hello there~

i told my bf about this question that i posted earlier and he, being a
korean national, said that hed never heard of little girls being crazy
for horses.  he said some stuff like 'that must be a european or
american thing.  i relate horses to generals and warfare.  with power.
in korea, boys are probably more likely to like horses than girls. 
in general, koreans would have no business in even seeing horses.  so
there would be no reason, really, for korean girls to like horses.'

this all makes sense to me.  and his comment about horses being
associated with power also makes sense to me.  so it makes me wonder
even more about why girls (in america at least) seem to be sooooo
attracted to horses.

is this american commercialism gone crazy?  there was my little pony,
after all.  actually, the real question is: is this an an american
thing?

perhaps people with experience outside of american culture would be
able to answer this question with a simple yes or no.

comments, speculations, etc, very much appreciated.

---

Clarification of Question by banchan-ga on 03 Dec 2002 21:21 PST

https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=118822

It's been a New Zealand and Australian thing since the 60s at least

Dear Banchan,

I have heard form several sources that this has to do with a girl's
early developing sense of sexuality/sensuality - that the strong
attraction has to do with size, muscularity, power, and yet the
ability to love it and approach it. Also, it seems to be universal, at
least for girls raised around horses as domesticated animals.

JCG

Oh puhleeze!

Is that old theory still being thrown around? As one of those girls, I
can tell you it had nothing to do with power and muscles, and no, size
didn't matter either. Those all seem to be rather male-oriented
(perhaps wishful?) perceptions.

It had everything to do with grace and beauty - to be able to draw
horses in such a way that captured their natural fluidity; to be able
to ride so well that there was no discernible difference between horse
and rider; to flow over jumps; to gallop, main and tail streaming,
across an open field; and most of all the endless combing and brushing
and beautifying that filled the in between times. (What do you think
those My Little Ponies were all about?)

Here's a test: Ask any little girl to choose between the heavily
muscled working Quarter Horse and the delicate dish-faced Arabian, and
see what she picks. My money's on the Arab. It's no accident that they
used an Arab in the Black Stallion movie. Beauty and grace.

The ultimate in equine-rider synergy is the art of dressage. The
ability to work with a horse so closely that you can literally tell it
which foot to step out on and how to time its steps. If you've ever
watched the Lipizzans dance you know what I mean.

Interestingly, (and related to the original question), when I used to
attend Lipizzan shows in the mid-70's, nearly all the riders were
European men. And even when I went to the International Horse Show in
Washington, where top riders in the world compete, the top dressage,
Open Jumpers, and Hunt riders were men. It seemed that in Europe the
art of riding was a male-dominated profession.

Just last month I saw the Lipizzans again, for the first time in 20
years. 80% of the riders were women!

So, perhaps girl's attraction to horses is present in more cultures
than we realize, but in some cultures it doesn't get expressed because
of cultural expectations?

And of course, exposure would have a lot to do with it. Your bf may be
on to something there. If a little girl never sees the elegance of a
horse, how could she ever have an attraction to it?  It would be
interesting to find out what DOES occupy the fantasy mind of young
girls in Korea. My guess is that it will be some living (or mythical)
creature that they view as the ultimate in grace and beauty.

What an interesting question Banchan. Thanks for bringing it up. 

-K~

hi,

I can tell you that European girls are the same, blame it on "my
little pony" and girl books like "black beauty".