Pictures Mental Health and Horses.

[Shysmum]

I suffer with mental health problems, and have found peace living in rural France with my two boys. I was badly bullied on a couple of livery yards ( including about Shy), but I know there are some great supportive yards out there. My ponies are my life, my routine, and my everything. I am lucky, I have a diagnosis and a psychiatrist now, but I had to fight all the way for help in the UK. I'm so proud of my boys, especially as I started Shy from a foal, and Pepsi,31, as a rescue.

Does anyone else find their ponies help their mental health ?

 

[Caol Ila]

No. She's probably making it worse at the minute.

 

[ycbm]

I suffer with mental health problems, and have found peace living in rural France with my two boys. I was badly bullied on a couple of livery yards ( including about Shy), but I know there are some great supportive yards out there. My ponies are my life, my routine, and my everything. I am lucky, I have a diagnosis and a psychiatrist now, but I had to fight all the way for help in the UK. I'm so proud of my boys, especially as I started Shy from a foal, and Pepsi,31, as a rescue.

Does anyone else find their ponies help their mental health ?

Oh God yes, I'd be a total ADHD nutcase without my horses.

 

[Chinchilla]

No, mine make it much worse personally

 

[AdorableAlice]

Well done and how lovely your words are. Your ponies are lucky to have you and you to have them.

For me, my horses are my life but over the last few months they have caused me a lot of mental stress and worry. But over many many years they have given great pleasure.

 

[SO1]

My pony has been my absolute rock during lockdown, living on my own far from most of my friends and family. Being able to see him and cuddle him and see people outside for exercise has helped me hugely. When I am riding I forget about my troubles for a while.

On the flipside when he is ill that makes me anxious and having a horse means I have less financial security which makes me feel worried sometimes.

 

[doodle]

Very mixed. Generally he is my reason for getting up each day (I have to get up and see to him as he is diy so not fair to not do that) and for keeping fighting. However when he is not right it impacts me hugely. But also works the other way, there is no doubt I would be admitted just now but I have to give him all his meds. But then maybe if he wasn’t so ill I would be coping better with life. When Minto was pts I tried to go too and yet another stay in hospital. They have now decided I have OCD around my thoughts and how to keep him safe. I couldn’t bear to be without him but when he goes I will not get another. Most People on my yard know I am unwell and they know where I am when I am in hospital but the yard and my health are 2 different things.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I'd probably have better mental health without a horse, tbh.

Why do I have him then? I suppose I'm insane and a glutton for punishment ?‍

I'm also not a people person and there can be a lot of people at the yard, so there's that too.

 

[Shysmum]

No. She's probably making it worse at the minute.

?????

 

[Shysmum]

No, mine make it much worse personally

Really ? How? ?

 

[Shysmum]

I'd probably have better mental health without a horse, tbh.

Why do I have him then? I suppose I'm insane and a glutton for punishment ?‍

I'm also not a people person and there can be a lot of people at the yard, so there's that too.

I HATED being on livery yards ! I feel your pain there x

 

[Shysmum]

No, mine make it much worse personally

So sorry ?

 

[Baywonder]

My old boy was brilliant for my sanity.

If I was having a bad day, I would just tack him up and disappear off on a hack for an hour or two, and soon my stresses just faded away. It wasn't just the riding, just looking after him and spending time with him helped me immensely.

My DD1 did a short stint volunteering at the local stables, and the first time she went she asked me to go with her for moral support. I ended up cleaning tack, tidying around the yard, leading in a lesson etc. It was the middle of winter, wet and freezing cold, but I loved every single minute of it.

 

[Shysmum]

Very mixed. Generally he is my reason for getting up each day (I have to get up and see to him as he is diy so not fair to not do that) and for keeping fighting. However when he is not right it impacts me hugely. But also works the other way, there is no doubt I would be admitted just now but I have to give him all his meds. But then maybe if he wasn’t so ill I would be coping better with life. When Minto was pts I tried to go too and yet another stay in hospital. They have now decided I have OCD around my thoughts and how to keep him safe. I couldn’t bear to be without him but when he goes I will not get another. Most People on my yard know I am unwell and they know where I am when I am in hospital but the yard and my health are 2 different things.

I've been reading your posts, and am so very sorry. I don't think I would cope with what you're going through ?

 

[Shysmum]

My old boy was brilliant for my sanity.

If I was having a bad day, I would just tack him up and disappear off on a hack for an hour or two, and soon my stresses just faded away. It wasn't just the riding, just looking after him and spending time with him helped me immensely.

My DD1 did a short stint volunteering at the local stables, and the first time she went she asked me to go with her for moral support. I ended up cleaning tack, tidying around the yard, leading in a lesson etc. It was the middle of winter, wet and freezing cold, but I loved every single minute of it.

Yup, just being round my boys is very healing xx

 

[doodle]

I've been reading your posts, and am so very sorry. I don't think I would cope with what you're going through ?

I have amazing support.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Is say both ways at times, when things are going badly, and I’ve had a bad run the past years I can feel pretty low about it all and it does effect all areas of my life. However it’s absolutely works the other way, I love faffing round with my horses and there’s nothing better than things going right, even tiny silly things.
That’s a gorgeous photo Shysmum! It looks happy ?

 

[Snowfilly]

Both ways. They are the reason not to anything permanent in terms of opting out, or injury so severe I can’t feed or water as they depend on me totally. I suspect without animals I wouldn’t be around now.

But they cause a lot of stress, they’re a financial burden which sometimes makes things worse and when the bad spells of lameness, illness and old age come it affects me badly.

And then you get a day like today where the baby stands to have his saddle and bridle on and goes through all his in hand work foot perfect and you think ‘well, I can’t be a complete failure of a person if I’ve trained him to do that.’ And I wouldn’t change that for anything.

