Why do horses attract mad people?

[LEC]

Not really CR but I have met a lot of mad people out competing (have I justified myself enough FMC )

I am intrigued what is it about horses that attracts mad people? BTW I think I am slightly mad (at least all my students tell me at work I am).

I played/coach rugby and I do not think they were ever the same kind of bonkers that I meet with horses. I worked for a top golf company as well and again seemed pretty sane. I work with equine students and I think it must be an age thing as they are ok at 17 - bit obsessed with being orange but they have not hit the heights I see out and about.

Do you come on HHO because you sometimes worry about your sanity and then realise that you are not that bad?

Are you slightly mad or pretty normal whatever that is?

 

[RLD]

This is a discussion I've had with friends a few times. Although we always get back to the chicken/egg question - i.e do horses attract mad people or do they drive people to madness?

 

[LEC]

oooo now that is an interesting thought. Normally I roll my eyes sigh about horses attracting mad people and never think that philosophically about it.

 

[CrazyMare]

I work in a hospital, and most of the staff tell me I am mad.

Something about getting up at silly o'clock every day, mucking out, working a full day then going back for round two!!!

The other question that is often asked is do I have a daily dose of amphetamines to manage to do it all, but I think my life is fairly average in terms of a horse owner!!

 

[Goldenstar]

I think there are lots of mad people everywhere !! Although horses does seem to perhaps have more than its fair share perhaps it's all the knocks on the head.
My BF is seriously into climbing and skiing and some of that lot are positively raving I promise you they makes horse people look very tame.

 

[pigsmight:)]

I am most defiantly a little bit crazy but I do try to be crazy in a good way! I think the problem with horse people is that the being competitive and often jealous streak can bring out an unsavoury side to some.

I do however have some great friends that I have met In this crazy place that is often referred to as ' the horse world I try to keep my sense of humour and ability to laugh at myself and hope that I don't become.... A crazy pony club mum one day! ( I am not saying that all pony club mums are crazy... But some really are!) I shall stop rambling on now! Xx

 

[RLD]

oooo now that is an interesting thought. Normally I roll my eyes sigh about horses attracting mad people and never think that philosophically about it.

I've been liveried at a big yard for a long time - it has given me lots of examples to think about! The problem is I have ridden since I was young so I am probably mad too.

 

[NR99]

This is a discussion I've had with friends a few times. Although we always get back to the chicken/egg question - i.e do horses attract mad people or do they drive people to madness?

I would hazard a guess at the latter, though the male half of our family do sidecar MX and those boys should definately check in at psychiatrics

 

[TarrSteps]

I've come to the conclusion it's a combination of cumulative brain injury and ammonia fumes, perhaps exacerbated by bad nutrition, sleep deprivation, and alcohol poisoning. So more of a syndrome.

 

[lauraandjack]

I think you have to be mad to willingly sit on top of half a tonne of muscle with a mind of it's own............

 

[MandyMoo]

This is a discussion I've had with friends a few times. Although we always get back to the chicken/egg question - i.e do horses attract mad people or do they drive people to madness?

haha!!

I think you have to be mad to willingly sit on top of half a tonne of muscle with a mind of it's own............

agreed!!

to be fair, i think i am rather mad to be honest! it takes a mad person to be able to withstand the stresses, money/time usage and dedication that horses drain from us well, i don't sound too pleased to be horsey mad do i?! nah i love it, but yes.. totally bonkers

 

[spookypony]

I've been told by other horsey people that I'm generally considered barking, so does that mean that I'm off-the-scale barking, or does that mean that I'm in fact completely sane??

 

[quizzie]

I've come to the conclusion it's a combination of cumulative brain injury and ammonia fumes, perhaps exacerbated by bad nutrition, sleep deprivation, and alcohol poisoning. So more of a syndrome.

Do you think there is an inherited predisposition too......I'm not sure whether to the madness, the equine addiction, or the alcoholism.....or may be all 3 are required for the full-blown syndrome to be expressed clinically...!

 

[LEC]

My mother is horsey and bonkers - she told me the other day that there is no such thing as French Vegetarians and that they (being the French) do not get allergies. I thought that was pretty random and slightly bonkers. My mother is renowned for being partial to anything with an alcohol content as well.

I really hope that my father (who is not a fan of horses) has balanced out my genetics

 

[ClobellsandBaubles]

Depends on your definition of mad I mean some people think I am mad for going out riding or to shows in the dark and rain but that to me is a little out of the ordinary for a lot of people I do agree I am a little mad but in a friendly sort of way
now some people they are just mad whether they are doing horsey things or not. So are you talking doing horsey things makes you mad or you find a higher proportion of scary crazy people around horses who are mad by anyone's standards

 

[LEC]

No a higher proportion of genuinely mad people involved with horses.

