All throughout history, mankind has held a special bond with the horse. Whether it is on the farm, racetrack or even the battlefield, anyone concerned with these beautiful creatures will tell you about a special relationship that is difficult to explain in mere words.

Perhaps an old Arabian proverb says it best, in that the wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears!

The author John Steinbeck once said a man on a horse is spiritually, as well as physically, bigger than a man on foot, and Winston Churchill claimed there was something about the outside of a horse that was good for the inside of a man.

So what’s the attraction? Is it the chance to get down to nature and leave behind mediocrity? To literally jump in the saddle, dig in the heels and let loose with our dormant manly instincts? Or is it a pure and inexplicable camaraderie between man and beast?

It is in fact, a melting pot of all of these.

Horses are an animal unto themselves, as loyal as a dog and unpredictable as a cat. But one thing’s for sure, they are truly loved. Given these qualities, is it any wonder why gay men and horses make the best of friends?

Animals make the best of friends at any time, but consider the stature and power that frames a horse. The adrenaline rush that comes with the speed and the harmonious union that takes the rider into a world of escapism, even fantasy.

However, to best understand the unique connection between man and horse, you would have to surround yourself in the company of horses themselves, or even better those ever-dedicated horsemen.

Matt Myers spoke to five such men to gain an understanding of the connection. It seems that each have a special interpretation of their love for horses. From the cattle station to the racing turf, these guys wear leather boots, cowboy hats and smell of hay – and for all the right reasons!

The Horse Whisperer

Adam Sutton, 37

Cooranbong, NSW

Adam Sutton with his beloved horse ‘Archie’

What is it that attracts you to riding horses?

I think horses were put on this earth for us to work with. They’ve seen humans through war, travel, discovery and exploration over many years. A lot of people have a bond with an animal, whether it be a cat, bird or a horse, and some people bond with wild animals like bears, but I’ve always had an attraction to horses.

What’s your earliest memory of riding horses?

Probably around the age of four, when mum and dad used to take us away trail riding. I didn’t really have a fear, and the first time I cantered I felt like I was flying.

Through Australian Story and your autobiography Say It Out Loud, you’ve faced many emotional challenges in your live. How has riding helped you?

Horses are extremely emotional animals and a lot of their feelings are based around fear and anxiety. So in being able to help a horse it also helps you. You end up teaching each other. Having horses in my life has been a good sounding-board and helped me get through things. The right horse can put you in the right place in your mind.

Your autobiography is titled Say It Out Loud, and you have certainly done that. Do you ever receive mail from young rural guys who you’ve helped come out?

All the time. I’ve probably received well over a thousand letters, between Australian Story and the book, and I still get them now, as well as Facebook messages. I’ve had letters upwards from fourteen-year-olds to people in their seventies. I had one guy contact me, who had only told his dog and his sister that he was gay, and on his death bed he wanted to tell someone else. It’s touched a lot of people and I feel quite responsible. It was a bit overwhelming to start with, because I was suddenly their sounding-board. Guys who were in marriages were asking me for advice.

Adam Sutton and ‘Archie’ at the family farm in Cooranbong, NSW

“Having horses in my life has been a good sounding-board and helped me get through things.”

How do you deal with that?

I listen. I don’t think it’s about advising, but more about listening, because they have something to tell. It’s like with horses. You don’t get in there and try and teach the horse something, you have to listen first to where he’s at and where his mind is at.

What does a horse whisperer do?

Yell at times! (Laughing). You can call it horsemanship or horse-training, and there are different levels to it, and it involves different disciplines of riding. I like to know that I take a wild and untrained horse to communicate with, meet him in the middle and become his mate. But he has to work for me too. He’s a mate, but he’s also an employee. But he has to be a happy employee. It has to be a happy relationship.

Do you relate to the Robert Redford movie of that name?

Yes, I see a lot of horses that have gone through trauma, through the hands of people from maybe negligence or inexperience or accident and injury. It’s like people that have been abused as kids, and they hang on to those emotions and scars and sometimes with horses you have to go back in history and talk to them about it. I tell them that it’s okay and it’s the only way they can move forward. It is like having a discussion with the horse, but it’s non-verbal.

You won The Way of the Horse competition at the Equitana 2010. What did that involve?

It’s a competition over two days involving three un-started colts, and at the end there is a skills test where we had to have our horse walk, trot and canter left and right – if possible! But these horses had never been ridden or even had a bridle. It involves all sorts of things from going over a jump to dragging a bale of hay. After the first day I had barely caught my horse, but I had a lot of other non-physical things happening with him. But it all came into place on the last day.

