Horses Change Lives? Tell us...

[Jill]

How have your horses made a difference in your life?

My personal experience has shown me they do change lives, and in some ways people who have never owned horses might expect. Some of the changes my horses have made in my life include:

• Getting a big horse and learning to really ride him in the 90's gave me personal confidence. Riding is MUCH harder than it looks, and it took me years and multiple trainers and instructors before I became confident in the saddle but once I did, it really was empowering. Being able to pilot and control a 1200 pound animal is life changing.
  
• Geography. Yes, it's true!!! Since getting into miniatures nearly 15 years ago, I've learned more than I did before about our Nation's geography. I know how far it is from the farm that currently owned the horse I coveted to my own farm! Horses have contributed greatly to my functional geography skills.
  
• What it means to be responsible for a life. Horses are the only animals I've bred. Never even a hamster before! I couldn't even talout loudud about the birth of our first born foal for months without getting choked up, and I feel a deeresponsibilityty to our horses, buespeciallyly the ones that wouldn't be here if we hadn't let them be made.
  
• Patience. I still could stand more of it, but you cannot rush a horse into many things you want him/her to do unless you've spent the time beforehand teaching or conditioning thhorseee to do it. Even the little ones. They're still stronger than I am.
  
• Not a learned item, but there have been very few tears I've shed the past decade that where not in some fashion related to horses.
  
• Most of my good friends were met through a mutual love of horses.
  
• I'm HERE. In weird, God must have been on my side, twist of "fate", it was actually losing some foals that arrived at our place very sick that lead to my own diagnosis of having had lung cancer (never smoked BTW). If nt for asking my doctor, after a year of frustration, if my "off": blood workrk could have something to do with raising horses and having some that were sick and died, I wouldn't have gotten the chest xray that lead to me being cured of something that was killing me and I didn't even know it.
  

Since getting my first horse, I've felt that horses do change lives and in some ways you'd never suspect if you had never owned a horse.

What about you? What are some of the differences having horses has made in your life? How have your horses changed you?

 

[Carolyn R]

Jill, the things you have posted are true. For me, I have had horses since I was 9. Truth be told, as an adult, I carry some guilt that the years I spent as a " boy crazy" teenage girl were at their expense, I wish my parents would have put their foot down. With that said, it has made me take a stance, a stance that I have never been shy about when I was selling minis. I always told parents flat out, you purchase a horse, you allow your kids to join in the fun.If and when the time comes that their kids loose interest and they do not want to step up to the plate, it is time to find the horse a new home, it must be understood the parent has the ultimate decision. My kids are always welcome to join me, but the horses are mine.

I know many of you know about my Gypsy Vanner and her accident. She was and is my dream horse, and has shown me that sometimes we need to hold onto our dreams even if they have not turned out exactly how we planned, they turn out how they were meant to be. I never would have thought I would own a horse with one eye, but as long as everyone promise's not to tell her, I promise to keep my mouth shut. Through it all, at times, I wish we were all a little more like her...... no remorse, no regret, no self pity, life goes on and she enjoys every minute of it.

 

[Performancemini]

I was very shy in school and my self esteem was somewhat low. When my father bought my sister and I a shetland pony I joined 4-H. My first club turned out to be a "city club" and had no animal projects; so I was somewhat of a celebrity with my pony. With the talk and demonstrations we had to do; the pony helped me come out of my shell more and my self esteem rose. My club honored my pony with a large nicely painted sign for her stall at the fair stating the club's name, hers and mine. I was felt very appreciative for their gift.

The miniatures still help me to feel I am worthwhile in some small ways and I enjoy any things I can do with them. They have helped me work with some fears and learn to try to be more patient (as stated above) and to try to be more 'light hearted' . What is it? 'The outside of horse is good for the inside of a man' (or something close to that). Yes.

 

[Jill]

I think some of what our horses mean to us makes our worlds connect. We can all relate to these feelings and each other for sharing them