as long as he is happy and doing what he loves thats all that matters. And hey if hes into girls yet, theres alway the fact that many girls LOVE cowboys :p
I think girls like horses more than girls because they look like a unicorn and unicorns are from fairy tales so girls think horses are like unicorns.
Well, it's a slippery slope you are on !!!! I raised 3 daughters and now have a couple of grandsons, which has been an adjustment. They see it as pretty macho stuff to be able to ride horses, and haven't experienced any of what your nine year old has heard that I know of. But if they had, I might have said something much like what you came up with. You could just say you don't know why girls are not afraid, and that maybe it's because they see so many other girls doing it. Maybe suggest that some boys might be afraid since most of their friends don't ride horses, so that makes it seem more scary to them. Maybe discuss other situations where people are afraid of the unknown. I think if you just explore possible reasons why together, rather than pretending to know the reason why, it might invite some good conversation and he will find his own answers. One reason that I think that your original answer could be at least partially true is the fact that boys are often more fearful of having others witness them failing at any kind of athletic endeavor than girls are. Many girls can cry and be vulnerable in public and think nothing of it, but boys hold themselves and their peers to a different standard when it comes to public displays of anything less than manly. Add to that the fact that boys often participate and thrive in team sports where the focus is not just on a single boy during competition, and maybe the fear of being out there alone to fail on a horse could be a very real possibility. Boys can be very hard on each other when it comes to these kinds of things, so fear of humiliation may be a part of it too. Whatever you decide to do, good luck.
Alexander the Great conquered the known world from the back of his horse Bucephalis. Genghis Khan won and controlled the largest contiguous empire in history from the back of his horse. Attila brought Rome to it's knees as he thundered across Europe on his horse. And astride a horse, John Wayne kicked butt for a generation worth of westerns. History has been made from the back of a horse by men (and women). I'm sure your son would find more comfort in a male role model in the equine world, rather than an assumption as to why women seem to dominate the present industry.
say that boys are scared of horses because boys naturally see the more destructive sides of things, and all they think about when they think of horses are wild insane horses that kick people, but girls just see a cute fuzzy creature when they look at a horse
Interesting subject! When I was doing a lot of teaching I found that I needed to teach boys totally differently to girls. It is a fact that nature has made the natural instincts of the sexes very different. Boys will instantly play rough, they throw naturally compared to girls who are better communicators and have far more instinct to nurture. Boys want to just get on a horse and do it, no real interest in how but more just to gallop and jump straight away. LOL Girls can get bucked off and will be determined that the pony still loves them, boys will realise that they are not in charge and be less forgiving. What I found with the boys was to lay down a challenge, they are far more competitive than the girls. My nephew rode from 5-7 and then stopped. When he was stood holding his pony the vet asked him if he loved his pony to which he replied "Yes but I love the tractor more." He stopped riding and only showed interest again as a 13 year old. I knew that id I told him to sit up, heels down and so on he would stop so, on a very safe pony, I let him get on with it just correcting major issues. He and the pony charged around all over the place, it was hysterical to watch. Then he wanted to go fox hunting and I told him that unless he was riding with some semblance of control then he couldn't so, he really wanted to learn the finer points and is getting quite good. At 15 he is beginning to realise there are more girls that ride and that could be good fun! LOL When it comes to competing at top level there are more higher placed men riding than ever there are women, no matter what field of equestrian spot you are in. Tell your son that boys and girls are different to each other and that girls love to have something to look after where boys would rather be running around. Tell him that some boys will tell him that it is a sissy sport but that it takes a lot of strength and understanding to be able to ride a horse properly and that many of the top riders are men.
it seems silly specaily as most famous/top riders are males you would think more boys would be inspired but obv not