I started horse riding when I was 6 years old. At that time I was in love with these animals and as every girl that age I wanted to have my own pony. I must admit that I never really thought about the psychology behind my interest in horses until I now came to a point where I realized that my horse has taught me a lot in the past 11 years. I got my first horse when it was still very young and inexperienced. It was love at first sight when I saw him in the stable and my feeling was right. He carried me through my teenage years, college, university and now my professional life.
His name is Valentino.
Valentino is special to me because we have such a strong relationship. I’d say a lot of horse owners will probably say that about their horse but Valentino helped me to find my personality, learn how to challenge myself and how to find a balance in my life. Because I got so much out of this truly special relationship that has developed over the past 11 years, I want to share the best stories with the Steemit community.
1. Horses teach us responsibility and dedication.
Training a horse takes time but so does caring for it. When I got Valentino I was 15 years old and I’ll be completely honest; my parents thought that having a horse would just be a phase in my life and will be gone once I was getting into meeting some boys. ;-) Little did they know at this time…
The thing is that you can’t half heartedly own a horse. You have to be dedicated to it and always look after it. I tend to think that a horse is a little bit like having a child but the child doesn’t grow up. It stays at the same level and needs constant care. Looking after a horse is very time consuming and while being in school you’ll find the time to look after it, things will change when you begin working. Waking up early in the morning to feed the horse and bring it out is essential. Cleaning the barn, feeding and looking after them every day is like a routine for me. But that also means that you just sometimes can’t be that spontaneous. After work I have to go check up on my horse, while others go out for drinks or dinner. Being responsible for such a big animal has taught me a lot about commitment.
“Horses teach us how to build a long lasting relationship. You can’t just run away from it!”
2. You learn how to embrace living in the moment
A horse never thinks about tomorrow or yesterday. It lives in the moment and focuses on what is happening right now. The power of being in the now is very natural for horses. If we want that power as well, it will become natural for us too. A horse teaches you how to be present and share the moment between you and the horse. When I am going horse riding, I can forget about everything. I can just be there and spend some quality time with my closest friend. No phones, no music needed. I am just enjoying the moment. These times help us to focus and relax from our busy schedule. A horse will also reflect how you feel on a given day and try to calm you down if it feels that you're too anxious.
“I believe that horses have a gift that becomes very rare in our life. They take us on many journeys. They take us from point a to point B, but they also take us on deeper emotional journeys because they can feel so much.”
3. A horse loves you unconditionally
No matter how hard you try, you will never loose a horse friend. Horses love you without any conditions and value your care and time. They are very unique animals and can give you so much energy because they don't take it from others. We oftentimes think that sharing gossip will make us feel better or take away some of the negative thoughts we have. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. If you start focusing too much about the bad things that happen in your life and share these with your friends, it will bring everybody's energy level down. Horses don't do that because they are animals and can love unconditionally.
“I think that horses don’t care who you are, how important you are at work, how much money you make or what car you drive. A horse gives you honest feedback about your personality.”
4. A horse teaches you leadership
A horse weighs about 600-700 kg. If you’re on top of that it’s impossible to control the power. If a horse wants to buck you off it will easily do that. The relationship with a horse is build on respect. Horses live in a herd and have to follow a certain order. In that case you should be the leader and lead the horse to follow you. Building that leadership profile can be hard because a horse can be very intimidating. They are big, have power and can do unexpected things.
When I started off training my horse we were in a constant battle of that leadership role. He was still very young and kept pushing on these boundaries. If in that moment you can’t stay strong, you loose the connection straight away. You have to earn the respect but by doing so you will always have to be the leader. You can’t give in, you can not give up in difficult situations because that could end up being very dangerous for you.
Horses teach you a great deal about that respectful but also nicely balanced relationship between taking and giving. It’s something you don’t learn straight away but you will be able to carry over to situations in real life.
“If you do not provide the leadership, the horse will. Don’t get pushed around by a horse or your team!”
5. A horse builds life long relationships
A horse only survives in the herd and relies on the warning signs of others. Their social life is a big part of how they stay alive and communicate with each other. As humans we tend to sometimes forget that we are also social animals and need each other to survive. Nobody wants to be alone, nobody wants to loose a friend. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem that important anymore when we talk bad about somebody in our social network. Then we forget about the impact this can have on others and eventually ruin a relationship for life. A horse would never put itself first. Why do we?
6. A horse gives back
When you're doing someone a favour you sometimes expect something in return. Sometimes that works out, and sometimes not. Horses do not count on favours, they give back anyway. A relationship with a horse is unique because it values you so much that it will show it in many many ways. We often forget to say thank you because favours seem normal to us. That is very sad because it actually feels so good to say it out loud and to see the smile in somebody's face when receiving it. No matter how small the task, a horse will be thankful. Something we can learn and carry on to other areas of our life.
A horse is a great teacher!
"A KINGDOM FOR A HORSE"
Upvoted - Great article - Beautiful pictures!
First Horse-Article - Come on Guys - Upvote!! :D
I love the picture of you and your horse on the beach, must be fantastic to ride on there. Valentino is very beautiful.
it seems that @ned likes it too) But you are right, horses are great!
Yes, it's the best thing to do on a sunday morning! Thank You! :)
To ride on the beach. That is on my bucket list. :)
The word Bestiality came to mind after reading the tittle. i'm sorry :( I need to get my thoughts out of the gutter. Or maybe i just need to sleep.
