English Riding Lessons - for boys too??

[oliverkody]

Dear equestrian community,

Why is there a perception in our equestrian community that "English Riding" is mainly a girls sport? How do we overcome this bias to get more boys /men to grow into this sport? This bias is less prevalent in the Western disciplines where participation appears more evenly balanced.

What can we do as a community to change this?

• Do any of our forum members have any insight into this bias?
• Are girls more suited for English Riding?
• If you are a parent, what has been your family's experience?
• Is there a way we can advocate for change to support more integrated co-ed riding programs?

Please share your perspective and feel free to share a link to a program in your area that also has English Riding programs for boys/men.

 

[carthorse]

I assume you're US based? I'm in the UK and riding isn't seen as a girls sport, and most riding is what you call English riding. I do find it interesting that for purely leisure riding the majority of riders are women but the higher up the competitive levels you get the more men you see - maybe men and boys are more competitive and so tend to be less interested in riding as a purely leisure pastime?

The question I'm inclined to ask is why do you feel this needs changing?

 

[Jessey]

^^^ what she said

 

[Frances144]

Ditto,

and why not introduce yourself first,

 

[Huggy]

I have a son and a daughter - my daughter rode a few times and could take or leave it. My son was pretty keen until he reached about 13. If I remember rightly, his lessons were pretty much 50/50 boys and girls. He only stopped because time decreed that he would have to choose between riding and football, and football won. We have 4 small yards down our lane and 3 of them have male riders. I agree with carthorse - I think women enjoy it more as a pastime than men do. Also, where I live, there's the tradition of foresters riding the ponies, and a lot of them are men.

 

[Skib]

My experience is that English boys have a social life that both at school and out of school revolves round football.
Children of both sexes whose parents can afford it will be taken to watch all home matches of a chosen local football club. These local clubs run training sessions for supporters too. One of my grand daughters went on one of these, played football every weekend, then played at uni, ran her College team and now still playing at another uni as a research student.
I have a granddaughter who rows (sculls) and a grandson who plays table tennis. Both these sports cost less than riding.

From a historical viewpoint the drift to women riders and trainers is a fairly recent thing. After WW1. Possibly because there was a generation in the USA and UK of stay at home wives and it has been remarked that horsemanship altered to suit them.

 

[Mary Poppins]

In my experience, most kids that ride are girls and most adults who ride at women. I'm not sure why this is? I do know some boys who ride and they are encouraged by pony club etc. but I would say that when pony club rallies take place on my yard there are about 80% girls and 20% boys.