Horses and Mental health.

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Jim bob

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I know this is quite personal to a few members here, or I imagine it is! But I was just thinking about horses and mental health really. How many of us have horses but also struggle now and again or even daily with mental health issues?

I have had mental health issues of my own and feel horses ( including my own!) Have kept me going. When you are feeling really low and quite ****. Been able to tack up and either go for a quite plod, or a gallop and it makes you think that, yes there is some good things in this world. Or when your really struggling . You didn’t get to sleep until 4am. Getting out of bed and getting dressed is like climbing a mountain . But you do as no one else is going to feed or muck out.

Then the days when your doing well and you laughing and joking and life is going well. The best thing of all is that your sharing it with the things your love. Horses. :)
 
Me!! I am mostly well now but I went through some very very dark times some years back. Pie was my absolute rock, my reason for getting out of bed in the mornings, my shoulder to cry on.
I HAD to stay working to afford him - if I lost him my reason to keep going would have been gone and I really feel I owe my life to him because of this.
Now life is good and he is sharing the good times. I love my boy!
 
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Had an overnight stay in hospital this week due to MH problems. If it weren't for the horse(s), it'd be all too easy to sit in the house and never leave.

Had planned some hacks this weekend but he's chosen to have a fight with some barbed wire so I'm playing nurse for a bit.

I also have MS and riding is about the best physical therapy for that too.

Having a horse has been a bone of contention between me and family who see it as a huge waste of money... but it's good for my mental and physical health.
 
Nope. Luckily my friends take mine on when I'm not in a good place. I resent having to do them and that slows down my 'Recovery'.
 
Some days having a horse is the only reason I leave the house.
I've only had him a little over a year, but it's obvious to everyone around me how much of a difference having him has made.
 
I am fortunate enough never to have had any proper MH problems, but do wonder if things would have been more difficult without a horse. Just being able to see him, exercise hit, groom him, make his bed all comfortable, make his feeds and leave him at night knowing his needs are all met, sometimes it's the only part of the day when it doesn't feel like I haven't quite managed to deliver what everyone wants from me. He doesn't care if I look a state or don't feel like being amusing. Worth every penny!
 
Horses are brilliant for those with mental health problems, confidence issues etc. That's why the Rda is so popular, a horse can make an autistic child speak, can give someone with anxiety a few moments of freedom from nerves, give someone struggling in life a reason to continue living. They listen they comfort and they make you feel loved and wanted. They are incredibly calm animals and intelligent and know when they are needed. They make you fitter as well which on turn can help some mental health issues by giving you confidence.
 
Yes. Horses have got me through some really tough times, most notably a few years ago when I had to take time off my extremely stressful job due to anxiety and depression. I just remember hacking my horse at the time to the top of our favourite hill and realising that being with him was the only time I felt at peace.
Luckily I've been on a pretty even keel for the past few years, but even something simple as a bad day at work or a fight with my boyfriend is completely forgotten when I'm looking after the horses.
 
horses may sometimes provide great stress, like when they are injured/ unwell or you are ill and still have to drag yourself to the yard. however, they are absolutely my savior when it comes to mental health. i wont go into great detail but don't want my comment to sound flippant. but my first horse helped get me through an eating disorder, narrowly avoiding hospitalization or worse. and my second horse turned up at my old yard just when i needed her, when I was deep in the depths of depression when I could not even look at horses I was so sick & sadly even suicidal. she brought me back from the brink. I have also since gained a dog who is always there to get me up in the morning & 2 ponies!

I am pretty healthy and stable at the moment, but when I have a bad day they are always there
 
Interesting thread,

I had one riding lesson when I was about 11 (mostly just to keep my sister company) and never really thought about horses much since. A few years ago I was diagnosed as having a mild form of Asperger’s. It did help explain some of the things in my past but I never really thought of how I was going to move forward. Recently, and completely out of the blue, I stumbled on some videos on You Tube showing liberty riding and something just “clicked” inside me. The connection of mind, body and heart just moved me and I’m sure learning to ride would do me the world of good.

I’m lucky that I have enough time and money to give it a go, and there are LOTS of riding schools down here in Surrey, my biggest hurdle is going to be shedding some weight and getting fit! (I’m 6ft 4). I’ve lost 10lbs already and can’t wait to get started!


PS – Just wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed reading these forums, if most horse people are as cool as you guys then I’m looking forward to making some new horse minded friends. 
 
I enjoy reading these thread even if I don't have the confidence to respond sometimes. Welcome Almonzor, to the world of horses. They don't judge you, just trust you.
 
