Stroll the barn aisle of any horse show, regardless of breed or discipline, and you’ll notice women. Lots and lots of women. You’ll find them grooming their horses, whispering in their horses’ ears, feeding and caring for the animals, and talking about horses with other women. And, when asked, most will say they have a special relationship with their horse.

This phenomenon left researchers in The Netherlands wondering: Do women see horses as an extension of themselves? Sports psychologist Inga Wolframm, PhD, MSc, of the University of Applied Sciences Van Hall Larenstein in Wageningen, and her team decided to investigate with two related studies. She presented her team’s findings at the 9th Annual International Society for Equitation Science, held July 18-20 at the University of Delaware in Newark.

In her previous research Wolframm found that women indicated feeling better after spending time with their horses. But science doesn’t offer unifying concepts for what motivates humans to own animals or the human-animal bond.

“We do, however, seem to know that owning animals is good for you,” she said, citing examples of lower blood pressure in the elderly who own dogs and animals helping children overcome trauma. But none of this evidence explains why women in particular are drawn to horses