Why do girls get 'horse crazy' so much more than boys?

My guess would be that women have a stronger liking of animals in general.

Another Google comparison that backs it up: results for “cat lady”: 575,000. Results for “cat gentleman”: 12,700.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=cat+man&aq=f&aqi=g5&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=27019fca06ddd532

A good theory, although “cat man” contains some 81 million plus results. Some rather disturbing. haha

I think it started when horses stopped being a work animal for boys to take care of and became an object of beauty. However, there are many instances where boys are also enamored with horses, as long as they are the big, tough kind.

I think boys have so many other sporting outlets, football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, the list is endless. For the most part girls do not have as many opportunities, are not encouraged as much as boys are to participate in the team sports, the girls events do not receive nearly the attention the boys do, and so on. Horses on the other hand offer a unique opportunity to excell at showing if you crave competition or just having fun if that is what you like. Plus riding a horse is simply a lot of fun!

Men like power.
Women like elegance.

Horses are elegant, trains are powerful. Boring stuff is elegant, explosions are powerful.

I’m almost 51 and still horse crazy! lol

I have chosen to not have a horse this last few years because of the work involved, but I still get to enjoy them all around me every day. ;-)

Horses are magnificent animals!

Horses are neat animals and all, but I agree that people get a bit too worked up about them.

We sit on them and they take us places, pretend they like us and call them “companions”, and make them into Jello, not in that order, or maybe! :P (this is the role we have given them)... Apparently girls like this role, along with their “sweet eyes and majestic manes”, whatever that means.

You guys are part of the animal kingdom too, stop picking favorites. I can’t think of one animal that doesn’t amaze me both in it’s complexity and beauty.

Except the warthog. Ugh.

Hmm I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it. I like horses and I like horseback riding, but I don’t think I’ve ever been “horse crazy”. But I guess most of the people I know who are into it are girls.

@Arp

Well..I think that kinda goes without saying!
Most horse lovers are also animal lovers in general, but, we all have preferences.
I love my geese and cats equally, but kinda hard to ride a goose. lol

As a male, I can find few animals as lovable as the horse. But even so, I have noticed that females are far more inclined to have horse related apparel and the like, so the difference is quite clear to see.

For the reason why however, I think it is simply that having a ridable vehicle you can bond with is far less appealing for a man, whom of which usually prefers operability over extra companionship.

Maybe because boys and men have historically had more outlets and ways to express their “horse craziness.” Cowboying, ranching, racing, breeding, rodeos, etc. Boys like horses? Pretty normal. Girls like horses? Horse craziness. Since the “horse related professions” and horse activities have normally been dominated by men, have not been as open to women, their love of horses might be seen as something different. I think there are some “communities” where horse riding and all things “horsey” are very male dominated enterprises. Just a thought.

A study i one read suggested that its genetic. that at around 12 years old girls get a hormonal thing going on that makes them atracted to horses because they are large and powerful. now sure how much truth there is in it though.

Where I come from, in rural England, it was far commoner for teenage (and younger) girls than for boys. But past school-leaving age the girls mostly lose interest and those few boys who had an interest tended to retain it (but mostly only if they were involved in competitive equestrianism).

Lol, I went to transportation before “a horse is an animal” xD

Guys like: polar bears and grizzly bears and other bears.
And lions and tigers and pterodactyls. And tyrannosaurus rex, which I’ve just discovered cannot be pluralized. (That’s how powerful it is)

No, i adore the equestrian creature.

Well, I waited for someone to bring up the penis, and it didn’t happen. I honestly think it has something to do with the size of a horse’s penis. I could be wrong, but I heard something about it long ago and it made perfect sense to me. Catherine the Great, and all that…

Right now enjoying my neighbors big quarter horse and Thoroughbred Mules galloping around the hill right off my deck. The thundering herd is an awesome sight!

‘Dove’ is a buckskin and ‘Hilary’ is a huge bay.

And..I am going to see ‘Secretariat’ this afternoon! :-)

@Trillian

Too many other parts of the horse to enjoy, guess Catherine had her fixations on one in particular. lol

‘Secretariat’ was great! Well done little movie!

I was 13 when I watched the Belmont from a window display of TV’s in a dept. store in Albuquerque New Mexico and watched Secretariats 31 length win….mind blowingly awesome!

Well.. I lived on a ranch with 60+ horses for about 11 years of my life.
While yes, there were quite few girls who would come out for lessons and to look at the horses.. we did a lot of rodeo training with guys.

Rodeo has a huge male following. As does racing.
Little girls might like horses more than little boys do, but once you include the older ages.. I’d say it’s about equal.

@rangerr – I definitely know guys like riding, rodeo, etc. Would you say, though, that those boys were nuts for the horses, or for the rodeo? For example, horse crazy girls put up posters all over their walls and talk nonstop about them. I just have never met any guys with the same level of enthusiasm directed at the animal itself.

@MissAnthrope I’m not sure they are into the girly horse running through bright meadow posters.. but they have their fair share of horse memorabilia is that the right word I’m looking for? I think it is.

A good majority of the horses at the ranch are actually owned/trained and mostly taken care of by men. The rest are mostly college girls or older women.

It might just be my experiences I did grow up in a mostly horse town, but I think it’s pretty equal.

because they are gentle loving creatures. As are girls. Where as boys are more like lions. big-headed and forever wanting to be king of the jungle