Are horses loyal?

Yes they are. They’ll do things for the right person and not for the other. They sometimes drive you crazy but only if you let them. When you work with horses, you can’t take things personally and a lot of people do. If you become emotional you’ll behave differently toward the horse.

Adam with Danni Minogue and Olivia Newton John, during the Great Walk to Beijing charity walk

Do you have a favourite horse quote?

One of my training ones is ‘A horse is a good mirror.’ They are a good reflection of you and your emotion, what you’re doing with the horse and how you’re doing it.

You worked as a wrangler on Ned Kelly, what was that experience like?

Awesome! To get the opportunity to work on a production like that was excellent. I learned a lot and met a lot of people. To see a film come together and especially working with horses as well was pretty good fun. It was a lot of hard work and long hours, but just the vibe alone is great. More recently I’ve been doing some stunt work for Wild Boys, doubling for Mad Dog Morgan.

“The good thing about The Way of The Horse is that I was always known as the gay cowboy, and to go in and win the 2010 Horseman of the Year put a lot of things in perspective.”

On Ned Kelly you taught Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom how to ride?

Well Heath had already done a bit of riding in The Patriot and A Knight’s Tale, but Orlando had only ridden once or twice. So we spent a week with them, getting them riding. They had to do some galloping scenes, riding through fire and all types of stuff. So we had to bring them up to speed pretty quick.

And of course, through that experience you became a close friend to Heath Ledger. His death must have been a shock to you.

It certainly was. It took a lot of people by surprise. It was Heath who gave me a lot of confidence. He told me one day he’d read a script that sounded a lot like me, which turned out to be Brokeback Mountain. But I’ve never looked at that situation as ‘friends in high places,’ it’s more about a mate who says ‘You’re okay’, where as I always told myself I wasn’t. To be on the set of Brokeback Mountain in Canada was pretty good. Heath was a life full of energy, wisdom and knowledge. I have lots of fond little memories of him.

You were likened to Heath’s portrayal in Brokeback Mountain. Do you still get that label? Are you okay with that?

A little bit. I still get the gay cowboy sometimes, which use to not sit well with me, but then I got known as a celebrity horse-trainer as well. I try not to take things personally anymore. I just like to be known as a respectable horseman. The good thing about The Way of the Horse, is that I was always known as the gay cowboy, and to go in and win the 2010 Horseman of the Year put a lot of things in perspective. Some people thought ‘he’s got his horsemanship through riding on the coattails of celebrity,’ but winning this championship put the icing on the cake and all the critics to bed. They realized that I got there through a lot of hard work.

Do you have a favourite horse movie?

Phar Lap! I cry all through Phar Lap. I also like The Man from Snowy River and some of the horse stunts in The Light Horsemen are fantastic too.

Do you ever find homophobia in the horse world?

Yes, in different circles. The horse world is full of different disciplines, from English to Western, so when you get out there into some of the cowboy cultured Western events it’s going to be there, but as long as you are who you are, and you’re not there flapping your wings about, it’s fine. You have to be respectful of others. But the whole gay thing is a bit yesterday now and a lot more acceptable.

Is there something manly attractive about riding horses? Getting down to nature? The roughness and smell of the leather?

Well it’s outdoors, and I think there’s something very masculine about it, but it has to come from within too. It’s that whole sort of cowboy culture. I used to ride rodeo and camp-draft and there’s certainly a lot of testosterone flying around in rodeos.

“Some people thought ‘he’s got his horsemanship through riding on the coattails of celebrity,’ but winning this championship put the icing on the cake and all the critics to bed.”

Do you have a favourite horse?

Archie! And his daughter is fast becoming my next one.

On Australian Story, you were shown hanging out with a group of gay cowboys. Do you still mix in those circles?

Yes up at Nundle. I don’t mix as much with them now, because they’ve gone interstate, but I still mix in the same sort of crowd.

Have you discovered more and more gay cowboys, jackaroos and farm folk?

Yes, after the book I became their sounding-board, and I got to meet and greet a lot of different people.

Is it true that cowboys don’t wear undies?

(Laughing) That’s a personal preference. I do, but I know that some don’t.

Have you ever ridden naked?

Yes, it’s great, and really back to nature. It’s almost like skinny dipping, being on a warm animal and in the water. You’re at one, and it’s pretty good.

Adam Sutton displaying his riding abilities, as that of the horse!

