Stress busters - they beat Prozac
Modern life if often hectic. Jobs can be stressful because you're always on the go, or you're bored. Then there's shopping, childcare, housework - the list goes on. So why on earth would you want a horse as well? Simple. Horses are the untimate stress buster in your life.
1 The relationship that builds between you and your dream horse promotes mental wellbeing. It is the island of calm in your life. Like all relationships, it needs work, spending time just getting to know each other. Maybe your job's a nightmare, or your partner's demanding - then there's nothing more calming that grooming a horse, developiing that bond that makes you a team. Just stroking and talking to a horse aways has to make you feel better. There's nothing more relaxing than learning to bond with your horse.
2 Horses don't answer back. Well, they do, but not in that whiney way you sometimes get from a child or a partner. You can tell them all your problems while you're grooming, then release all that pent up emotion and energy with a ride out.
3 They keep you connected to the seasons and the weather. Maybe you work in an office, and don't get a chance to feel the sun and the wind on your face all day. Fresh air is good for you. There's vitamin D in sunshine, and even the rain feels more real and connected than the air conditioning. Remeber when you were a child and played outside for hours with nothing but mud, sticks and stones? Horses are a bit like that - playing.
4 They're good for your physical wellbeing. They keep you fit - physically as well as emotionally. There's no way you can muck out a horse every day and not become fit, and that's before you even do any riding. Before you know it, your arms and legs will become toned and strong - and best of all, you'll be using up so much energy you can practically eat anything you want. If getting fit is your goal, horses are the answer! it's not like a gym subscription where there's always an option not to go - that horse still needs mucking out and feeding however tired you are.
5 Once you have a horse in your life, there's no question of frittering away money on anything else. This is your focused project and goal now, and all that money you previously wasted on clothes, magazines, cigarettes, take-away-pizzas - all be comes channelled into something worthwhile and life enhancing. So stop faffing - start riding!
6 They keep you learning and growing, especially as you grow older. Imagine a life when you never learnt anything new or did anything differently. This is the life most people have. With a horse, there is and endless list of things to learn and improve on. With a horse, there will always be new experiences and adventures. Even just going down a different briddle path can become a mini adventure when anything might happen. Just how many people do you know who go on adventures once they get past chidhood? Dare to be one of them - get a horse!
7 They give you an amazing feeling when you ride. It can be a feeling of calm and oneness with your horse, or the countryside around you. It might be an adrenalin rush and excitement that's worth living for. Of course this is all part of the dream, and what we're all working towards - but once you've felt even a little bit of it, you'll be hooked!
Ride out with confidence.
Fat horse thin horse
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