Being involved with half a tonne of beast with its own brain, spending a fortune on it, never making a penny out of it and then it going lame and costing another small fortune is not mad at all!

 

[MandyMoo]

Being involved with half a tonne of beast with its own brain, spending a fortune on it, never making a penny out of it and then it going lame and costing another small fortune is not mad at all!

haha brilliant summary of horse ownership!!! doesn't sound so good written down does it? so why do we all do it? MADNESS

 

[Scarlett]

I don't think that there is such an inherent bond between owning horses and drinking too much for no reason. Horses make my wine habit seem cheap, safe and down right sensible....

 

[measles]

I've come to the conclusion it's a combination of cumulative brain injury and ammonia fumes, perhaps exacerbated by bad nutrition, sleep deprivation, and alcohol poisoning. So more of a syndrome.

I'm with TarrSteps on that! Mad as march hares most of us

 

[kit279]

Because in the words of my father, "horses are good old fashioned unsafe fun"...

 

[Chestnuttymare]

I have never met as many bonkers people as the ones in the horse world! I don't know what it is, perhaps the constant being soaked, frozen, skint, worried, dropped on their heads from a great height, are all contributing factors.
I am in fact wondering about my own sanity these days, I go round morrisons talking to myself about what i need to get next and muttering things like 'ooh kilo of carrots for 50p, get them', that coupled with me having bits of hay sticking out of my hair and mud smeared face and minging nails and smelling of the impulse that i douse myself with before getting out of the car, people must think I am surely barking!
Having said that, I have met some of the most lovely, helpful and genuine people in the equine world. Seems that the 2 extremes, not many 'just ok'!

 

[dieseldog]

When you are with a group of 'normal' people (Muggles?) do you admit you own a horse? I never freely offer that information.

 

[.Redmerl]

Most of the unhorsey ppl I know are boring and down right miserable. Give me crackers and skint anyday

 

[I*HM]

I think horses and what is perceived as 'bonkers' (by non horsie people) go hand in hand.
With some of my non horsie friends I regularly get told things like "you don't count, you just want to shovel *****e" and "you and your horses!" folled by rolled eyes, signing me into mental institutes and such.

However, I've come to the realisation that even by horse-crazy standards, I'm starting to go (or just realising) that I may be a little more loco that normal. Was told the other day that when I talk about certain horse things with certain people, I make everyone else feel simple. And I'm apparently not right in the head - eg I enjoy schooling in rain, even when there's an indoor

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

I've come to the conclusion it's a combination of cumulative brain injury and ammonia fumes, perhaps exacerbated by bad nutrition, sleep deprivation, and alcohol poisoning. So more of a syndrome.

Brilliantly put! Once again Tarrsteps wisdom and large fountain of knowledge on everything equestrian comes to the fore again

 

[ArcticFox]

I think the more crazy/dangerous/adrenalin inducing the sport the madder the people!

Know a few skydivers and they are all a bit insane

 

[Gamebird]

You're right ArcticFox. There was a program on the radio yesterday about risk, benefits and implications for making choices and it's scientifically proven (that brilliant catch-all term ). If you introduce a certain risk to a situation a proportionate number of people will change their choices to avoid it but some people will postively change course to take the risk and they tend to be the best thinkers whereas the other group are more likely to live their life on autopilot without actually taking responisibility for making decisions (sorry, poor synopsis but it's early!).

So you see we're not mad, but being risk takers merely makes us better choice makers, decision makers and cleverer than the rest of the population!

 

[siennamum]

When you are with a group of 'normal' people (Muggles?) do you admit you own a horse? I never freely offer that information.

I think people can usually tell when they meet me. Either that or they assume I have a personal hygeine problem.

 

[dollface]

My Dad says anything (as in horse) that doesnt stop to poo should never be trusted, when questioned he replied "everything stops to poo, except a horse so you should never get on it as it may well never stop!"
My Dad also thinks we are mad, what fun would anyone get out of mucking out/looking after a smelly stinky animal that costs a fortune to keep??? I usually try and defend myself and others but usually give up after he reminds me of injuries and how skint (and smelly) I am!

 

[SpottedCat]

I think there are two types of mad - the doing risky things for fun type, and the actual crazy people who have a veneer of normal but then say/do things which are properly crazy and often reflect them in a really bad light. In mountain biking and climbing I've met loads of the former but couldn't name any of the latter. In horses there are some of the former but a disproportionate number of the latter. I have no idea why this is!