Are you currently seeing anyone?

Yes, I’m in a happy relationship at the moment. It’s a big part of my life that I’ve always wanted. I have a great partner in Donny and it’s really grounded me. Love is a magical feeling and it’s something that I had denied myself in the past.

Where do you see Adam Sutton ten years from now?

I’d like to still be doing what I’m currently doing. I’d like to still be teaching horsemanship with people. I’d like to take it to a performance level and maybe compete again, maybe even dressage. I’d like to take what I’m doing professionally to another level. Maybe there’s another book in me. There’s a lot of things that I’ve done since I wrote the last book. I went on the Great Walk to Beijing with Olivia Newton John and my level of horsemanship has changed. There’s a book in all those letters I received, and I still have every one of them.

Adam is currently working on a book called Cowboy Science.

For more on Adam visit: http://adamsutton.com.au

The Cowboy

Nathan Osborne, 35

Wonga Beach, Queensland

As a gay teenager, was riding a form of escapism?

Not really. I didn’t come out until I was about eighteen, and I started riding a few years beforehand. I was riding every second weekend with my father out west of Sydney. I didn’t find many gay people in the riding world at that time, but the gay circle within horseriding is a lot bigger once you get out there – and out of the closet. I guess a lot of it is more on the equestrian side though.

What is your fondest childhood memory of riding horses?

I’ve still got the memory of about eight years of age, when I was sitting on my uncle’s horse Jazz. We were next to an old Fergie tractor and I was sitting bareback. I have photos of it too.

Nathan Osborne at Wonga Beach in Far North Queensland

Are horses loyal?

Definitely. I’ve had one for nineteen years and he’s my best mate. There’s nothing better than running your horse freely down a track or the beach and feeling the wind in your hair – and all with your best mate!

So tell us about your favourite stud horse.

Well a stud horse is short for a stallion, which means they still have their balls, and you have to keep them separate from other horses. My stud horse’s full name is Anidapark Eagledance, but I call him Eagledance. He’s my best mate and I bought him in NSW when I was showjumping. He’s a paint stallion with blue eyes and I lease him out to people to service their mares, and they’ll get a foal. I get a surcharge for breeding. He’s a true stud!

Anidapark?

Anidapark stands for an American Indian tribal leader and Eagledance was also another chief Indian. When I bought him, I looked through the American Indian history and named him from that. I’ve always been fascinated with paint horses and they were always ridden by Comanche chiefs because of their colour.

“A lot of people nickname me ‘Brokeback’, but I like to call myself a cowboy with a difference.”

Do you have a favourite horse quote?

“Horses are predictably unpredictable.”

Do you get labelled with the Brokeback Mountain tag?

Yeah from everybody! As soon as I tell them I’m a gay cowboy, everybody makes a reference to it. A lot of people nickname me ‘Brokeback’, but I like to call myself a ‘cowboy with a difference.’

What did you think of Brokeback Mountain?

The movie itself wasn’t too bad, but I thought the ending was pretty crappy. Being a love story, I would have liked to see the characters a little more romantically involved and ending up happily together at the end.

Nathan Osborne attending to a horse

Do horses ever drive you crazy?

Some do. Horses are a lot like humans. You get the cheeky ones and you also get the very smart ones. Normally it’s the smart ones you have to be wary of, but the cheeky ones drive you mad!

You have quite the life riding through the Daintree Forest.

I get to ride through two of Australia’s best wonders. The Daintree Forest and the Great Barrier Reef.  It’s beautiful and fantastic. I get to see the beach every day. Both the beach and the rain forest always look different.

Do you have a favourite horse movie?

Phar Lap. I get goosebumps every time I see the scene where the horse comes out of the truck, after running late, and the crowd roars. He was one in a million, and he’ll remain in Australia’s history for being exactly that.

Is it true that cowboys don’t wear undies?

Yep that’s true! You’ve gotta freeball. When you wear undies on a horse, your balls sit in one position and if the horse steps one way and you slip in the saddle, you hit both of your nuts. Where as if you’re freeballing they hang side by side. All cowboys don’t wear undies and that is a true fact!

Is there something manly attractive about riding horses? Getting down to nature?

I think the attraction of riding works for both sexes. Seeing a man in a tight pair of jeans and a cowboy hat getting all rough and sweaty – I think everyone likes to see that, whether they are gay or straight. It definitely turns me on!

Why do you think girls and gay guys are attracted to horses, more than straight guys?

