Horses are my happy place - World Mental Health Day

One thing we all know from being equestrians, is the joy that horses bring to our lives. Horses can do wonders for our mental health, and I believe growing up around horses can be key to helping you control your feelings and emotions throughout your whole life, and here's a few reasons why:

Horses keep us moving and motivated daily, whether we actually want to be or not! Forcing us out of bed against our will on those cold days we wish we could stay in bed! But aren't we always thankful for it when we see that beautiful morning sky that we would have missed if it weren't for needing to feed the horse... that warm breath blowing out of their soft nostrils on those frosty mornings...that fresh, crisp air that makes us not want to get out the car, but we're thankful for a half hour later when we've worked up a sweat from the mucking out...

Horses force us out of our comfort zone. Teaching us our strength and putting us in positions where we must delve deep to find our inner courage. They have the ability to help us grow as people, to become more understanding humans, and encourage us to learn rather than avoid situations, because often there's no other choice. 

They make us think from other's points of view. To look at the same situation from another beings eyes...to imagine how they may be feeling. They teach us that a human acting angrily towards us is likely to have their own deeper issues or pain, in the same way that horses do when they act out. Showing us how to keep calm when others become stressed or angry, and to become empathetic towards others, rather than retaliating with our own anger and in return making the situation worse and more dangerous. 

Horses are clever. They find our weaknesses and use them against us, and although this can be frustrating, our only option is to overcome these weaknesses if we want to move forward, making us stronger people overall. They teach us to hide our fears when necessary to get ourselves through threatening or scary situations, helping us to cope better with the same types of situations away from the horse world.

They teach us to control our minds. To shrink our thoughts back down when they've become bigger and scarier in our head.

They teach us to control our breath when we're nervous, to breath in deep and long and focus on that when we're worried. 

They teach us to control our frustration and our anger, because acting on it will usually get you nowhere. 

They teach us to be more aware of our aura, and show us the power of this. That the negative or positive vibes you give out will effect those around you, and the response you get from others.

They teach us to let go of yesterday and try again tomorrow.

To accept that sometimes things won't go to plan, however much we prepare. That life isn't fair, and sometimes a day just will not go your way and you have to deal with the pain of that, but that there is always tomorrow to look forward to. 

They teach us that holding grudges gets us nowhere. That honesty is the only way, (because they can see right through us!) and that slowing down and enjoying the special moments will reveal more than you could ever expect. 

They show us what deep love is. How beautiful partnership and respect between two different species can be, and how powerful language without words is. 

Horses do more for us and our mental strength than we often realise. They teach us lessons that resonate within every aspect of our lives, they show us how to be confident in ourselves and hold us up with their unconditional love. Never feel guilty for the amount of time you spend on your passion, it's doing you more good than you know...