# Why are the majority of top male dressage riders gay?



## flyingfeet (11 June 2009)

Just a query really - I know sexuality should make no difference and is really none of our business but....

Is it because they have feminine sensitivity with the strength to hold the horse together??

Is it because you need a certain mentality to keep going round in circles without the 'adrenaline junkie trying to kill yourself jumping' element?

Or is it merely a front so they don't have to keep battling off the mad old lecherous dressage ladies?? 
	
	
		
		
	


	





This is nothing to do with the CH post, I was merrily drooling over Edward Gal and turned from oggling to googling and found he was gay


----------



## Michelle73 (11 June 2009)

[ QUOTE ]

Or is it merely a front so they don't have to keep battling off the mad old lecherous dressage ladies?? 
	
	
		
		
	


	





This is nothing to do with the CH post, I was merrily drooling over Edward Gal and turned from oggling to googling and found he was gay  
	
	
		
		
	


	









[/ QUOTE ]

PMSL!!!!!!!!!!!!  I remember when I found out Carl Hester was gay!!!!!!!!!!!!   I was very


----------



## wizoz (11 June 2009)

I don't think it matters one way or the other but there are a LOT of gay men in all disciplines. My dressage trainer is gay, it's never bothered me, in fact it makes life a lot easier. 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I have often wondered what it is about horses and men being gay but there, I guess you'd have to ask them!


----------



## jellybaby (11 June 2009)

I think its because their bits get squished!

jb XX


----------



## Muddywellies (11 June 2009)

How funny that this post is on here today....................
Only last night, my non-horsey other half stated that all male horseriders are gay.
 I told him he was talking cr@p, then had a think, and had to backpeddle and agree with him that most top male dressage riders are gay.   I don't understand why, but what I would like to know is why they are all so TOTALLY GORGEOUS ! ! ! !


----------



## flyingfeet (11 June 2009)

Yep 

Edward with partner Hans Peter Minderhoud






So unfair!!!


----------



## Aniseed (11 June 2009)

I completely agree with this post. My dressage trainer (who is female!) an I were discussing it the other day and couldn't think of any top male dressage riders who weren't gay. Even the ones that I thought were straight turned out not to be.


----------



## BBH (11 June 2009)

I don't know but I do think Gay riders take the time to understand the 'pysche' of a horse and I often wish I'd sent my youngster to a gay rider to begin his education because he is a very sensitive soul and I'm sure would have fared better with someone more in tune to his needs.


----------



## _jetset_ (11 June 2009)

My husband has been learning to ride in my dressage saddle and he said that they must have smaller tickle tackle than a hetrosexual man because he has been in absolute agony!!!


----------



## Twinkletoes (11 June 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
I think its because their bits get squished!

jb XX 

[/ QUOTE ]  lol. I think its a good thing, I mean imagine the debauchery if none of them were, how would we ever focus


----------



## AutumnRose (11 June 2009)

PMSL Jetset...'tickle tackle' hilarious!!!!!

I've thought about this before....although my trainers dressage trainer is a top German guy (i can never remember his name so don't ask me), who has ridden at top level over there and here, is married and very much not gay. Perhaps he's the exception that proves the rule 
	
	
		
		
	


	





Obviously it doesn't matter at all either way but an interesting conversation


----------



## LEC (11 June 2009)

Well Andrew Gould is certainly not gay.


----------



## Eventerlad15 (11 June 2009)

Many aren't, and defending the male here i'd say its just chance. I suppose many riders who love horses have that 'softer' side to them, so maybe why dressage riders are gay?

All I know is that i'm totally straight and it has nothing to do with 'tickle tackle'!


----------



## NikkiF (11 June 2009)

We have a male instructor that comes to our yard, and yes he's gay, but we're very cruel and haven't told the 2 teenage girls who hang around to watch him!


----------



## swshowjumper (11 June 2009)

Cannot agree with that statement. hahahahahahah


----------



## dieseldog (11 June 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
We have a male instructor that comes to our yard, and yes he's gay, but we're very cruel and haven't told the 2 teenage girls who hang around to watch him!  
	
	
		
		
	


	





[/ QUOTE ]






 evil


----------



## kerilli (11 June 2009)

Well, according to my trainer (who is 'mature', wise, German, and straight as a die!) it is because gay men are less macho, less testosterone-driven, more sensitive and patient with the horse... more like a lot of women, I guess.
So, I guess it's more "gay guys can maybe get a better tune out of a difficult horse because they're less confrontational" - which makes me think that the straight ones must be REALLY exceptional riders!


----------



## fingers_crossed (11 June 2009)

And alot of  dressage is about presentation and gossiping with connections, which many heterosexual men (or the ones I know) cannot be bothered with - my OH often jokes about whether it would help him if he turned!


----------



## only_me (11 June 2009)

just had a thought - most top male eventers are straight, as are showjumpers.

But in dressage the majority of top male riders are gay...

anyone spot something?


----------



## diggerbez (11 June 2009)

and how strange that most showjumpers at top level (as far as i know) are not gay?!! my gay dressage trainer refused to come to a showjumping dinner for that very reason 
	
	
		
		
	


	




My OH is convinced that all men who ride are either gay or fat and old (it doesn't help when he sees people like Geoff Billington on the TV! 
	
	
		
		
	


	








)


----------



## diggerbez (11 June 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
just had a thought - most top male eventers are straight, as are showjumpers.

But in dressage the majority of top male riders are gay...

anyone spot something? 
	
	
		
		
	


	





[/ QUOTE ]

agh! you beat me by a minute!


----------



## meardsall_millie (11 June 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
I completely agree with this post. My dressage trainer (who is female!) an I were discussing it the other day and couldn't think of any top male dressage riders who weren't gay. Even the ones that I thought were straight turned out not to be. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Er - Richard Davison - married - not gay!


----------



## TarrSteps (11 June 2009)

The current World Cup champion, Steffan Peters?


----------



## Halfstep (11 June 2009)

Really don't see how/why the sexuality of anyone makes any difference?  Honestly?  

At least in dressage people are open enough to feel comfortable being out of the closet.  Perhaps that is what makes the difference?


----------



## SpruceRI (11 June 2009)

Is it to do with needing to have guts? Or that minute attention to detail?


----------



## Iestyn (11 June 2009)

I'm certainly not going to complain - if any one of them wants to come n find me, they're more than welcome!!!


----------



## LittleSoph (12 June 2009)

At college I had three close male friends. One was gay and is aspiring to be a dressage rider, riding for some very influential riders, and the other two... one wants to showjump and one is an eventer! lol! So it isn't just the case at the top!

However, my lecturer was gay and he events at four star.


----------



## TheoryX1 (5 August 2012)

Hahahahahahahhah.  This brightened up my Sunday morning.  Interesting subject, but who cares really.  I like gay men, always have.  Mini TX's sj instructor, who is actually a 4* event rider is as camp as hell.  His boyfriend who is also an event rider is even camper, so it just goes to prove its not just dressage riders!

Mimd you when I found out CH was gay I wept - what a waste of a man.


----------



## TarrSteps (5 August 2012)

Bizarre thread resurrected from the vaults!! 

I'm sorry, was there a point at which anyone DIDN'T know Carl was gay? 

And as above meh. There's really only one situation in which it matters.


----------



## kerilli (5 August 2012)

Yes, quite surprised to see this old one resurrected. 
I fail to see why it is anyone else's business, ever. (Unless of course it happens to be the person you fancy the pants off and _then_ discover is gay... really must get my gaydar attuned.)


----------



## dieseldog (5 August 2012)

I'm guessing you didn't see the post that resurrected this thread as it was quite funny and rude and now removed.


----------



## PoppyAnderson (5 August 2012)

dieseldog said:



			I'm guessing you didn't see the post that resurrected this thread as it was quite funny and rude and now removed. 

Click to expand...

I didnt see it :-( and I've not been off here recently, with all this Olympics tomfoolery going on!


----------



## D66 (5 August 2012)

Was that olympic surprises?  I wondered where it had gone.  What happened?


----------



## christine48 (5 August 2012)

only_me said:



			just had a thought - most top male eventers are straight, as are showjumpers.

But in dressage the majority of top male riders are gay...

anyone spot something? 
	
