Why do we have horses? The good (or least crazy) reasons!

[HorseMaid]

There have been some tricky times for me over the last decade (mainly stuff to do with my children), and hands down I can say that owning a horse is the BEST therapy there is. There have been times when my DH has literally ordered me out of the door to go for a ride, in my darkest times, and I've come back smiling and relaxed.

It's not all sunshine and roses, and there are times I think life would be easier without them... But it would also be emptier, greyer. Nothing makes my heart sing like horses.

 

[rabatsa]

The world is right when giving a scratch or brushing a contented equine.
Even Mr R finds peace chatting to a donkey when life would otherwise be too stressful.

 

[JoannaC]

When I was younger they kept me sane after a stressful day at work. I'd reach the yard get on my mare and everything was right with the world again. Now i'm older they keep me going. I think i'd end up very fat, scrolling social media all day becoming more depressed if I didn't have to go and poo pick, muck out, listen to them munching hay etc. No doubt there will come a time when i've had enough but for now I think they keep me healthy ish

 

[McGrools]

Great thread!
I feel at home on a horse. That is my true self. My natural habitat

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

My eldest gave up just over a year ago but what we shared together couldn't have happened with any other animal. Riding out together across the forest looking for our stock you couldn't beat.

I am lucky enough not to have to ride out on the roads over fabulous scenery. I've bred a few ponies and I just love the relationship I have with them.

Mine are kept off the beaten track, it's a great bolthole and has helped me more than I can imagine.

The smell, the comfort, connection and love I have with equines will never waver.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

What a lovely thread!
Everyone has put it into words much more eloquently than I can!

 

[lynz88]

I find myself questioning the whole horse thing from time to time especially when mine goes off....but I have very much noticed that a week or 1.5 weeks without seeing him makes me unconsciously unhappy. I see his face and it brightens my day.

 

[blitznbobs]

Cos I keep buying them… it’s an illness

 

[Dave's Mam]

Because.....

 

[M1lbie]

I’m so glad this thread has started after reading all about people giving up, I’ve had horses for 60 years, and could not imagine not having them. I’m lucky to have my own land and even today after all the rain and struggle with the mud it still makes me smile when I am greeted with the pricked ears and lovely faces of my two, they lift my spirit. I rode out in walk on my rehabbing Connie in the sun and showers this morning and just thought how lucky I am. Walking the dog just doesn’t have the same effect on me, much as I love him too. They give me a reason to get out every morning and evening, I love being at the yard and looking after them. Yes there are days when I think as I’m in my 70s am I still going to be picking up poo in my 80s? But provided I’m still able to then yes I will be, they are a tie but I’ve got no desire to travel a great deal or to pursue other hobbies, fortunately my OH of 40 odd years has his own passion for cars so we rub along just fine. Even my now grown up children think I wouldn’t survive without my horses ( they keep you fit Mum!!). The obsession that started as a child is still very much there and it would seem very unlikely to ever diminish.

 

[Gloi]

My family are all long dead. I don't know who I'd be without a horse.

 

[silv]

I can't imagine life without horses, I just love the lifestyle and all the people and other horses you meet along the way, all the lovely parts of the countryside I have had the good fortune to ride on all due to the horses in my life. When my husband died and having no other family in NZ I just put all my energy into going away competing every weekend and this kept me sane. I have a great many very good friends and have met all of those through having horses. I love looking out of my window and seeing them in the morning, it is a reason to get up. Rain and horrible weather makes no difference I don't find it a chore in the least to attend to them. Not to mention the friendship and companionship I get from them too, especially my gelding who always wants a cuddle and makes me smile every day with his cheerful demeanor and good looks. I have recently moved to a new part of country where I know no one, I have made some good friends already and this is through the horse scene.

 

[ycbm]

I had them because they allowed me to fly and to escape the cares of the world. They smell pretty good, too
.

 

[Cloball]

This filled my heart today this time last year this pony wouldnt relaxenough to eat whilst tied up or stand still to be groomed, I was always getting bruises where she head butted me and she was nicknamed the scowler (not by me). Her she is letting me pull clumps of mud out of her ears and giving me the closest thing to a cuddle. I just don't get that feeling with another animal.

