The role of Gender for Human-Horse Domination: a mixed-method approach from Switzerland

Abstract

Social scientists increasingly call for a more egalitarian approach to our relationships with horses. In order to explore what impact gender has on the human‑horse relationship, we use the survey data of 1800 non‑professional horse keepers and two sequences from in‑depth interviews which are analyzed by objective hermeneutics. The qualitative analysis first illustrates possible differences in approaches to horses, treating them as active subjects or mere objects. It is then shown that responses about the role of obedience, practices of natural horsemanship methods of horse training, equestrian traditions and the link to nature differ significantly between genders. We provide evidence that women have an attitude towards horses that is more adapted towards most contemporary ethicists’ demands than most attitudes by individuals read as men.