Grey Horse Matters: Our Horses, Our Farms, Our Riding

Our Horses, Our Farms, Our Riding

The daily maintenance of our farms and care of our horses is demanding on our time, we are bogged down with the routine chores of daily life on a farm. It seems there is never enough daylight to accomplish all of our farm duties and yet we somehow manage. The horses are fed,watered and turned out for the day, the stalls are mucked, the aisle is swept, everyone is groomed, and horse laundry is washed and dried. Fence boards are repaired, paths are shoveled if need be, riding rings are dragged- weather permitting, and the thousand and one little things needing attention are seen to if the clock co-operates. No matter how organized you may think you are, usually something will crop up to throw your schedule completely off balance. From an unscheduled vet visit for injuries, frozen pipes, to thrown shoes, it seems the rules of ‘Murphy’s Law’ applies, if something can go wrong it will, at the most inconvenient time.

Which brings me to the point of this post, although we take excellent care of our horses and our farms, providing we are lucky enough to have either, there is little time left for us to actually ride our horses. Even though there is much work to be done, we must not overlook the fact that the horses we have in our care thrive on the attention we show them. I realize no one can allot time every day to ride, unless of course you employ a full staff, which for the majority of us is financially impractical.

Our horses are uniquely complex and sensitive creatures, and yet require the simplest gift we can give, a little of our precious time and the affection and thoughtfulness they deserve. Time spent grooming, riding, even playing with them is time well spent, and it means so much to your horse. Our horses see into our souls, they know our feelings intimately and rally round us through the bad times and celebrate the good. They are our steadfast companions in all we do and we owe it to them to reciprocate the love they show us.

Take advantage of your horse’s naturally joyful grace and elegant movement, ride as much as possible, it is one of the best feelings in the world. Weather conditions don’t have to be perfect, if it’s not a sunlit warm day, bundle up and go for a walk in the snow, it is good for you and good for your horse.

At times, we may fail to remember our original reasons for including horses in our lives; there are always too many things needing attention. Nevertheless, we should by no means neglect our loyal friends. Make the time to ride; and keep in mind, even the manure pile does not look quite as bad when viewed from the back of a horse. (These are the times to remember because they may not last forever…’Billy Joel’)

Horses Are Fun

Horses are fun to be around; just watching them at liberty interacting with one another in a herd situation never fails to bring a smile to my face. They may play hard but they know the rules and usually no one gets hurt. We should not overlook our horses’ carefree natures and we ought to encourage them to play and have fun. The ability to be a part of the good times horses have amongst themselves spills over into our own lives and we are better people for the privilege that allows us to share their lives.

Our herd thinks it is about time they were introduced: