“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” – Winston Churchill
My evening barn chores, of course, include cleaning my horse’s stall. Except for the peaceful sounds of munching hay, it’s quiet and I’m alone with my thoughts. There’s no rush. With each fork full of manure and wet shavings that get tossed out, so do the stresses of the day. I call it “pitchfork therapy”.
Only a horse person would understand the therapeutic benefits of picking out your horse’s stall. For me, it’s a time of reflection. A time of quiet. A time to remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to enjoy my life and my horses and to remind myself how fortunate and grateful I am to have these magnificent creatures in my life.
Recent studies have shown that even limited interaction with animals provides a decrease in blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones. Horses add so much to the quality of our lives.
Gratitude
Horses remind us of everything we have to be grateful for. I’m so blessed to be able to keep my horse at my home. To be able to sit on my front porch with a cup of coffee and see her peacefully grazing in the pasture. To enjoy her beauty.
Psalm 37:4 states that the Lord “gives us the desires of our heart”. I’m so grateful that He gave me this passion for horses and that he brought this beautiful animal into my life.
Focus on Caring for Another Being
I’m so honored to be entrusted with the care of such a magnificent animal. To focus on the care of another being, of something outside of ourselves, something dependent upon us for survival, takes the focus away from our ourselves. We can’t afford to be selfish. We may be dealing with tremendous emotional pain, but we must push through it and ensure that our horses are well taken care of.
Companionship
We’ve heard it said that our horse is our mirror. They are a kindred spirit in tune with our own feelings and emotions. They are a quiet friend who is without judgement.
Horses also provide our social experiences. How many of our friendships center around activities at the barn? These friends have the same passion and devotion to horses that we do. That’s a connection that creates a stronger bond just in itself.
It’s fun to get together with friends for lessons and trail rides, to cheer for each other during horse shows or competitions. Our common passion for horses fuels all of it.
Confidence
Being the leader of a horse that weighs over 1000 pounds can feel as though we can achieve anything. With each new skill we learn or teach our horse, our confidence grows.
We learn to set and accomplish small and large goals, to push through fear and self-doubt and to tackle problems and mistakes head on. All these things grows our confidence.
More about confidence here.
Physical Activity
Riding and caring for your horse is obviously a physical activity. It keeps us physically strong, flexible and builds bone mass!
Lifting 50 pound feed bags and moving 100 lb bales of hay. Cleaning stalls, grooming, feeding, raking, pushing wheelbarrows, all of these barn chores actively burn calories and build muscle.
Riding uses all areas of our bodies, It requires body awareness, balance, and coordination. Maintaining a strong core, so we can sit deep in the saddle. Keeping our backs and knees flexible to move with the horse. Keeping alert and maintaining balance to stick a spook. What other sport has these elements to it innately?
Riding is one of the few sports where we can excel in competition well into our advanced years.
Mental Skills and Problem Solving
Research has shown that lifelong learning may prevent memory loss. Memorizing dressage tests, reining patterns, or a trail course are all skills that keep our minds and memories sharp. Even the most experienced equestrian will admit that there is always something new to learn.
Just like our muscles and joints need exercise, our brains needs exercise to stay sharp and alert. Riding provides an active way to keep our brains exercised.
Training and working with our horses brings up daily challenges that force us to think creatively. To seek out information and resources to solve a particular problem. If something worked in the last lesson, but it’s not working now, how else can you solve this issue?
We find ourselves being creative in how to use the tools and materials at hand. Don’t have regular cavalettis to use for trotting poles? How about the using the stack of old fence posts piled behind the barn? We can all point to many examples of being creative and using ingenuity to problem solve.
Owning a horse forces us to prioritize and manage our time and to put the most important aspects of our lives first. Prioritizing riding and squeezing in all the things we have to do in our lives with family, friends, and work can be a tricky juggling act. It takes superb time management skills to pull it off successfully. And we do!
Beauty and Nature
Being outside and just taking in the sights and sounds of nature does wonders for our mental and physical health. How fortunate we are to be able to enjoy it from the back of a horse! Horses inspire a sense of wonder in us. Horses are represented in countless books, movies and works of art. They seem to have a magical quality that inspires even those without full on passion.
What do horses add to your life? How have they inspired you? Tell us your story. We’d love to hear it! If you are thinking about buying your first horse, or you next dream horse, then you will want to get my free Dream Horse Buyer’s Guide! It contains everything you need to narrow your search and select your new best friend! Get it today by clicking the link below!
In the meantime:
Enjoy the Ride!