As girls learn that they have this ability, it gives them confidence. You can't be shy and retiring around a horse. It gives a girl something she's good at during a time when she's having a lot of identity problems. Although the ratio of men and women evens out at the very upper levels of equestrian sport, girls overwhelmingly dominate the beginner levels. Ms. Carroll estimates that 95 percent are girls.
Few sports allow girls and women the spotlight in the center of the arena the way riding does.
The allure of riding horses isn't just in the riding, though. There's the added bonus, and responsibility, of the other living, breathing creature that completes the equation. For girls, the additional duties around the barn are as much a part of the sport as the activities in the arena. It promotes healthy relationships, both with animals and other people. The effect can only be magnified with an animal as large, and yet fragile, as a horse.