Posted by Russell Gibbons on 23rd Mar 2016

BENEFITS OF HORSE OWNERSHIP

We are always hearing about the benefits of owning a pet.

And in all reality, I think we can safely assume that the majestic horse is now considered a pet for all intense purposes!

However, I think horses can provide certain benefits like no other pet can. And I want to highlight in this blog why you should feel good about owning a horse, or if you are thinking of owning a horse why it is a good idea.

As President of the Eumundi Pony Club, and owner of a business which is part of the National equine industry, Huds and Toke, I come across so many kids, and adults, whom are involved with horses. It has struck me that I see so many positive influences in these young women and men who take the responsibility of being involved with Horses.

You see, it is my belief that horses command a lot of respect. Of course, all living things do……. However, horses are one of those highly intelligent animals whom still have vastly different needs to the household dog or cat.

Because of this, they give us as individuals, and thus, society, some really important lessons.

These include:

We teach our kids, and ourselves, how to treat another living thing with respect.
We learn not to be lazy and to apply ourselves
We learn to take responsibility of our own safety and of others safety.
We also learn to enjoy the company of another living soul..
- Learn how to make friends
The value of money.
Time management.
The value of looking after ones belongings.
Good things happen outside.

Let me expand briefly on each of these points.

Respect:

If one does not learn to treat a horse with respect, the animal will not reciprocate. Further to this, the consequences of this can be difficult at best, and down-right life threatening at worst.

One needs to learn to not only respect others but also to respect oneself…….Once again, a horse can sense our emotions and if we do not respect ourselves, we can-not exude confidence….and the horse will pick up on this and things can get a bit testy from there….

Once this is in ground into oneself, that we must treat others with respect, and we understand to our core that if this is done, life can be easier…..then so many positive things can come our way, plus, the value we collectively add to society becomes immeasurable.

Not to be Lazy:

To own a horse, and as such to look after a horse, one learns very quickly not to be lazy.

To understand that effort, persistence and dedication will lead to a great experience in the very hobby you love, ie.- horses, is one of the grounding lessons which can set a young person up for life.

One has to care for the animal by feeding, cleaning, housing, clothing etc…… it. Every day!!!!! This is really important. This instils daily habits which can quickly show one what constant effort will reward oneself.

More people in society should be made to look after a horse even if for only three months……imagine what people could be achieving???

Responsibility:

This is key in life…..in particular, owning a horse forces you to take responsibility for your own safety and for those around you…….If you don’t do both of these things it won’t be long before you no longer have the ability to enjoy a horse……one way or the other.

Not many other hobbies I know of can instill this in a person. But it is a great lesson.

The repercussions of not taking responsibility of your own safety are dramatic. You will hurt yourself. You will not be able to blame others……

If you don’t accept responsibility for others around your horse you will either get someone else hurt, or you will not have others to ride with.

Taking care of yourself, and others, has so many lessons within it, and metaphors to apply in life, that we can’t talk about them here except…….it’s so good……

Enjoying others company:

To be able to enjoy another souls company is a beautiful thing.

Something which is getting lost to the social media society.

But the moments you have with another soul, be they human or animal, one on one, can be the food our very individual souls rely upon to help us through the hard times.

Without this nourishment we have people who lack resilience, and fail to see beauty in alone time and forget to see the positives in the very lives we have been gifted with.

Further to this, when we are around others whom take great enjoyment in creating a bond with their horse, for some reason, we as people tend to make an effort to talk to others….. This is called making friends……

…..And lifelong friendships are made by simply talking to a new person about similar interests!

The Value of Money:

Owning a horse contributes greatly to teaching people about the value of money and the value of looking after ones belongings.

To explain, horses, and sports with horses, are actually equipment heavy. This means, one needs a lot of equipment to participate. As such, this equipment also needs to be purchased.

So it gives the kids the opportunity to understand the value of the dollar. If they are encouraged to do chores or to get a part-time job to help pay for this equipment.

One very quickly realizes that equipment is not cheap but if one works for this it is this very equipment which allows you to thoroughly enjoy the hobby and sport of owning a horse.

You quickly understand what you can buy and what you can’t plus this then leads into two very important points:

Prioritizing where to spend your money.
- Buying new shoes or buying new horse equipment.
- What is the best spend for your dollar
  - Promotes prudent spending habits.
Looking after that equipment once you have it.
- In this throw away society, this is a great skill.
- The more you look after your equipment the more you can
  - Rely on it
  - The less you need to spend on replacing it.

Time Management:

If you own a horse, everything else needs to be managed around those chores which are necessary to keep a horse.

On top of this, if you are part of a pony club, or horse sport, you need to travel to places to attend and compete and take part……

This takes a lot of preparation.

The kids learn that there is travel time, packing time, un-packing time, camping overnight, feeding provisions, weather awareness etc…..

Time management is a really useful skill to have especially in this era. However with time management comes the lessons of preparation and thinking outside the square to overcome problems… and this is even more valuable.

Looking after what you have:

You may not be able to afford the best, or maybe you can, the lesson is the same……you need to learn to show this equipment respect and look after it.

Not because of the cost of replacing it……..More so because you need to rely on it.

You see, with horses, it is one of the few sports/hobbies which have serious consequences if your gear fails you.

The best way to mitigate this is to spend time looking after your equipment.

That is

Cleaning it.
Spending time inspecting it for faults
Maintaining it.
Talking to others about what to expect from it.

If this skilled is picked up early enough, there is a certain joy in taking care of ones gear and one then inherently learns to take responsibility for their own safety, their own, enjoyment, their own performance.

Plus, costs come down as well as you are replacing your gear less…..so a bit of quality time spent with your gear can directly affect the back pocket so to speak…….now that’s a good lesson.

Good things Happen Outside:

This is probably the best lesson.

To own a horse means you will be spending a lot of time out of the house in all types of conditions……and so much fun happens outside and not in front of a computer screen or a TV.

The adventure which comes from this is character building, and helps keep people grounded to the real things in life and what fun there is in being active.

There are so many more benefits to society, and to ourselves, that I could go on all day…….but the message is this:

“Horses give us so much enjoyment so lets give them the respect to keep learning about them from a behavioural stand point, a psychology stand point, and a scientific stand point…….We owe it to ourselves and to them!

Through them, our society improves via the lessons they give us!”

Just my thoughts!

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Cheers from the team @hudsandtoke.