Well gay guys and horses go well together, because gay guys can pretty up their horses! But having said that, I know quite a few gay guys who are quite happy to get their hands dirty with a bit of oil. I guess most gay guys would prefer to ride a horse. They probably like the feeling of having a big piece of meat between their legs!

A hard day at ‘the office’ for Nathan

Besides working here, what other horse work do you do?

Outside of my equine management job, I also do breaking, training and re-education of horses. So starting with horses from two to three years of age, I’m the first person who actually jumps on its back. It generally takes six to eight weeks to train a horse for the owner to be able to ride it, and I also teach people how to ride. I do barefoot trimming farrier work. I don’t actually put the shoes on, but I file the horses’ feet, which is a pedicure!

Do you ever bareback?

(Laughing) I do bareback, all the time! When I’m breaking a horse in, they have to be ridden bareback, before they get a saddle. So it’s bareback before leather!

How do you see the difference between English riding and Western Riding?

Well I’ve always had a bit of a saying over the years that an English rider rides with a carrot stuck up his arse, and a Western rider rides with a coat-hanger up his! Coat-hanger meaning they ride quite wide with their arms, one hand on the reins, the other down beside and legs stuck out in front. Whereas an English rider is quite tight in their body, with the chest sticking outwards and both hands holding the reins, hence the carrot! (Laughing) I’m a bit of both, it depends what I feel like on the day!

“There’s nothing better than running your horse freely down a track or the beach and feeling the wind in your hair – and all with your best mate!”

Do you ever fall off the horse?

I haven’t fallen off in ten years, touch wood! But there is always a possibility. When I’m breaking a horse in, there’s always that chance I might actually fall off. But what I’m trying to achieve is for the horse not to buck. Going back about ten years ago, people would try and buck the horse out, but that’s not good for the horse. If you are at one with the horse, it shouldn’t buck.

Have you ever competed in a rodeo?

No, I turn into a bundle of nerves in front of too many people. But having said that, I do the occasional bit of show riding in front of smaller groups. In fact I recently did some trick riding at the Australian Muster Experience at Mialo just outside of Port Douglas. That’s riding without a bridle or saddle, with just a piece of rope around the horse’s neck.

So what is it that attracts you to riding horses?

It’s about becoming one with the animal. Plus I also get to see around Australia too. I love it!

For more on Ride the Beach visit: www.beachhorserides.com.au

The Jockey

Kevin Mangold, 43

Beverly Hills, California

Is riding therapeutic?

Yes, I think all animals can be therapeutic, and for me horses can be like that even from the physical side. There have been times when my back has been hurting or I’ve had any number of aliments and the minute I’d be up on the horse, they would all go away. Sometimes if I had a bad pain in my neck or back, I’d go into the stables and lean up against the horse, and the heat would really help. From a mindset perspective, horses are so incredibly therapeutic. Schools with disabled children use horses. There is something incredibly understanding between a horse and a human. There’s something between these two creatures that doesn’t exist with other animals. Horses have done so much for mankind, and I think there is a connection which is much more than just having ploughed our land. There are days where I’ve felt down and depressed and I think horses have pulled me through some things that I may not have otherwise gotten through.

What is your fondest childhood memory of being with horses?

One of the foster homes that I lived in had a huge quarter-horse named Dutch. He would stick his head in through the window of our house and try to eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! I discovered that he wasn’t harmful and was just like me. I would go out into the field and he would follow me and eventually I got to climb up on him without a saddle or bridle. Quite a lot of times I used to climb up on his back, and walk around in the sun. After that I was with another family that had a pony named Harry and I used to race him around in little circles, and pretend to be different people in my head. One minute I was a pony express rider, and then I’d be a sheriff!

“There are days where I’ve felt down and depressed and I think horses have pulled me through some things that I may not have otherwise gotten through.”

Are horses loyal?

Absolutely. Oh man, I can give a million examples. They protect people. Even in races when you’re running down the straight together, they will reach out and try to bite the other horse. They’re very competitive and protective, towards each other. I personally have had encounters where a horse was protecting me. I’ve even seen a horse hurt himself to avoid hurting people, and in the horseracing world we see that all the time.

Were horses a comfort in your teenage years in terms of being gay?

Well I never really had to come out, because I was never confused about it back then. I never really had the insecure thing, but what I did have was a lot of loneliness, being in foster homes and all. I didn’t feel like I had a family. I was often out in the middle of nowhere and didn’t really have friends. So the companionship of horses was wonderful for me.

