10 REASONS TO THANK YOUR HORSE

11. Your Horse Hasn’t Killed You

Seriously, walk into the barn and kiss your horse on the face for not killing you every chance he gets. Horses are obviously several times larger than humans, weigh at least 10 times as much, and could easily smash any of our heads in at any moment. But they don’t. They let us saddle them and bridle them and climb onto their back and ask them to do all sorts of crazy things. Whether you are jumping over a hunter course, doing advanced dressage, or just going on a trail ride, your horse absolutely has the capacity to murder you, but they don’t. Even when humans are injured from horses, it’s very rarely intentional and often a product of our own mistakes.  Remind yourself of this when you put a humiliating Santa hat on your horse’s head this holiday season and give them a big kiss on the nose.

 

   2. Your Horse is Your Best Friend 

I know that if my Jack Russel, Rufus, read this he would be very upset because he’s certain he has a monopoly in this area. So operating off the assumption that you can have more than one “best friend,” your horse absolutely falls into this category. Think about it, they are literally always there whenever you want to hang out. They spend hours at time with you. They never betray you (except when they spook at the end of a perfect trip and you want to kill them), and they are constantly up for ear scratches or neck rubs. Your horse is never going to bail on you to go hang out with their boyfriend, or tell your secrets to anyone else. They are the perfect companions.

3. Your Horse is Your Therapist

Okay, at first I thought maybe I am stretching it here. Because therapists usually have several degrees and extensive training and are overall the correct person you should be consulting for mental health. But horses, as I think many would agree, are the next best thing.

Spending an afternoon at the barn has more positive effects on a human than you might think. The benefits are seemingly endless: being outdoors in a peaceful and calm environment, connecting with nature, silencing your mind, and quieting your anxiety. It gives you a break from the rest of the world and the rest of your life for however long you want.

There is science behind it too.  Horses are proven to have positive effects on people struggling with addiction, those who are incarcerated, those who are chronically ill, men between the ages of 21 and 35, sad people, stupid people, single people, students, doctors, lawyers … My point is horses have a therapeutic effect on all people. Next time you are feeling down, go give your horse a hug. I guarantee it will make you smile.  

4. Your Horse Teaches You

Sure, most horses play a big role in teaching you how to ride. But for kids (and adults) horses have the ability to teach them so much more than what they would grasp just by being told. For example, taking care of my pony after a long day before taking care of myself taught me responsibility. Riding five horses a day and taking care of each one taught me discipline, the value of hard work, and perseverance. Standing out in the cold to hold your horse for the vet or the farrier will teach you how to endure for the sake of another creature. Giving the grooms the day off and feeding the horses on Christmas morning before opening our presents, well that taught us patience, kindness and compassion. It also gave us perspective. Doing things the right way and winning results in confidence. Hundreds of riders learn to overcome their fears and achieve things they never thought possible. They owe it to their kind and patient horses.

Although, its true that horses are not always kind and gentle when teaching us. Every once in in a while (usually while watching the junior divisions) I’ll see a horse put his rider in her place. A common example is when the rider leans up the neck at a long distance and the horse stops short sending the kid flying. The kid gets furious, but you can see the trainer just smiling. That horse just taught the rider not to do the exact thing the trainer has been screaming about for the last three weeks.   

5. Your Horse Humbles You

Although similar to teaching you, this is more like when your horse reminds you. Remember that time you thought you were going to show off, leave out a stride and hold the counter lead to through the turn, and instead you ended up in the middle of an oxer with dirt stains on your breeches and bruised ass? Horses are great at reminding you of exactly what you are capable of and whenever you get a big head and you can be sure they will put you in your place. This is also one of the benefits of riding green horses.

My equitation horse was notorious for doing this. Although he embarrassed me quite a bit in front of the fancy “made” horses we competed against, he would not let me get away with anything. Oh, you think you are gonna cross your hand over my neck to get me to move over? I don’t think so, here’s a swap and swished tail. Oh, you are gonna go to your spur before your leg? Here’s a giant bucking spree across the end of the ring. Oh, you’re not gonna get straight before you ask me to jump? Well then I’m not jumping. Although it frustrated me at the time, I became a better rider for it. And I learned to stick within my capabilities and do things the right way before advancing.