I owe my horse my life really.
I had something awful happen to me 5 years ago now & after I just couldn't see a way back to being "me" & I got to the point of nearly attempting suicide & the only thing that stopped me was my horse. Sometimes I didn't want to exist but she gave me a reason to get up on a morning & made me realise it was about moving forwards not trying to go back to before.
Nowadays its very rare I have a bad day but if I do my yard is my little piece of heaven & I just feel human again when I've been there. I can take my stress out mucking out & stuffing nets then I can have cuddles from the ponies & I have something to focus on with the youngsters & competing :)
 
Almonzor said:
Interesting thread,

I had one riding lesson when I was about 11 (mostly just to keep my sister company) and never really thought about horses much since. A few years ago I was diagnosed as having a mild form of Asperger’s. It did help explain some of the things in my past but I never really thought of how I was going to move forward. Recently, and completely out of the blue, I stumbled on some videos on You Tube showing liberty riding and something just “clicked” inside me. The connection of mind, body and heart just moved me and I’m sure learning to ride would do me the world of good.

I’m lucky that I have enough time and money to give it a go, and there are LOTS of riding schools down here in Surrey, my biggest hurdle is going to be shedding some weight and getting fit! (I’m 6ft 4). I’ve lost 10lbs already and can’t wait to get started!


PS – Just wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed reading these forums, if most horse people are as cool as you guys then I’m looking forward to making some new horse minded friends. 
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Lovely post Almonzor, welcome. :) Good luck with your riding, please keep us updated.

We owe an awful lot to our horses, dogs, cats and pets in general - they give us so much and ask, relatively very little in return. We are blessed. :)
 
I owe everything to my dogs and horse. Without them i would not push myself to go to work everyday, as thats the only way i can afford to keep them, and would most likely be a complete recluse never leaving the house.
I have mild autistic spectrum disorder, mild tourettes syndrome, depression, anxiety disorder and a form of mild agoraphobia, so as you can image life can often be quite a struggle.
Yes horses are also very stressful and i have had times i've wondered if being a recluse would be easier but i refuse to give in to the world.
It's not always about the actual horse either, I dont form friendships very well so having people at the yard daily who i get along with, can chat to and laugh with has helped over the past 6 years and people had said they can tell when i am having a 'please give me space' day :)
 
I've had MH issues for years now and my coping mechanism was to always tack up Olly and head out for a ride, now I am unable to (had to sell as no longer able to work) and I am really struggling to find a new way of putting my head back on straight when I need to.
 
Well done to all of you for over coming so many obstacles! My youngest daughter has high functioning autism, I myself have never felt comfortable with people but with all animals (particularly dogs and horses) I am at total ease, they never judge and don't ask questions!
 
It is certainly a very good way to find a reason to get out and get active and interact with something living.

I unfortunately had to sell my horse indirectly due to it as I was unable to stay in my job so couldn't afford to keep her on. Felt terribly unfair as it is perhaps when you are struggling you need the activity more than ever.

For those with anxiety or panic disorders who manage to keep horses how do you get around a bad day?
 
I can honestly say that at one point Kali kept me alive. His influence is indefinable . . . I have a husband, children, friends and dogs . . . but having to look after him every day kept me putting one foot in front of the other in ways nothing else did - which is very sad if you think about it for too long - so I prefer not to.

I owe him everything - he owes me nothing.

P
 
I've struggled with severe clinical depression, and anxiety for a few years now. Having retired early from a stressful job took some pressure off, but if it wasn't for my horse and my two rescue hounds I wouldn't be here now. Sometimes the days are very dark and it's a struggle to function, but I always try to keep going one step at a time. If I didn't then I would lose everything that is so precious in my life.
 
My horse has both helped and hindered me physically and mentally for the last 5 years.

I have struggled with MH issues in previous years but when, through no fault of his own, my horse became an utter psycho when he was around 8 months old, I was pretty devastated and it took quite a sudden and profound toll on my health. It was awful to look in his eyes and see the fear and anger he had developed, to feel useless as he no longer displayed any 'horse logic/rationality', it made my heart heavier and heavier and the physical effort exhausted me.

Then after having a beloved horse PTS, Shingles and a fractured hip (caused by psycho horse) in close succession (plus a lot of unneeded 'life problems' going on too), things got really tough. I completely nearly all confidence in my ability to handle my horse, it was hanging on by a thread. I was too low and exhausted, physically and mentally, I could just about manage his daily care which was always highly stressful and knackering.

I knew my horse had 2 options, a bullet or a one chance try with a Trainer. Too often Trainers take on horses they can't fix and the poor horses end up getting passed from pillar to post with their problems getting worse, I didn't want that for mine but finding the right Trainer knowing his life depended on it was a lot of pressure. Luckily I found the right one.