Kevin Mangold and horse

You’ve kind of given up the racing side of things?

I was in a pretty bad spill at Emerald Downs, Washington, while in a race and I got trampled by a couple of horses behind me. I broke my neck in three places, and I broke my back in three places. So I was pretty messed up. It took me about six months to get back on a horse, but I eventually got back to riding. But what happened in the time since I injured myself, was that I became involved in recognizing all of the injuries that happen to riders and to horses and I started doing a lot more acting and stunt work. My business began to slip away, but it was my decision to stop riding and to speak up vocally about such things. Unfortunately the trainers see me in a different way, as a kind of enemy to the sport. I lost the majority of my business.

But working as a stuntman in Hollywood must be a pretty cool job? You worked as a stunt double for Toby Maguire on Seabiscuit. What was that experience like?

It was one of the better experiences that I’ve had, not just in my career, but in my life. It was a feeling of accomplishment and belonging, which I guess always goes back to a lack of family in the past. I always wanted to be a part of a team, or have brothers and even horseracing is an individual thing. But with Seabuscuit we were a team and got to tour around the country filming. It was five or six months of fun. It was an incredible experience.

And you got to meet Toby McGuire?

Yeah nearly every day. His buddy Leonardo DiCaprio was on set quite a bit too, so I got to hang out with some very cool guys. Toby came out and sat with the jockeys. Everyone I meet always has a million and one questions for jockeys, and he was no different. He signed all of our stuff, even Spiderman DVDs!

You’ve had roles in shows such as Saved by the Bell, Silver Spoons and Ellen – what was the Ellen experience like?

Well I met her and she’s pretty cool. They shot the show twice, as they do with sitcoms, and the amazing thing about Ellen is that she does a warm-up for the start of the show, which they normally have someone else do. But she did it all herself, and I noticed that her jokes would change, and they were funny. Even during rehearsal when we would have to do retakes, her punchlines would always be different, and the audience would constantly laugh. There is something truly amazing and unique about her. She’s not just being funny, she IS funny. I played a grizzly bear in the episode where she and Paige go to a health retreat to lose weight and decide to escape. But Ellen gets caught on the fence and a big grizzly bear comes along and threatens to eat her. That was one of the many costume jobs I’ve had.

Not everyone gets to ride a horse while wearing a Mickey Mouse suit! That has to feel pretty special.

Yeah, I did Mickey Mouse for about three years at Disneyland and outside of the park too. And they also have Mickey on horse in the Christmas parade, and that was me. But most of the time that I worked there, I was Peter Pan. When I wasn’t doing a costume character such as Mickey or Chip and Dale, I would do Peter Pan which was a lot more fun because I got to talk to people!

And you also worked on Desperate Housewives with Eva Longoria?

Yeah I was a stunt double. Eve Longoria had to ride on the handlebars of a bicycle being ridden by a little kid. So being five feet tall, I can double for kids like that. So I got to ride with her on my handlebars!

You must have been the envy of all your straight friends?

Yeah I was! I was able to say that Eva Longoria sat on my handlebars, well as a matter of fact, she actually sat on my hands!

“I personally have had encounters where a horse was protecting me. I’ve even seen a horse hurt himself to avoid hurting people.”

In 2005 you came out publicly in an article for The Advocate. What was the response from your friends, family and peers after that story?

I did get a little bit of backlash where a couple of people responded from the racetrack.

But it was mainly from one woman in particular who made some weird comment comparing my horseracing to a batting average, and how the only reason I had made my statement was to explain away my bad racing average. But it was from someone from the racetrack, who also happens to be a lesbian and read the Advocate. She’s an extremely strong supporter of horseracing and because of the way I speak about racing, these people see me as an enemy of horse racing. But comparing my racing to a batting average was ridiculous because I was thirty five years old when I first rode a racehorse, which is the age that most jockeys are retiring. I was told I was too old and to forget it. But for me to make it as I did, not just as a jockey, but at the very pinnacle of racetracks at San Anedo, is far from a horrible batting average.

So you advocate against horseracing as it is cruel?

I’m one of those people who does not stay quiet when I see something wrong. I often bring trouble to myself by speaking up, but I also think I do a lot of good. If your house had a broken window, you don’t move out of the house – right? You fix the window. And I’m doing my best to point out broken windows in the horse racing industry. Unfortunately I get treated like I’m some sort of enemy, but I’m not. I’m a friend to horses. If it happens to hurt the industry, then so be it. I’m forever going on about how we have thrown away horses despite all that we owe to them. At one time, horses were our transportation, delivered our mail, ploughed our fields and herded cattle. Today, they are little more than entertainment.