The horse is perfect! This is an interesting story, thanks.
Lovely pic!
I have a cat, which, when it was a few months old - and it was alone (I didn't have many cats then - it was just her), it wanted so badly to come inside my room, that it was pushing the door with all its strength, using it's head, it's body - everything it had as "leverage" to open the door. And it was managing it against all odds (the mass of the door far exceeding the little kitten).
And as I was looking at that kitten trying to open the door to come to me, tears got to my eyes (and even now that I remember that incident) because I realized at that moment, that the cat's will was so large to come inside and have my company, that the cat was "giving me" a spiritual lesson of determination that day. That small kitten was a spiritual master of determination and giving me a spiritual lesson in what it means to be determined.
Some times when I closed the door a bit more - and the space it had was near non-existent to try it, it tried even harder. And when seeing it struggling and crying, I was compelled to "reward" it by opening the door and letting it come inside and stay beside me - that was all it wanted anyway. And it was a moment when I got a second spiritual lesson: If I can be moved to "open the door" by the cat that strives to be with me with all its efforts, so would my higher self / god open the "door" to me, if I only had the same determination to reach inwards. I realized it's a universal law -at that instant- that if you make the sincere and strong effort to connect, no matter how hard the door seems to be in terms of opening it, it will be opened for you.
Damn, chills running up my spine as I write this.
Hey! Awesome to see a horse lover here on SteemIt! I am a huge animal lover and your post brightened my day! Valentino is a gorgeous animal. Thank you for the awesome contribution. :0)
I live in a ranch town in Arizona. Don't have a horse yet.
When I am doing yard work or just driving by one, I know they are communicating with me. Hard to explain but not hard to feel...
Nice Blog Post!
Thanks for the nice comment! :)
** Upvoted **
I really love the picture and your article.
That's soo cute
Refreshing to read about your love and loyalty for Valentino. We used to feed a horse every day that was living in a field near us. It was owned by a family whose daughter could no longer ride him as he was slightly lame. The horse could still trot as he used to come to the fence when we brought him carrots and apples. One morning we went to visit and he was gone, we later found they had him put down as he could no longer be ridden which saddened us greatly.
They put a horse down because he no longer could be ridden? Sheesh. My old gelding cannot be ridden and I would NEVER dream to put him down because of his bad knee. It's been 10 years since he has been retired.
Good grief!
WAO AMIGO QUE LINDO POST
"A horse will also reflect how you feel on a given day and try to calm you down if it feels that you're too anxious," resounds so deeply with me. I train dogs privately and for a not-for-profit and they will completely mirror your mood. If I am working with an especially aggressive dog, I have to stop, drop and yoga between rounds of teaching because your energy will become equally domineering and reactive. Thank you so much for the original content and fantastic photographs @inboundinken
Truly,
H
Animals are great teachers in general. They are just so balanced. Thanks for the lovely comment :)
Would you please tell me what breed of horse Valentino is and what that particular shade of creamy slate is called?
Hey he's a Hanoverian grey horse :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoverian_horse
Horses are so beautiful
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Hello,
Thank you for liking my post about Berlin Streetart.
here is part 2 of the berlin streetart
https://steemit.com/berlin/@knozaki2015/awesome-streetart-in-berlin-germany-one-of-the-trending-cites-in-the-world-part-2
please have a look! Hope you like it !
This is an interesting story, thanks.
This is a great post. I believe that you have to build the same relationship with dogs as they too follow a heard mentally, or in their case a Pack mentality.
Seriously great post. You've gained a new follower :)
Glad you liked it! And I'd love more followers :) :)
always love horses and like your comment about the leadership vs horse.
Thank You!
me too.. i like horse..
thx.. very interesting story ^^,
Thanks for the comment!
Greatly written article! I love the quotes added at the end of every section.
Not always easy to write up good ones but I like to add them if possible ;)
Similar to SP, SMD tokens cannot be purchased directly on an external exchange. SMD are primarily earned through contributing but can be purchased by converting STEEM tokens to SMD tokens.
Actually Steem Dollars can now purchased on external exchanges !
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https://bittrex.com/Market/Index?MarketName=BTC-SBD
PS Abbreviation of SBD = Steem Backed Dollars
or just SD = Steem Dollars (not SMD please edit)
Great post, should be more of this exelent work.
Alot of time to make so great post i think. ,@inboundinken
Thanks a lot! :)
Steemit Quotes Of The Day -
Do Your Very Best. What You Plant, Will Be Harvest Later!
#steemitquotes
Haha! Nice one :)
keep up the spirit... :)))
I really like horses, they are smart and honest, better than most of humans
Agree with this.
Great post. Horses also can be healing and therapeutic. I have one old gelding that I have owned since 1989. I had three at one time, a pony and two horses. My daughter out grew the pony, so we found her a new home. My other beloved horse, I was scammed out of. Yes, SCAMMED.
Horses are always honest unlike some people who use deceit to get what they want.
https://wregalq.wordpress.com/2016/07/13/first-blog-post/
great, I have had two horses, Barbara and Snowee. Now I have only one. Snowee had bad not tu survive in previous stable. That is a bad luck and loosing my heart friend
I still miss her and watch photos of her. My plan is to buy another horse and some land for him next to my house but I need to earn it first ;)