The girls interest seems to slightly predate sexual issues. And it does seem to fall into the whole gender-role shaping that cultures do. If you look at the school supplies for girls and boys, you see horses, rainbows and hearts on pastel folders, and race cars, dinosaurs and bold colors together on the boys stuff. Also, liking horses involves a level of empathy. Girls are encouraged to show empathy and interaction. Guys are told to be independent and like things: machines, cars, guns, sports stats.
[Female comedian whose name escapes me right now]"Women like horses because you get total control over a sweaty animal between your thighs, pulsating and throbbing, and you just don’t get that with a hamster. Well, you can, but their little legs give out about the second lap around the room.[/fcwnern]
And unicorns, don’t forget unicorns! Does anyone else have “Wildfire” running through their mind?* It started as an earworm as soon as I read the thread title. 
*I guess you might now!
Yes, I do now.
“She ran calling, 'wiiiildfiiiiire…”
My sister was little when that song came out and when my parents got her one of those rocking-horses-on-springs type of thing, she naturally named it that.
Those “ooh, it must feel so good” statements do and always have driven me crazy. The people that make them have obviously never ridden a horse. When you are learning, and lose your balance a lot, it doesn’t feel good. It hurts. It leaves bruises.
A saddle is not a soft surface like a pillow. It has fiberglass+ spring steel interior construction (called the saddle tree) covered by a thin layer of heavy duty leather right where your crotch goes (that part of the saddle is called the “twist.”). Try to imagine falling repeatedly, with the full weight of your toso, onto such a surface crotch-first. It’s about as sexually stimulating as hitting your vagina with a 2x4.
Its not “ooh, nummy.” It’s “OW!”
I’ve said my piece and counted to 10.
Elaine Boosler (sp) I think; I was gonna post that. ( shakes fist )
Regardless of the origin of the attraction, it is the go-to method for attracting the little-girl deographic: OMG PONIES!!!1!
I wanted a horse so badly my parents actually considered it seriously. In secret they brainstormed on how to stable a horse close enough to town to make it happen. ( They recently shared that with me–had I known it at the time, my nagging would have been even more obnoxious.) Fortunately for them, at age 15, I auditioned and got a place in a girl’s choir that was going to tour Europe the next summer, so I was praticing and saving and appreciating their driving me all over and I stopped with the constant 8 years of pleading for a horse.
I read horse care books and sketched them constantly and horses are so beautiful, almost unwordly beautiful and they have personalities and they NEED you.
The danger of sentences like this is that somewhere there is a person who would use the exact same words in a totally different spirit.
I was (and still am ) a horse crazy girl. For me, as a child, I thnk it was the power thing, the beauty thing, and the friend thing all rolled up into one “I want a pony” package. I cannot even remember at what age my quest for a horse began, but it was probably around age 4-5.
Riding is a way of being independant, but still having a friend by your side. Contolling something so large takes skill, and knowing you can gives confidence. I was a very shy child and horses gave me a chance to open up. I think every child who wants a horse should be given a chance to at least ride regularly. Its too bad they are so expensive.
A couple of points to make here. First, yes I had a horse when I was young and rode frequently. Second, and most importantly, IT’S A GOD DAMNED JOKE!. Perhaps you need to ride a Sybian instead of a horse for a bit. Third, if you’re getting lots of bruises, you might not be doing it right.
As jokes go, its unfunny and insulting, as well as mildly revolting when you’re speaking about an 8 year old.
“There is a type of girl who, while incapable of cleaning her bedroom even at knife point, will fight for the privilege of being allowed to spend the day shoveling manure in a stable.”
– Terry Pratchett, Soul Music
According to House, it’s called “marching the penguin”.
I conducted the following interview with my niece in hopes of shedding some light on this age-old question. The subject is a 6-year-old female with a strong equine fixation.
Me: So why do you like horses, Amy?
Amy: Because they’re so cute!
Me: What do you mean?
Amy: I don’t know! They’re cute!
Me: You’re going to have to be more specific.
Amy: What does “specific” mean?
Me: It means I want to know some reasons why you think horses are “cute”.
Amy: Oh. Um… I can’t think of any.
(At this point the interviewer retrieves a pen and paper and sketches an approximation of a horse in order to refresh the subject’s memory. The subject watches with apparent interest.)
Me: Okay, here’s a horse. Tell me why he’s “cute”.
Amy: I think it’s a girl-horse.
Me: Okay, tell me why she’s “cute”.
Amy: It looks funny!
Me: I know. I can’t draw horses very well from memory.
Amy: That’s okay.
(At this point, the interviewer retrieves a laptop computer and proceeds to show the subject various photographs of horses downloaded from the Internet. After scrutinizing approximately twenty different images, the subject settles on a horse which she claims to be the “cutest”. Subject also requests hard copies of several of the photographs for personal posession.)
Me: Tell me what’s “cute” about this horse.
Amy: Okay. Um… He has big brown eyes?
Me: What else?
Amy: Um… he has long shiny hair!
Me: It’s called a mane.
Amy. Whatever! Long shiny MANE! His skin is shiny too. You have to brush it to make it shiny. You have to brush horses a lot.
Me: What else?
Amy: (concentrating) Um… long shiny tail! This one’s not shiny but you can make it shiny if you brush it, I think.
Me: What else?
Amy: That’s all. Can I have a grilled cheese?
Conclusion: Physical appearance of horse seems to play key role in attraction. Appearance of eyeballs and “shininess” of coat are two main factors which the subject utilizes to evaluate quality of physical appearance (i.e. “cuteness”).
Calm down, sweetie. Jokes are jokes *because *they’re mildly disturbing and inappropriate, yet speak of a truth we do not generally speak of. See also: humor.
'Sides, 8 year olds do masturbate, you know. It’s not revolting, it’s nature.
Ditto.
I’d also like to echo the theory that some girls are attracted to it in part because it isn’t overly populated with boys. It’s something they can learn without feeling left out of a group (as might happen at say, one of those mini dirt-bike club things that seem to be going on in every second available field and paddock near me - for some reason - and consist of 99% young boys). As they learn they can feel proud of a skill they have honed without feeling like they have to beat all the boys just in order to be seen as any good at all.
Siggy!
I got into horses at about 7 or 8.
Part of it was because they were pretty. They have nice manes and tails. They have big, attractive eyes. They have soft, shiney fur. Aesthetically, I can see how they appeal to many girls.
But a huge part of it was the feeling of power. I don’t think there was anything sexual about it. It’s more that it’s a great feeling of accomplishment for a girl to canter and jump a horse. It’s just plain fun to go fast–but, with a horse, you get a bigger feeling of power than riding a bike or skating fast. For a girl who was just starting to notice that she could no longer compete with the boys athletically, it was a great feeling.
You’re also allowed to get really dirty! Mom always made me stay nice and clean while my brothers were allowed to be pigs (girls weren’t supposed to get dirty).
Finally, it was an athletic activity that was very open to girls. Most fellow riders were girls. This was back in the 70’s and we didn’t have as many girls soccer leagues, etc. There were a few, but they were always clearly second rate compared to the boys. It wasn’t that way with riding.
I dropped out of riding at around age 14 (started high school) and took it up again in my 30’s. It’s the same feeling of accomplishment. I’m no longer as spry and athletic as I was in my 20’s, but–on a horse–I can still run fast and jump high. It’s quite a rush.
And, yeah, I still think they’re pretty.
No, clearly not 