Riding out of the darkness…

This is my first blog post since high school, so I promise to get better at writing them, but I hope this helps you overcome something you have been struggling with…

I’ve had a bad year and the only thing that has helped me through the dark times is being around these majestic animals. Even while I was down and when I couldn’t stop crying and blaming myself for the hand I was dealt, I found my solace in shoveling horse poo. I have learned a few things that I want to share with you all!

I have always known that horses are more than a mount for sport, they harness some kind of spiritual energy that goes beyond anything a person could hope to understand. This year has been hard for me, I’ve lost a job I loved, I’ve lost some friends, I struggled at university and I lost someone I gave my heart too because it was no longer convenient for him to be with me. The one thing got me through was waking up every single day and knowing that I would see my princess. Not needing to ride, I went to the paddock with the intention to just be with her (riding was a bonus), but there was something else altogether that drew us together.

I found a way to access and understand my feelings. Animals are a powerful force, that is why there are so many therapy programs where they are the teacher and psychologist and counselor because they possess something humans just don’t have.

When I am with my horse, I am there in the moment, I am not thinking about the future or about the past, I am clearing my mind and accepting what is real and in front of me. Being around horses helps me understand my thoughts and stop blaming myself for what I have no control over. Being a person who bottles and internalises things until I just explode and everything becomes too much, I’ve found that just being around horses, teaching others and learning myself has influenced my feelings and in my heart, I have started to understand my anxiety. I am learning to recognise when I need take a step back and breathe and when I need to push through to succeed.

Due to the amazing ability to be able to react to my feelings and emotions, horses give me exactly what I need. I hold their movement in my hands, and they respond to how I feel.

One day I was rushed, angry and annoyed, and she recognised that in me and simply become stubborn and refuse to work with me, she was spooky and timid. It took many lessons of an amazing horse to work against me and a coach willing to give me the time for me to realise that I just needed to let go and soft my mind, body, and hands. Through relaxing myself, I made a lifelong friend as she released her tension, from then, the first thing I did when I got to the stables was go straight to her stall, say hello and give her a hug which she lovingly returned.

This was the day I started to accept that being around and working with horses does more than just help my mental state, they promote a sense of pride, confidence, trust, and love for myself.

Horses make me want to be a better person, and I am proud that I have been privileged and fortunate to be able to interact with these amazing four-legged inspirations.

If anyone wants to talk, share their experiences with horses, animals or life please leave a comment or DM me, I will respond.