The last 2 1/2 years have seen my horse on the road to rehab, slowly but surely and earlier this year I was diagnosed with Fibro, which explains a lot about how I felt/feel both physically and mentally.

I got on my now no longer a psycho horse for the 1st time a few weeks ago, he was a dude.

So I suppose on reflection, I do owe him a lot. He kept me fighting, albeit for his sake, which makes it all worthwhile. I think.
 
After my 5th miscarriage , my lovely brother and my best friend announced their pregnancies . However happy I was for them my head hit the bottom of the pit . I set off for a hack on my little cob and he saved me . If I hadnt had the ponies and the dogs I dont think I would have made it .
I have 2 lovely kids ( 16 and 18 now ) , wouldnt have made it through without the furry lot . Lots of health trouble still but when I need an unjudgemental hug there they are .
I also help at RDA , have done for years and the difference animals make is unmeasurable .
 
MargotC said:
It is certainly a very good way to find a reason to get out and get active and interact with something living.

I unfortunately had to sell my horse indirectly due to it as I was unable to stay in my job so couldn't afford to keep her on. Felt terribly unfair as it is perhaps when you are struggling you need the activity more than ever.

For those with anxiety or panic disorders who manage to keep horses how do you get around a bad day?
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luckily I now am 90% OK, but I did have 6 months of not leaving the house except when I was with my mum, literally holding my hand, to go a few hundred meters to the local shop and i would be crying and hyperventilating from the anxiety (wow hard to believe really! this was 5 years ago). At this point my horse was out on loan as I was meant to go to university, so I had no reason to leave the house.

on a bad day I would only go to the yard when it was very quiet so I did not have to talk to anyone. leaving the house was hard, but I knew it would feel better once I got there. some days it still did not feel much better so I would do the minimum I needed to do for the horses to be ok, and then zoom home.
 
pippixox said:
luckily I now am 90% OK, but I did have 6 months of not leaving the house except when I was with my mum, literally holding my hand, to go a few hundred meters to the local shop and i would be crying and hyperventilating from the anxiety (wow hard to believe really! this was 5 years ago). At this point my horse was out on loan as I was meant to go to university, so I had no reason to leave the house.

on a bad day I would only go to the yard when it was very quiet so I did not have to talk to anyone. leaving the house was hard, but I knew it would feel better once I got there. some days it still did not feel much better so I would do the minimum I needed to do for the horses to be ok, and then zoom home.
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I feel you. I had days where I'd manage the yard work (thankfully a quiet yard, could work at my own pace and sit down if needed without making a spectacle) but had to back out of actually riding as I was dead scared about having an attack whilst away from the yard. Panicking in public on your own is one thing, but having a horse in tow amidst traffic whilst feeling sick and knowing you have to make it the thirty minutes back to the yard is another thing entirely... Of course I only actually had two or three attacks out riding but the fear of another one is just as crippling even on a good day.

The horse was the absolute last thing I gave up on though when finances forced it and I can't really think of a positive activity that comes close, whether you're sick or doing well.
 
MargotC said:
It is certainly a very good way to find a reason to get out and get active and interact with something living.

I unfortunately had to sell my horse indirectly due to it as I was unable to stay in my job so couldn't afford to keep her on. Felt terribly unfair as it is perhaps when you are struggling you need the activity more than ever.

For those with anxiety or panic disorders who manage to keep horses how do you get around a bad day?
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If in the week I go down to the yard (I live on site) once I know most people will have gone in the morning.

There is noone else to do him so no option, I will do the minimum, he will probably make me cry and I will go back to bed.

Sometimes I do find it problematic when I put quite a lot on enjoying my horse time/him cheering me up that at times when it isn't really working I am at a loss at what to do. Even more so if something goes wrong, I really used to rely on it for recharge at the weekend.
 
How to reduce levels of anxiety? Keep your horse in the middle of bloody nowhere down the end of a track which leads to nowhere! :D

It sometimes takes me more than an hour or two to "decide" to groom, tack up and ride - but I very rarely regret actually hopping on.

I had the police & ambulance turn up in the middle of the night last week to cart me off to hospital... but my boy doesn't know that. Whilst there might be whispers about me by the humans, he's never told me I'm a nutter.
 
I have my gelding on part livery so if i feel really low he is cared for (they dont groom, ride or tack clean)

but most of the night i find he keeps me going strong i often go to the yard later on like after 7 pm as it is quiet and i can just spend him with him and he enjoys my company (i think!)

2 weeks after i brought him i was having a very difficult time so i sat in the corner of the stable (amount the banked up bedding) and burst in to tears, my little (was 4 year old at time) gelding came right over and put his chin in my knees and didn't even look back at his hay

i think they must have a deeper understanding then we ever give them credit for!
 
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