[QUOTE=delphica]
I have a half-baked theory that girls like horses in part because boys don’t like horses, so the girls are attracted to area where they are in the majority. It also helps that horses are both cute and interactive. It’s a great activity for girls – the girl is in a position of both power and partnership.
In my theory, boys don’t like horses becaues they take one look at a person sitting astride a horse and think “Oww! No thanks!”
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The thing is, for most guys in the, say, 10-15 age group, Horses are in the League Of Extraordinary Gayness- along with Musicals and Ballet- and most would no sooner admit to knowing anything about horses or even enjoying horseriding any more than they would admit to having snuck a peak at another guy’s dick in the men’s room. (“Didn’t you hear the announcer? He said it totally wasn’t gay!”)
Of course, the fact that Men- in the sense of Real Men™, as well as normal people in general (male and female)- have been riding horses since the Sumerians were impressing the locals with their ability to build cities and write things down matters not a whit to your average Teenage Boy, for it is common knowledge that Horses are “Liberace Gay”, and even if you live on a farm you really should have a motorbike or something.
Try telling a 13 year old guy that John Wayne, George Washington, or Lawrence of Arabia rode horses, and see how far you get (“OMG George Washington and John Wayne were t3h gay?!?!!”, most likely…)
I like horses, and I don’t see anything girly about them, but I noticed the “OMG! PONIES!” thing when I was finishing primary school- yeah, I can see why horses appeal to young girls, but they looked like far too much work for me, especially when I had a computer (no internet, though) to keep me occupied, or friends to go and explore the neighbourhood with.
But the thing is horses are lovable creatures, sentient, with personality- and there are consiberably worse (and more expensive!) hobbies or interests to have, when you think about it…