And the racing industry?

What bugs me about the racing industry is the greed that seems to have taken over the racetrack. I know that cost-cutting measures are taking place everywhere, but they are dangerous in the world of racing. Where horsemen and lovers of the animal once existed, now there are mostly business trainers who hardly know the difference between a horse and a price-point. What disgusts me about the horse racing industry is the ever-growing list of dead or paralysed horses and jockeys due to negligence, greed or indifference on the part of the horse trainers.

You must cop a lot of flack for having that view?

It hasn’t helped my popularity among racing fans. Many see my efforts to improve horse racing as an attack on the industry. I may be attacking the industry but only to protect the horses and riders who are being victimized by it. There is a vast difference in the treatment and compensation for most other professional athletes when compared to jockeys. Football, baseball, basketball, water polo and underwater basket-weaving get more compensation for their efforts! And they are not asked to risk their lives many times a day. I’m currently working on a documentary in which I hope to tell the world what they don’t know about racing. It’s called The Apprentice Jockey. I feel that in America, the plight of the horse and horse racing is at a critical juncture.

What’s your favourite horse movie?

As a kid, The Man from Snowy River really stood out to me. I remember how the packs of horses were so thrilling and liberating. I think the most important horse movie that I have ever seen is The Horse Boy which is the story of an autistic boy and his relationship to horses and other animals.

“With Seabiscuit, Toby McGuire came out and sat with the jockeys. Everyone I meet always has a million and one questions for jockeys, and he was no different.”

Has any actor ever stood out to you as a particularly good rider?

Michael Landon on Bonanza is the actor who I remember as being a great rider. As a kid, I used to pretend that I was Little Joe and my pony was Cochise. In later years I got to work with Michael Landon on Highway to Heaven, but my scene was unfortunately cut.

Do you have a favourite horse quote?

‘No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses’ by Herman Melville. Dogs and horses have always been very similar to me in temperament and behaviour. I can’t decide which of the two animals I love more, but they have both been not only good, but necessary for the inside of this man!

The Polo Player

Gabriel Csaszar, 31

Pascoe Vale, Victoria

What is it that attracts you to riding horses?

I’ve always loved animals. It’s that unison between an animal and a human being. There’s something free about it. I think it also comes down to the speed as well.

Do you find riding to be therapeutic?

It can be. If I feel stressed and I hop on a horse it certainly is, but it’s almost a spiritual thing as well as being a leisure activity.

What’s your earliest memory of riding horses?

Probably as a child, when I rode a pony at a fair. My dad took me to a stud farm when I was really young, back in Europe and I think I went around and around in circles, but it was the first time I can remember riding.

Is riding in your blood?

Not so much. I think my grandparents may have ridden, but nationality-wise I kind of come from good stock. Austrians and Hungarians are quite horsey people, but it’s not in my immediate family.

What sparked your interest in polo?

I’ve dabbled in a lot of equestrian sports and polo has always been one that attracted me. It seemed a bit esoteric and had that old-world charm to it. There’s an adventure and cavalier aspect that attracted me to polo. It’s not just about riding but participating in a group sport. A lot of the other equestrian sports are very solitary.

Gabriel Csaszar on the polo field

Is polo gentleman-like or boyishly rough?

A bit of both. It’s very glamourous looking and an elegant sport, but it’s very rough as well. It can be quite brutal. I guess a lot of the spectators don’t always see that side to it. I haven’t played at the high levels yet, but at the professional levels it can be quite full on. It can be as rough as rugby. You can get a taste of it if you watch the Argentineans, for example.

“There’s an adventure and cavalier aspect that attracted me to polo. It’s not just about riding but participating in a group sport.”

Is polo expensive to play?

In general the equestrian discipline is expensive, but with polo you have to have access to a lot of horses. To play polo you have to have several mounts and they have to be rotated in a game. Every seven minutes you have to stop and change horses. If there are six chukka intervals in a game, then that’s six horses that you’ve used. Plus you have to have a couple of back ups in case one goes lame.

What does chukka actually mean?

The chukka is the interval in the game. Polo’s quite an ancient game, which I think originated in Persia, and rumour has it that in his travels, Alexander the Great took it to the East. But it was rediscovered in Northern India, and I think chukka is actually a Hindi term which was adopted by the British Officers there.

Are you a fan of the famous polo player Nacho Figueras?

I don’t think there’s a polo player out there that can’t acknowledge his enthusiasm for promoting the sport. I’ve been lucky enough to meet him. He’s a fantastic ambassador for polo and he probably got a lot of flack from his teammates for modelling. His dream is to get the sport broadcast on TV in much the same way as rugby. I don’t know if that will happen in our lifetime, but once upon a time it was quite a popular sport. The 1930’s were the golden age for polo. The goal is to bring it back to the Olympic Games and have it broadcast to a mainstream audience. It isn’t quite as elitist as people make out. It is expensive, but look at other sports like tennis, where you get professional coaching and travel the world.

You’ve been involved with fox hunting. Most gay guys would think of the classic scene with Lucille Ball in Mame!

(Laughing) Yeah, well it’s quite crazy with different levels of adrenaline involved, but there’s no cuddling of foxes!

Have you ever taken a spill?

Yes, thankfully not a serious one in polo, but I have in the fox-hunting fraternity. I ended up in the trauma ward where they had to make sure I didn’t have any spinal injury. I cracked a few ribs and had smacked my head into a tree at forty miles per hour and blacked out! I had injury to my legs, wrists and sliced my chin open. I was very keen to get back on the horse, but in the following weeks I had also seen other colleagues have some serious accidents. It was an intense couple of weeks, as there was a series of unfortunate events that did put some fear in me. As an adult I don’t think we are as resilient and forgetful as we are when kids. I think it’s almost as though someone had erased my riding level and I had to start from zero again. If the horse did something unexpected, I could get anxious and it took a long time for that to go away. In the back of my mind I still have that reminder, but it does disappear because the pleasure you get from riding outweighs the fear.

“Polo can be quite brutal. I guess a lot of the spectators don’t always see that side to it. It can be as rough as rugby.”

Do you have a favourite horse quote?

“There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse,” by Robert Smith Surtees.

Do you have a favourite horse movie?

Being Austrian I’ve always had a high regard for the Lipizzaner horses that are trained at the Imperial Riding Academy in Vienna. Disney made a movie called The Miracle of the White Stallion which is quite lovely. I also loved The Black Stallion as a kid and in recent times I quite liked Secretariat.

How does a gay person fit within the world of polo?

I’m not very open about it, but at the same time I don’t have any hesitations in hiding my sexuality. It’s mostly boys and they are quite blokey, but I get on great with them all. There are a lot of gay people that do equestrian sports, but I think ultimately it’s your riding and ability as a sportsman that should be accessed over sexuality.

Are horses loyal?

Very much so. Particularly the mares which is why they use them in polo. They work hard for you and are very forgiving and loyal. They also seem to really enjoy the sport.

What is the best piece of advice you could give in regard to horses?

There’s no secret that horses are very forgiving creatures, and you get a lot more out of them by being nicer, than being rough. My advice is to hold on tight and stay on!

The Equestrian

Clint Bilson, 41

Berwick, Victoria

As a teenager coming to terms with being gay, was horse riding a form of escapism?

It was, but in the world of showing horses being gay was almost expected, as guys showing horses were usually gay. In fact, it was more a surprise if they weren’t. I wasn’t entirely out, but at horse shows, most of the older guys around me were all gay. Most of the women with children showing horses also grew up with the gay guys, so it was a very gay-friendly lifestyle. If I had a shit time during the week, I could always look forward to going to a horse show.

So you could almost compare it to gay guys in the world of theatre?

For sure. Our industry is like glamour and modelling. We turn the horses into the prettiest and nicest creatures with makeup and some end up with nail-polish on their hooves. It’s one of the reasons it attracts gay guys. It’s like going for a run down the catwalk. We live precariously through our horses!

What is your fondest childhood memory of being with horses?

I used to enjoy the games that we’d play on horseback. When it wasn’t all so serious, we’d go down the beach and my friends and I used to tie a long lead around our ankles to the horse’s head collar and charge down the paddock against each other. We’d canter past and try and rip each other off. It was like medieval jousting!

Are horses loyal?

Oh for sure. When you get a horse you like and you’ve had it for a long time, or sometimes even with a new horse, they all end up having a special place for you. I love going down to the stables in the morning and hearing them all nay, and they know I’m coming to feed them. I love them running up to me. They make me feel like I’m wanted.

Clint Bilson with his favourite horse ‘Swanee’

Do you have a favourite horse?