 

[Shysmum]

Is say both ways at times, when things are going badly, and I’ve had a bad run the past years I can feel pretty low about it all and it does effect all areas of my life. However it’s absolutely works the other way, I love faffing round with my horses and there’s nothing better than things going right, even tiny silly things.
That’s a gorgeous photo Shysmum! It looks happy ?

Thankyou xxxx

 

[Shysmum]

Both ways. They are the reason not to anything permanent in terms of opting out, or injury so severe I can’t feed or water as they depend on me totally. I suspect without animals I wouldn’t be around now.

But they cause a lot of stress, they’re a financial burden which sometimes makes things worse and when the bad spells of lameness, illness and old age come it affects me badly.

And then you get a day like today where the baby stands to have his saddle and bridle on and goes through all his in hand work foot perfect and you think ‘well, I can’t be a complete failure of a person if I’ve trained him to do that.’ And I wouldn’t change that for anything.

Understand completely x

 

[windand rain]

They are my sanity they improve both my mental and physical health. I no longer ride due to severe pain but looking after them keeps me mobile, interested and able to deal with pain better. I think without them I would probably be both wheelchair and housebound

 

[L&M]

Mine has been my 'constant' over the last 10 yrs, and has seen me through childbirth, illness, divorce and 3 house moves.

He has never been sick nor sorry, or given me a moments worry. I feel priveledged to own him - he may not be a world beater, but I only need to sit on him and see the world through the prick of his ears, for all my problems to disappear.

Although in a good place now, I dread to think what state I would have been in mentally without him through the darker days.

 

[scats]

Yes and no. If everything is going ok then yes they definitely help. However, if something is wrong with one of them, my mental health plummets. I do sometimes worry how much my mental health is intertwined with them.

 

[Amun]

Yes now in lockdown it's literally the last thing that's keeping me sane. With a pinch of salt I just live for those days I'm in a yard. I just feel pure happiness out there ? btw congratulations to finding your perfect home, rural France+horses sound like a dream! I can almost smell baguettes and cheese ?

 

[SOS]

As many others yes and no.

When they are well and in work then they make my life soar. However when they are injured and off work and a constant worry both for their health and the financial impact then no they don’t improve it. Also if my life is very busy with work or I’m generally not mentally well I can find the pressure to work my horses too much. Those are the days where aslong as me and the animals are fed and clean that’s all that matters.

Im not sure I’d be better off without my horses though. They bring purpose to my time, lots of social contacts and it will never fail to amaze me how easy it is to pass time fiddling around the yard doing bits and bobs. It never feels like a chore or exercise when I am there either. That’s something I always found amazing about when I groomed, it was a day of doing things I would do happily anyway (bar filling hay nets)

 

[ester]

50:50.
and it's arguable whether having one 200 miles away is better (blissful ignorance) or worse (can't easily get there).
I probably miss 'yard time' and on-tap social contacts as much as him though.

 

[PurBee]

Its lovely to read how much your ponies help you...especially since moving to france.
whereabout in france have you ended up? We’ve been looking at relocating internationally. France has been on the hotlist!

I love being around my horses, their ‘innocence’ of being i feel most attracted to...just being themselves...its why i love all animals really. They’re never self-conscious and have no social conditioning of what they should or shouldnt be, they just ‘be themselves’ very naturally, and i love the freedom of their personality in just being themselves...whether that be snoozy, or silly, or nippy cheeky, or broncing playing excitedly in the field.
Animals keep me sane in that sense of allowing freedom in my life as they truly accept me as i do them.

However, they also bring stress on a practical level in my life. I know if my set up was different i wouldnt stress so much about these parts of horse ownership, but it is how it is, and i have coped. I wish that i had loads more land, sunshine, and money for my horses and my life to be truly spectacular! ?

 

[Flicker]

I suffer with mental health problems, and have found peace living in rural France with my two boys. I was badly bullied on a couple of livery yards ( including about Shy), but I know there are some great supportive yards out there. My ponies are my life, my routine, and my everything. I am lucky, I have a diagnosis and a psychiatrist now, but I had to fight all the way for help in the UK. I'm so proud of my boys, especially as I started Shy from a foal, and Pepsi,31, as a rescue.

Does anyone else find their ponies help their mental health ?

What a lovely honest post. On the whole, my horses have been a huge help with my mental health and I miss having a horse at the moment. Even when things aren’t going right with them, just being in their company I find very soothing.

Your photo of you and Shy is beautiful - you both look so at peace with the world. I’m so glad you have found your happy place.

 

[Caol Ila]

Mine has been my 'constant' over the last 10 yrs, and has seen me through childbirth, illness, divorce and 3 house moves.

He has never been sick nor sorry, or given me a moments worry. I feel priveledged to own him - he may not be a world beater, but I only need to sit on him and see the world through the prick of his ears, for all my problems to disappear.

Although in a good place now, I dread to think what state I would have been in mentally without him through the darker days.

Not too long ago, I could have written this post. Last year. It seemed like she would go on forever. She was a rock. I might not be here if it wasn't for her. But at 27, age started catching up, and I now feel like I am giving everything I have to keep her going, but it won't be enough. I just feel depressed all the time now. I'm surrounded by people doing dressage and jumping and having a great time, and I am working my ass off to maintain her so she can go on walking hacks, and once that's gone, it's the end of the line, as she's not a retirable horse for assorted reasons. I'm trying to break up with dressage right now. I was once a dressage rider, albeit a shit one, and I'm not anymore. It will be some years before I can do it again.

 

[rara007]

For large portions of my life (ok maybe all of it) they’ve been fundamental to me getting up in the morning. That does mean the smallest horse health stress is hard to cope with and even though I’m very comfortable with euthanasia of animals each one of my own hits hard. They’re my identity ?