6. Your Horse Makes You Look Good

For every time your horse has humbled you, they have also covered up for you. Don’t get me wrong (you may be a fantastic rider), but anytime you come out of the ring and your trainer says, “give that horse a bag of carrots and a hug” its because your trainer saw what could have happened, and then witnessed your horse save you. Some horses are better at this than others, and usually the more expensive ones are more likely to ignore your mistakes and bad habits. But I’m certain that all horses do this to some extent. They try and stay underneath you, they leave at a safe distance even when you suggest otherwise, they cover up bad distances, and they do lead changes even when you are off balance and leaning on the inside rein. You really should give them a bag of carrots and a hug.

 

7. Your Horse Doesn’t Judge You

Yea, remember that time you showed up in mismatched socks, slung your helmet on over your ponytail and kicked around bareback for a half hour because you were too lazy to tack up…. Your horse won’t judge you. Your trainer will, your barn friends will, and you can bet your competition will.  And that’s one of the hardest things to accept about this sport: it is so subjective and full of opinions from every angle. Are you wearing the right helmet? The trendiest breeches? The newest show coat? The fanciest boots?  Sometimes I think people need to be more like their horses: stop judging and just enjoy your time at the barn. In the meantime, its nice knowing at least your horse will look past your appearance and give you the same respect as always.

I was constantly reminded of this as a kid from my mother. Whenever I asked her for a pair of stretchy low rise breeches, or to indulge me with the newest helmet trend, she would say something like, “do you think Phantom cares what kind of pants your wearing?” or “It’s not going matter what helmet your wearing if you don’t make it over the jumps.” Thanks mom. Point taken.

8. Your Horse Makes You Fit

Anyone who has ever sat on a horse for more than 10 minutes can attest to the muscle required to ride effectively. But most of us who do it all the time forget it. It wasn’t until I worked in an office eight hours a day that I realized the exercise benefits of just going to the barn. Walking out to the paddock, moving jumps, grooming your horse, riding, unloading hay etc. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t sore the day after going to the barn.

9. Your Horse Makes You Aware

From the moment you start handling horses you become more aware of your surroundings. You get your foot stepped on one time, and now you are aware of where your feet are. You learn to be aware of where you stand, how you hold the lead, how loud your voice is… These are all things we become aware of when learning basic horsemanship.

But there are other aspects too. When you first sit on a horse, you start to become more aware of your physicality. The signals you send to your upper body have to be separate from your lower body. Then you learn to separate your left side from your right. As you progress you break your body up into parts: a strong upper leg, a flexible but tight lower leg, a relaxed foot. You separate your shoulders from your elbows and from your hands. Each has a different role, and each has to act independently.  This is not an average skill that applies to most sports (unless you are doing gymnastics or something similar). As a result, I’ve found that riders have greater body awareness than non-riders. Although it’s not always good (some say this results in body image problems for competitive teens), I think for the most part this has a positive result on the rest of your life. For instance, when I do an oral argument, it’s easy for me to be aware of my body language, my posture, where my hands are, how loud my voice is etc. I noticed this does not come easy to all people. This is an example of your horse constantly reminding you of what you are. And that’s something they deserved to be thanked for.

10. Your Horse Will Love You No Matter What

I think of this every time I see Moose after being gone for a week. I feel guilty that I can’t spend more time with him. I feel sad that no one has loved him like I do since the last time I saw him. Of course, my trainer says I’m crazy and nothing makes him happier than spending 12 hours a day in a giant grass filled paddock with his little pony buddy. But it makes me sad nonetheless.

Then, when I do go see him, he nickers at me as I walk down the aisle, he sticks his face into my lap when I open his stall door, and he acts like I never left. I know he is more cuddly than most seven year old 17 hand thoroughbreds, but pay attention to your horse the next time you don’t act like a good parent. My bet is that they love you all the same.  Take comfort in knowing that no matter how long you are gone when you come back they will still love you.