 

[Dreamer2020]

To make me feel alive, to nourish my soul, to keep me sane & to revel in a relationship with a creature who could easily hurt me but doesn't because he trusts me

 

[GypsGal1718]

To be kept alive by something that trusts you and expects nothing, that fills your heart with Joy and recharges you more then anything else can or will

 

[tristars]

the first thing i ever thought about that i can remember, is i wanted to be with horses

to me they are the best thing in this world, sometimes i only realize this fully when life gets tough, and i go near a horse and nothing can touch me then i feel untouchable

some of the best moments were not competition, more the morning a foal is born, the sheer wonder of the miracle of life

riding my stallion around a huge field in the dark in the full moon

the first time warrior got up on his own off the ground instead of being hoisted up, and some years later realizing that the near dead scrap of life was going to make a super dressage horse, unbelievable

the ups the downs, the ups to cherish, the downs to learn from

 

[Identityincrisis]

I love the fact you can be having the worst day, things going over and over and over in your brain, never getting a moment’s rest from the thoughts, then i jump on and my brain and mind are still, i just enjoy being alone with my horse and the countryside.

I have a dog who i have an amazing connection with, i love walking him but only because he gets so much joy out of it, if I didn’t have him, walking for walking’s sake, no thanks!

 

[Titchy Pony]

I have horses because they are, in large part, responsible for who and what I am now.

They somehow turned me from a little girl who wouldn't say boo to a goose and used to cry at the drop of a hat into a young daredevil, flying around cross country courses and standing in her pony's saddle to pick cherries. I don't think any human teacher could have done that.

They taught me how to control my nerves in stressful situations or under pressure. How to mitigate disasters, think fast, and how to organise to conserve energy.

They taught me how to deal with both competitive success and failure. To always put someone else ahead of my competitive goals.

They taught me how to speak in public, hiding behind a shetland pony while I taught kids to ride.

They taught me when to let go, when to persevere and when to change tack.

They taught me to be quiet on the outside when everything is racing and churning on the inside.

They taught me to keep on learning which drove me towards a doctorate in animal behaviour.

Without horses, I wouldn't have experienced the world as fully as I have: the wind, the rain, the cold, the heat, the starry or stormy nights, the wildlife you only see from horse back or being out and about at some ungodly hour.

They give me the bite of adrenaline when riding up to a big fence. They give me the sheer exhilaration and joy of galloping flat out through a field on a horse I trust. The give me the comfort, warmth and sense of home listening to them much away peacefully or feeling them snuffle my neck.

I haven't yet experienced the pain of truly losing a horse, but when I do, I plan to binge on chocolate for a day, cry for months and remember the good times for years. Horses will always be part of me and I hope they will also always be part of my life.

 

[Wishfilly]

It's genuinely so hard to put it into words, but riding gives me both a buzz and a way of switching off from other stresses in life that nothing else does.

I think, as others say, you can do things that give you both joy together, and that's really special.

I adore my pony in particular, and when he comes rushing down the field in the evening because I've called him, I like to think he adores me back (I'm 95% sure he really just wants his dinner). He really is incredibly special and tries his heart out though.

 

[PoniesRock]

I love this thread.

Horses are the best levellers of the world. They have taught me more things than a classroom ever would. When people have let me down, the horses never have.

 

[daffy44]

Others have expressed it more eloquently than I can, but for moments like this.

 

[GypsGal1718]

Them trusting you to Sleep on them and getting that feeling of being recharged more then two million hours of sleep would

 

[McFluff]

Lovely thread, all very true. How else can you truly stay age 8, and be totally in the moment?

 

[Jellymoon]

Because of that feeling when you gallop or jump - that flying sensation as this amazing animal allows you to travel as they travel, to experience their athleticism and freedom.

Because of that feeling when you train them - that meeting of minds, as this beautiful, sensitive, large animal agrees to work with you and play your silly human games.

Because of their beautiful faces in the barn in the morning - always keen to see you, a constant. No day ever starts with an empty space ahead of you, there is always something that can be done with horses in the day, from handwalking to grooming to grand prix showjump training, always a wholesome way to fill some time and escape the expectations of the world.

Because of the routine - having horses reliant on you limits the level of dysfunction that you can sink to, and that is reassuring somehow.

Because of the lifestyle - I may moan about the mud and every February want to sell everything and run away to a city, but the truth is I love the life. I was a suburban kid who yearned for the fields, for the trees, for the country. And not for the sort of countryside that exists in Country Life magazine either, but the ramshakled, rough and ready, homebuilt, highly utilitarian version of countryside life, and the place that I found that as a kid was on horse yards. I remember still so clearly that feeling of finding a place where my restless soul suddenly found peace. It was magic when I was 8 years old, and it is magic still. The horsey lifestyle is my peace and my sanctury from a world that I do not belong in.

