Well - years ago my husband competed in gamed events, most included barrels. Also trained barrel horses for some lady friends. Over the years he's done a bit of everything except english.
We have several older men around here that run barrels, that are not that way. I think this men are old cowboys who have been hurt and can't do the roping stuff anymore. I think they've figure out the crazy women barrel racers will pay alot of money too for a good barrel horse.
Becky
Well, my hubby and I were just talking about it.... because there's a lot of heterosexual men who ride horses, ride trail, or do the other cowboy sports like roping or bull riding... stuff like that... But when it comes to showing horses... it's wimmin and gay men. It's like, guys like horses, but they don't compete in it... that's what wimmin do. I think barrel racing seems invented to give wimmin something to do at rodeos, and maybe that's why the real men won't do it.
Exceptions to this rule I think are in the Olympic levels of show jumping and eventing, where there are a lot of foreign men from Europe and South America who compete. Surprisingly, maybe, because English is viewed as prissier, I don't think they are all gay... because some are married to other big named riders. Lots of couples in the sport. I think this aversion to horse showing is a distinctly American male characteristic. They'll rope, ride bulls, that kind of thing, but not dress up in outfits and trot around the ring...