# Why Do We Love Horses?



## Nita

Here's something I wrote once, called Why Do We Love Horses. Tell me what you think, it's pretty short. 

Why do we love horses? It's sort of the question we all have answers for, and yet, can't answer, isn't it?

I love them because they are so gentle, yet so strong. They could easily crush you, yet we ride them without a care in the world. They are bad and they are good. We hate them and love them. We can't live with them, can't live without them. You've all had that day when you fill the water bucket and they tip it over, the day you're trying to hurry and you're dressed up nice and somehow during the course of caring for them, you realize that you don't really care if you show up covered in horse hair, mud, and hay, and a half an hour late, because you spent that half hour loving your best friend.

I love them because they don't judge us. However short, tall, fat, skinny, popular, or geeky you are, they view you just the same. A human is a human, and they see no differences, except for in the one that they know is their owner, the one they nicker to when they see you walking toward them.

I love them because they are individuals. You never see a horse try to change for another horse. They don't care, probably don't even know that they are different. A horse is bay, and he doesn't roll in the grass to become palomino like the horse next door. He rolls in the grass because it feels good, and who cares if he's bay? 

I love them because they show us what matters. You're stressed about something, you go for a ride, or even just go sit with that horse you love, and when you go back to your house, you realize that it wasn't that important.

I love them because they take us flying. Have you ever been competing, and then, right in the course of your class, realize that you don't even care if you win, it's you and your best friend perfectly in sync, doing what you love and flying high? Reining, jumping, english, barrels, pleasure, whatever your sport, when you hit that sweet spot... You all know what I'm talking about. 

I love them because they are teachers. You can force a horse to do something, make him, and he won't learn it. You have to do it four times over, plus reteach him that you won't force him. Bingo, you just learned patience. You can try to make him do something while you're on him, pressure him too much. You get bucked off. Bingo, you just learned to listen. 

I love them because they are our partners. They refuse to do something we ask, because we asked it wrong, and we work with them until WE get it, then they learn it. You practice and put in hours of work, and they perfect it. They you go to a show and show everyone how it's done.

I love them because we hate them. You work with a horse, become the perfect team, go to a show, and you get tense. The horse does, because you did, and you flub. All day after that you cry, blame the horse, and vow never to show again. The horse just munches his hay and looks at you like you've gone nuts. Yet the next day you are out there again, perfecting that move so you will never mess up again.

I love them because they jerk at our heartstrings. You see a foal, and you just want to run your hands over it's fuzzy baby hair. You see an old horse and you just want to pat it and say it's done good, had a prosperous life. You see that perfect pattern, jump, class... and you just want to cry because it was that beautiful. 

I love them because we spend every extra penny on them. We skimp on our food, while our horses get the best care. We get bucked off or otherwise hurt by our horse, and never go to a doctor, but get the vet out there ASAP. Our horses have more shoes than we do. Our horses have blankets, brushes, saddles, trailers, stables, pastures, meds, everything while we ourselves work with a little less.

Basically, we love horses for every reason, and can't live without them. Once you are a horse person, you can never go back to live without them. They infect you, invade you, and it's like a disease you can't get rid of, but you love every second of it. It is your passion, your Achilles heel, and they take us flying. 

~Shelby


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## ridergirl23

awww i love it!!  i smiled when it said "You've all had that day when you fill the water bucket and they tip it over, the day you're trying to hurry and you're dressed up nice and somehow during the course of caring for them, you realize that you don't really care if you show up covered in horse hair, mud, and hay, and a half an hour late, because you spent that half hour loving your best friend." i do that so often my friend always tease me because i smell like horse and you can always find a horse hair somewhere on me :


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## Nita

lol thanks! It's so true though! hahaha


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