why do you own horses?

[the funny farm6]

Ahhhh...the joy of spreading the "virus" to others.

She seems to enjoy it!

 

[ORChick]

I am going to be very careful with this post but I thibk S e x is involved.

I think you are correct, but the better term might be G E N D E R. Apologies to all the guys out there who are attached to your horses, but, to a great degree, this seems to be a *Girl Thing*. I was absolutely besotted with horses from a very early age. We didn't have the land to keep one, but my parents enrolled me in the local Pony Club, and I learned to ride (English), and how to care for horses. As a young teen the family moved to Ireland for several years - Horse Heaven!!! We leased a house in the country, with room for a pony. I went to boarding school (quite normal in Ireland and Great Britain), and so having a horse of my own wasn't feasible, but we were able to lease a pony for the holidays - she was "mine" when I was home, and no one else in the family needed to care for her when I was away. Oh, it was horrible leaving her behind when we came back to California. I continued to ride when I could, and then life kind of got in the way, and I have not been on a horse in probably 40 years. My muscles ache just thinking about trying it again. My neighbour has horses; I enjoy seeing them in the field by our gate. And I enjoy caring for them when the neighbours go away for awhile. But I doubt I'll be doing any more riding.

 

[hqueen13]

Ehh, it is 'mostly' a girl thing, but I know plenty of guys that just 'get it' too.

baymule, so much fun for your granddaughter!

Our equestrian center gives riding lessons, and also offers a small therapeutic option. We had an autistic boy recently that spoke his first words while riding. There is something special about horses, and you either feel it or you don't. Many of us that really have the bug bad don't even need to ride. Its just being with them and caring for them.

 

[Joel_BC]

I am going to be very careful with this post but I thibk S e x is involved.

I think you are correct, but the better term might be G E N D E R. Apologies to all the guys out there who are attached to your horses, but, to a great degree, this seems to be a *Girl Thing*.

I'm no expert on this. We've boarded some horses here on our place (both riding and draft horses), and I've ridden trail horses a bit - but never owned a horse myself. But I wanted to offer my observations.

A hundred years ago and earlier, very many boys/men rode horses, drove horse-drawn vehicles, and hence appreciated horses. Probably a lot of them rode and drove horses too fast, back in the day. In the last 90 years, the guys overwhelmingly transferred their enjoyment (sometimes nasty habit) of going fast - they transferred it to cars, motorcycles, quads, snowmobiles, speedboats, downhill mountain bikes, etc. Probably many of the guys would decide that keeping a horse is too much trouble.

Girls and women seem to have an especially soft spot in their hearts for the furry and feathered. True, except for certain breeds and their winter coats, horses are not all that furry - but their other virtues, which have been mentioned above by the women who've responded, make up for that part. They are beautiful animals, I agree.

 

[pinkfox]

lol, its certinaly not a girl thing here...guys are serious riders, trail, cattle/ranch, work ect...its seem to be a "girls ride for fun boys ride for work" type feel around here with women tending to stick to the "fancier" disaplins (dressage, jumping ect...) and guys doing the "down and dirty" stuff (ie roping and using the horses on the farm ect) the rodeos however seem to bepopular with both young men and women...

for me a horse isnt about ownership its about partnership...
i duno, theres just something connective about being on horseback...you can ride a horse through the woods and see more wildlife than you would on foot, its peacefull, and if you have the right horse i do belive theres something more than an owner/pet bond that forms, something a little more spiritual...

i dont own a horse yet...one day but ive got a distance to go yet before im ready...
the physical whys would be obvious, i want an animal i can ride for pleasure, but i also want a usefull animal (i plan on going with a smal draft like a fjord or dales or mabe a halflinger ect) with the hope the horse could also pull a small cart and mabe work a small plow, help pull things out of the woods ect...a general al around farm horse who can do any task asked...

but the other aspect of why would i like to own a horse is more a spiritual thing, i think they are amazing animals and my soul just feels rested when im saddled up and moseying along a woodland trail.

 

[the funny farm6]

Elwood...

You might read chicken soup for the horse loves soul. There are stories there that might explain these feelings better.

You might also look at my journal, I put the story there of how we got my daughter the pony she has today. She and that pony have a connetion that is deep and lifelong. They have certanly touched each other on a soul level.

 

[hqueen13]

My horse and I are developing a pretty deep connection on the soul level, too. And I am honored that he's touched many other people on that level as well. There is something quite special about him that I haven't completely sorted out yet, but he has a profound affect on people. So cool that your daughter found something similar, FF6! It is a humbling honor to have a horse connect on that kind of level.

Its great to have puppy love, and dogs just want to be around people, but to have a 1000+(++) lb prey animal choose to be with you is amazing.

 

[~gd]

lol, its certinaly not a girl thing here...guys are serious riders, trail, cattle/ranch, work ect...its seem to be a "girls ride for fun boys ride for work" type feel around here with women tending to stick to the "fancier" disaplins (dressage, jumping ect...) and guys doing the "down and dirty" stuff (ie roping and using the horses on the farm ect) the rodeos however seem to bepopular with both young men and women...not to put to fine a point on it, but look at an English and a Western sattle, note the differences? ~gd

for me a horse isnt about ownership its about partnership...
i duno, theres just something connective about being on horseback...you can ride a horse through the woods and see more wildlife than you would on foot, its peacefull, and if you have the right horse i do belive theres something more than an owner/pet bond that forms, something a little more spiritual...

i dont own a horse yet...one day but ive got a distance to go yet before im ready...
the physical whys would be obvious, i want an animal i can ride for pleasure, but i also want a usefull animal (i plan on going with a smal draft like a fjord or dales or mabe a halflinger ect) with the hope the horse could also pull a small cart and mabe work a small plow, help pull things out of the woods ect...a general al around farm horse who can do any task asked...

but the other aspect of why would i like to own a horse is more a spiritual thing, i think they are amazing animals and my soul just feels rested when im saddled up and moseying along a woodland trail.

 

[Denim Deb]

I ride in a western saddle, not an English. And, there are plenty of men who ride in an English saddle.

 

[pinkfox]

i prefer the australian saddle which is kinda a cross between the 2 and probably the type of saddle i personaly would get (i like having the horn and the more molded seat) but otherwise i prefer a western saddle between the eng vs western (and im english lol, how "naughty" am i? lol)

but i know many a man who prefers an englsh saddle and many a woman who likes western and plenty that are the opposite too...
i think it has less to do with sex and more todo with style (and how you were taught)
im sure theres certinaly a difference in comfort level when youve got a little something tender between the legs to think about and that might dictate prefered style.