So, why horses?

It might not be for everyone, but those of us who are familiar with horses recognise and understand how horses can influence people in incredibly powerful ways.

Being able to connect with animals and enjoy time both riding and on the ground with them- forming a bond that only you two know about can be so important. I genuinely trust Daisy (at least as much as you can for a 600lb animal with it's own mind), we know every inch of her ever-growing personality, every bad habit she has and what tiny actions can make her cause chaos- that's for a whole other post though.

Being able to rely on an outdoorsy lifestyle and fresh air, whilst you can't guarantee happiness, being out here, doing something most days puts the odds in your favour and can really help us to maintain a level of mental health and physical health too. You might feel crappy when you first wake up, you might not wasn't to do it all. But by the time you've got your butt out of the door and find yourself with the horses…everything begins to melt away for those moments. They replace the feelings of stress, anxiety, worry and craziness simply by being themselves, with their unique personalities, love for all things food and quite frankly they don't care if your hair is brushed or if your skin is clear- they do care if you feed, water them and make sure they're happy though. Horses display the most basic of values, which can bring any person back down to ground when they need it. 

 Come rain or shine you need to be out there with them, it gets you up on the mornings when you feel like you can't. Why? Because there's something more important than our own needs, and our horses needs will always come first. This hierarchy of priorities is formed solely by your dedication and love for something other than yourself, perhaps you don't even mean to be overtaken on that list of priorities- but it happens as your bond grows and slowly your horse will always comes first to you, just like you always come first to them.

So much of this adds up to my firm belief that truly, horses give us far more than we could ever give them in return. We try our best to make them happy, care for them and do right by them- but for us? If you convert the hours spent where horses lift our spirits and help us through each day into hourly costs with a therapist…I think you'll find we pay a small price for such a precious chance to be with horses.

Don't get me wrong, we've had some Thelwell style ponies previously, ones that would scare the living daylights out of everyone (including me on it's back) and we've seen the devil in 13.2hh size. But as a whole, if you're lucky to find a special horse- then the above will always apply to you. ❤