This was beautiful too. Are you also a writer?

 

[marmalade76]

I have thought about giving up having a horse because I don't ride an awful lot now, I lack motivation, I've almost completely lost my nerve and costs have gone up. I could also get more than enough riding for others if I wanted, TBH I'd probably ride more. But I love my yard (privately rented and now shared with one other), it's beautiful (as in trees, flowers, wildlife - not pristine and posh!) and so peaceful. I'd probably have to give up my hens if I gave up my yard and there's NO WAY I'm parting with them! I'm also getting a bit lazy as I get older and owning a horse makes me get at least some exercise every day and it's also an escape from the husband who is spending more time at home now he's getting older and doing less work (he's self employed).

 

[AppyLover1996]

Horses became my saviour in more ways than one.

Growing up I was bullied a hell of a lot (wasn't the slimmest girl, had spots, wore glasses, handed in homework on time, helped teachers before and after lessons - a bully's dream basically!) and it messed with my mental health so much that I almost ended up in a psych ward on several occasions. After my last near admittance, the doctor suggested that I try a different sport outside my comfort zone of reading, colouring and spending time with my dogs, and I settled on horses after a few lessons. From there on I was hooked 1000000%. For me it's not the sport I love but the animal - horses don't care what you look like, they care how you treat them and for someone who'd spent her life at the cruel hands of the judgement of others, it was a very welcome change to be loved and accepted for who I am.

Going back a year or so, I got into a relationship with someone I thought who loved me for who I am, turns out that it was a complete and utter farce (oh to be young, naïve and in love...) and he wanted me to walk away from horses (even though he knew how much they meant to me, and I was already limiting my time spent with my pony to make sure that he didn't feel left out) and said the famous words "It's me or those stupid nags you seem to always love more than me!", I begged him to reconsider and he told me he was done and he didn't care how the horses made me feel, he hates how dirty and smelly they are and his girlfriend won't be seen around them. So after that nasty breakup, I remember walking to the stables in floods of tears, going into my pony's stable, sitting on the floor and howling like a wounded animal for what felt like forever. When I finally steadied myself, I looked up to see my pony lying next to me, his head in my lap and he was whickering to me as if to say "It's alright Mum, I got you". Of course I then started crying again, but this time it was in amazement, at how such a magnificent animal could see how wounded and broken I was and even though lying down put in him danger of potential predators, he chose to risk his safety to comfort me - it was a feeling of amazement like no other.

I ride and own horses to feel freedom galloping up a hill, laughing with my mates cause we all have no breaks and are approaching rather large hedges, wondering who's gunna hit the deck or who is gunna make it over.

I ride and own horses to keep me fit and my mental health in check - without them, I'd probably be in a psychiatric ward somewhere, or I would have done the unthinkable and left this world of my own accord (suffering from extreme depression and anxiety sucks big time)

I ride and own horses for the friendships I've made, for the times we've lent our horses when our friends have had theirs on box rest, for the times I've been comforted when my own pony was at death's door and there seemed no other choice but PTS, my friends stuck by me and helped me through the rehab.

I ride and own horses because I was once the little girl who was so broken she felt worthless, but when with horses I never had those feelings - the big oversized dogs saved me in so many ways and for that I'm so thankful.

I ride and own horses as my way of escape when real life becomes too much - I can arrive at the yard in the foulest mood, see my horses and instantly I'm at peace and forget why I was peeved in the first place.

I ride and own horses for the thrill of nailing that jump combination you've spent weeks trying to sort, but couldn't quite get, or that dressage line that was proving slightly too difficult last week, but this week you've consistently nailed it.

Quite simply horses are in my blood and I wouldn't have it any other way....

 

[M1lbie]

My little plot of land with my horses has been my sanctuary for years, I love being here, it gives me space and time to get everything thought through and get my mind straight, it’s where I am on my own with my thoughts and find peace. I need my time to myself with the animals I love, the countryside, wildlife, just everything about it puts my life in order.

 

[kerrieberry2]

for me, its because I love mud!

 

[Burnerbee]

I think a psychologist would say it’s largely a control thing - being in control of something much larger than you ticks a lot of boxes, especially when you’re a teen / pre-teen ( when most of us found horses) who doesn’t get to control much if anything else, and that feeling it gives you (alongside many other feelings) is quite addictive.