Horses are incredible creatures who inspire wonder in those who see them. Horses have the literal ability to change lives, through therapeutic riding programs, outreach to convicts, and to inner-city children. And horses have changed my life in many, many ways over the past seven years.
There is something calming about being near horses. They teach us not only how to listen, but also how to speak. They teach patience, strength, perseverance, and so much more. I can definitively say that horses have completely changed my life. It’s why I’m so passionate about them and try to give back to them by telling their stories and their history.
I wanted to share with you today a list of 4 surprising ways that horses have changed my life.
Horses changed my life by teaching me how to break big goals into small ones.
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and knew from a young age that I wanted to be successful as a business owner. Over the years that I’ve been really trying to be able to pay my bills with my art I’ve sometimes lost sight of the little things. Instead of being happy with the sales I did make, I’d get sad and disappointed over not making more sales. Instead of researching to find better ways of marketing myself, I’d lament that I wasn’t becoming an overnight success. And, worst of all, I compared all my perceived shortcomings to those who were living the type of life that I wanted.
Working with horses has taught me to look at the smaller steps that lead to bigger goals. Before you can canter, you must learn how to trot. And before you can trot, you must learn to walk. The larger goals need to be broken down into smaller steps. Those smaller steps aren’t any less important than where you want to ultimately end up! They are simply the way to get to the destination.
Horses changed my life by teaching me how to be more confident.
Being able to get a thousand-pound prey animal to agree to work with you requires quite a bit of confidence. When I first starting working around horses, I was intimidated. I didn’t know how to communicate with this animal and not get pushed around. I wasn’t confident enough to take charge and be the “herd leader” at first. My horse took advantage of me often back then!
After a while though, I found the confidence to take charge. I learned that if I believed in myself and was more assertive, I could get the results I wanted. And being confident and asking for what I want didn’t necessarily mean being cruel or “bossy”, but rather just being the leader and letting my team know what is expected of them.
Horses changed my life by teaching me mindfulness.
Horses take what we give them and reflect it back at us. If you are angry, your horse is going to pick up on that. If you’re afraid, horses will pick up on it and become spooky and afraid themselves. Being around horses, especially doing groundwork and riding, has taught me that I need to be mindful of what I’m feeling .
There is no room for anger or sadness in the saddle. When I go to the barn to spend time with my equine therapist, the rest of the world melts away. Because I know that I must have the right mindset when around my horse, it’s the best way I know to clear my mind. Solutions often come to me at the barn or in the saddle because I am not focusing on the problem. When I detach from the emotion, I can come up with a plan of action.
Horses changed my life by giving me deep, meaningful friendships.
I’ve never been a social butterfly. I’m an introvert who spent most of her childhood inside, reading books, drawing, and playing video games with her older brothers. I have always had very few friends growing up. My social circle usually consists of one or two close friends who I can confide in and who I consider my “best” friends.
But horses have brought so many friends into my life! I now have a group of four other women who are amazing and I’d consider close friends, plus countless other people who aren’t as close but who I’d still consider friends. All of these people were brought into my life because of horses, and for someone who grew up only having a couple of friends at a time, I now know what it’s like to have a group of people to turn to when I need advice or just someone to talk to.
I could literally go on about this forever but I’m going to cut it off there because I know that most people won’t read a blog post that’s too long! What things have horses taught you or brought into your life? Let me know in the comments!
