What are we giving back

Lets be real…this may be hard to hear but owning and riding/training horses is a selfish act. We own/ride/train horses for our own pleasure. Horses would be totally fine without us if given the right environment to live. 

But as humans we often take away a large portion of the horse’s natural needs. Be that keeping them in a paddock, yard, stable, in a small herd or alone, taking them places ect. And I’m not saying horses don’t enjoy being with us, there is no denying they do, but in reality we interfere with their lives to benefit our own. 

So with that rather dreary thought in mind, it means it is imperative that we try to give back to the horse as much as we can. 

When it comes to training this is where the WHY becomes very important. If we train the horse right, we can positively influence the other 23hrs of the day they don’t spend interacting with us. 

How, you may ask? By providing them with the type of training that improves their overall health, such as balanced movement exercises. 

This gives our training a purpose to the horse, as when they are not spending time with us they are still benefiting from the work we have done – we are giving back to the horse. There are many other aspects of training such as, brain stimulation, play, exploring ect. 

I know not everyone may be able to think this way but even if you can ask yourself, each time you work your horse “What am I giving back to my horse today” maybe you can start small with just allowing your horse to find relaxation in their body or performing some gentle stretches, explore a novel object…get creative. You may begin to notice if you start to think and work this way with your horse then your bond and communication will improve. The horse owes us nothing after everything it has sacrificed for us. 

Those who follow me know I play a lot with my horses so here is a little video of them having a go at soccer!