	
		
		
	


	




Click to expand...

There are a lot of gay male event riders, some haven't come out of the closet yet!


----------



## lazybee (5 August 2012)

Answer to the original question:

Because dressage *IS* gay of course.


----------



## Fidgety (5 August 2012)

lazybee said:



			Because dressage *IS* gay of course.
		
Click to expand...


----------



## TarrSteps (10 August 2012)

I probably need to be slapped for resurrecting this again but I couldn't resist. . . .

We are being watched, people! (3rd paragraph from the end)

http://www.sbnation.com/london-olym...-gal-versus-a-romney-gal-in-olympics-dressage


----------



## measles (10 August 2012)

Well spotted!


----------



## Mince Pie (11 August 2012)

Ahahaha! "lively" - that's certainly one way of describing this place 


As someone posted earlier, AG is certainly not gay (thank God! That would be, as Theoryx1 put it, a waste of a man) and that's good enough for me 

(incidentally does anyone remember the AG/custard thread?)


----------



## armchair_rider (11 August 2012)

So is CH Britain's first openly gay olympic medallist? He certainly isn't the first openly gay olympic gold medallist, Matthew Mitcham won the diving in Beijing


----------



## skewbaldpony (11 August 2012)

On a serious note, historically, maybe because the big European training centres were pretty much all guys together, and when being gay was less acceptable, would have been much nicer/safer places to be than many others?
On a less serious note, dressage is practiced especially in the USA, by some very wealthy ladies, kept in horses and facilities by some very wealthy and very powerful, not to mention frequently absent,  husbands. They need trainers both to ride their horses and teach them, as well as to decorate the place. 
Now, which ones do you think get the gig?!


----------



## TarrSteps (11 August 2012)

^ Robert Dover would be pleased to know he's 'decorative'! 

And they two guys I know that have gigs like that are DEFINITELY not gay. 

I would say the Continental schools, being military in origin and generally very macho, would not have been gay-friendly at all! In fact, the only out European riders I can think of are EG and HPM.

American showjumping is a bit different, as it's had a VERY powerful gay man at the top of the sport for decades. Also, the high powered Equitation program has traditionally attracted a lot of 'questioning' teen-aged boys in the same way theatre clubs have! 

The question isn't really why are the numbers not representative. The numbers in riding actually reflect close to the general population - it only looks unusual relative to other sports.

The other point is, of course, we don't know that much about a lot of sport stars' relationship status. There are certainly people who are out in that they don't lie about it but for whatever reason it doesn't come up. I know a rider who is gay but not currently in a long term relationship and has never been in one with anyone horsey - why would it come up in the context of the Olympics? I also know someone whose kid is a budding film actor with a movie coming out - it's just not pertinent.


----------



## TarrSteps (11 August 2012)

Eep. Bad phone - ' the question IS really why are the numbers. . .'


----------



## TarrSteps (11 August 2012)

And Carl isn't out, he's obvious! That's very different.


----------



## Goldenstar (11 August 2012)

TarrSteps said:



			And Carl isn't out, he's obvious! That's very different. 

Click to expand...

Charming and unconsciously camp one journalist said of Carl.


----------



## Littlelegs (11 August 2012)

I think its also to do with the fact the horse world, in the uk at least is more tolerant of gay males, so more likely to come out than in sports such as rugby, football etc, where I imagine its more private. Doesn't explain why dressage has a higher number than sj or eventing though. Tbh though its pretty irrelevant. It just seems a waste, & sods law to a filthy minded female like me! And I remember being gutted years ago in my teens when I realised Carl hester was gay!


----------



## Suziq77 (11 August 2012)

littlelegs said:



			I remember being gutted years ago in my teens when I realised Carl hester was gay!
		
Click to expand...

Me too  I remember the feeling of disappointment that he was never going to fall in love with me everytime I watch him being interviewed


----------



## Armas (12 August 2012)

diggerbez said:



			My OH is convinced that all men who ride are either gay or fat and old (it doesn't help when he sees people like Geoff Billington on the TV!)
		
Click to expand...

I would like to confirm I am not gay have never been gay and love the female form.


----------