I’ve got a lot of favourite horses, and they are all special for a different reason. But I do have a favourite horse, his name is Swanee, and his show name is Tu Park Alaska.

What’s your favourite horse movie?

Seabuscuit. I was entranced by it. He was a legend and people who didn’t even know horses liked him. He became a household name because he was a horse, rather than just a racehorse, just like Phar Lap.

“Our industry is like glamour and modelling. We turn the horses into the prettiest and nicest creatures with makeup and some end up with nail-polish on their hooves.”

Have you ever fallen off?

Yeah, quite a few times. The worst accident I’ve ever had is where I fell off and broke my neck. I broke it in five places and I was never supposed to walk again. But I never once throughout the whole recovery doubted that I would ride again. Believing that I would ride once more was what got me to where I am now. I had a lot of physio, a couple of fusions and many operations, but I knew that I would continue to ride and that got me through it.

Did the tragic incident with Christopher (Superman) Reeve ever put you off?

Well, whenever I get on a horse, particularly an unknown horse, there is always that moment where you have a flash of things going wrong. But I’m a confident rider and I trust the animal. I know it’s a dangerous sport and that things can go wrong, and I know I can’t ever jump again, but I feel safe whenever I’m on a horse.

What awards have you won?

I’ve been the champion rider at Royal level on a few occasions. I’ve won a couple of Horse of The Year titles and I also show Arabian’s and most of them have ended up champions. So it’s been pretty good.

Is there something sexy about guys riding horses?

I’d have to say yes. There’s something about how people can look so comfortable on a horse that I like. Whether that’s a cowboy chasing cows or a show-jumper, they can both look manly and great.

There’s something manly about Jake Gyllenhall’s arse bouncing up and down in the saddle too!

(Laughing) Totally!

“I fell off and broke my neck. But believing that I would ride once more was what got me to where I am now.”

Have you ever ridden naked?

I guess the closest has been Speedos down the beach. My work is so diligent with the training and discipline that is nice to sometimes take the horse down to the damn or beach with some mates, and ride bareback in Speedos or jocks.

How do you see the difference between English riding and western riding?

I guess we all want the same thing, for our horses to be obedient and to go as we require. I think the basic principles are all the same but there are different ways we go about getting it. There are differences in the approach, but we all arrive at the same spot. I prefer the English training, but I also love going to the Sydney Easter Show and watching the stock-horse guys ride. They are so relaxed and their horses are amazing with what they can do.

With a name like Clint, do you ever get compared to that famous horseman in Hollywood?

Yep, all the time (Laughing) People always associate my name to Eastwood, but I’ve also had Clunk and Clit! In fact when I was a growing up, we lived in an area where our horse rugs would get stolen. So my mother bought us new horse rugs and decided to paint our names on them. My name painted with big bold capital letters from afar looked more like cunt than Clint! Every time I went past and saw it, I had a fit! My mother was mortified!

Do you have a favourite horse quote?

“If you have seen nothing but the beauty of their markings and limbs, their true beauty is hidden from you.” And also ‘Eleven-hundred pounds of raw muscle, power, grace, and sweat between your legs – it’s something you just can’t get from a pet hamster!’

What’s the best piece of advice you could give about horses?

Treat them as you’d like to be treated. The same as what I’d say to a human!

It’s In Their DNA!

Regular DNA writers Matthew Myers and Will Fennell are also keen horsemen. While Will grew up on a horse farm, Matthew inherited both his grandfathers’ love for riding and grooming.

Will: “I didn’t have my own horse until I was eleven. His name was Ned and he came to me after being mistreated by his previous owners. The first time I climbed into the saddle he bucked me off and my mother said absolutely not, but I knew all Ned needed was someone to love him. I won the argument that day and I had Ned as my companion until I left for University. He was my best friend. Actually as a young, confused gay boy it would be right to say he was my only friend. When I retire you’ll find me down in the Kangaroo Valley away from the beauty business breeding performance horses. That is my true passion!”

Matthew: “As a teenager, I had my own horse named Duke. There’s nothing like having a big majestic horse as your mate, especially when you’re going through puberty. He was so loyal and would rub his head up and down my body, with the same kind of affection as a cat. These days I ride every month. I love leaving my office chair, going bush and jumping into the saddle. Some guys get an adrenaline rush through the 440 Horsepower of a Ford Mustang sports car, but I get it through horsepower in its pure form!”

Matthew riding at Wonga Beach in far north Queensland

Will Fennell up close and personal with his favourite mates